Calendar of Events

The Sundress Academy for the Arts is excited to present a workshop led by Christa Fairbrother on Wednesday, August 14th, 2024, from 6:00 - 7:30 PM EST. This event will be held over Zoom. Participants can access the event at tiny.utk.edu/sundress (password: safta).

How can you find the energy to write about chronic illness while living in a chronic body? How does anyone else manage this, either? We’ll look at the poets Camisha Jones, Gwyneth Lewis, and Valerie Witte, whose form and content are vastly different from each other. However, they’re each creating works centered on the body despite their own health challenges.

Then, we’ll do a multi-part mindfulness activity to both center yourself and expand your thoughts to add depth to your work. You can reuse the exercise anytime you need to feel better in the moment and as a generative activity to create new work. We’ll share works that spring from this exercise and talk about how to stay connected to your craft even on the worst days.

Christa Fairbrother, MA, is currently the poet laureate of Gulfport, Florida. Her chronic illness-focused poetry has appeared in Knee Brace Press, Medical Literary Messenger, Pleiades, and Réapparition Journal, as well as being nominated for a Pushcart prize. She’s had residencies with the Sundress Academy for the Arts, the Bethany Arts Community, and her chapbook, Chronically Walking, was a finalist for the Kari Ann Flickinger Memorial Prize. During the day she helps people deepen their sense of embodiment through aqua yoga, and her book Water Yoga (Singing Dragon, 2022) won medals from the Nautilus Book Awards and the Florida Writers Association.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1166121851292624

Yee-Haw Brewing Company is gearing up for the highly anticipated return of the WDVX Summer Nights concert series, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to have you join us for another season of foot-stomping, heartwarming americana and bluegrass performances at our outdoor stage located at 745 N Broadway in North Knoxville.

WDVX Summer Nights sponsored by ORNL Federal Credit Union is free, open to the public, and family-friendly. Join us for a free live radio show hosted by Alex Leach on Wednesday, August 14th at 7pm featuring Martha Spencer's Wonderland Country Band with Five Mile Mountain Road, part of The Crooked Road's 20th Anniversary.

Each event promises to be a celebration of music, culture, and community that you won’t soon forget. Don’t forget to stay connected with us on social media @yeehaw_knoxville and @wdvx for all the latest updates and announcements.

So grab your friends, grab a cold one, and join us for a summer filled with great tunes and even greater memories! The concerts will be held at 7pm on select Wednesdays, weather permitting. The excitement here at Yee-Haw Brewing Co. is brewing as we gear up to bring back this series after the overwhelming support we received from the Knoxville community during last year’s Americana and Bluegrass Concert series!

https://www.facebook.com/events/921782649701597/921782656368263/

Jubilee Community Arts (JCA) Executive Director Ethan Fulwood to speak on JCA Throughout Knoxville's History
When: Wednesday, August 14, 2024 @ 12:00 p.m.
Where: East Tennessee History Center, 601 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902

The Laurel Theater has been a hub for music and dance in Knoxville for over 40 years, and the organization that manages the Laurel Theater, Jubilee Community Arts (JCA), has played an even wider role in Knoxville's cultural history. During this lecture, Executive Director Ethan Fulwood will speak about how JCA emerged out of the social movements of the 1960s and played an early role coordinating artistic and musical performances in the Fort Sanders neighborhood. Figures active in JCA played an important role in the 1982 World's Fair Folklife Festival and the organization continued successful folk and international programming at the World's Fair site through the 1990s. Since its reconstruction after a devastating fire in 1982, concerts at the Laurel Theater have supported important regional musical traditions and continue to bring some of the most famous names in folk, bluegrass, and Celtic music to Knoxville.
For more information about this lecture, visit https://www.easttnhistory.org/event/folklife-and-the-laurel-jubilee-community-arts-in-knoxville-history/ or call the East Tennessee Historical Society at 865-215-8830.

Ethan Fulwood is the executive director of Jubilee Community Arts (JCA). A biological anthropologist by training, he has harbored a long fascination with the music traditions, culture, and history of this region. He is also a practitioner of traditional music and dance.

The Knoxville Choral Society is excited to announce fall auditions for the 2024-2025 season on August 11, 12, 18, and 19. Auditions will take place at Ball Camp Baptist Church, located at 2412 Ball Camp Byington Road in Knoxville. Openings are available in all voice parts for the 100-voice volunteer choir. Rehearsals are held most Monday evenings from August to May, between 7:30 and 9:30 PM. The audition process includes an assessment of vocal quality, sight-reading, and tonal memory drills. No prepared piece is required. For more information and to reserve an audition time, visit www.knoxvillechoralsociety.org/Sing or email membership@knoxvillechoralsociety.org.

Since 1951, the Knoxville Choral Society has proudly shared a diverse range of choral music with the Knoxville community. Dedicated to choral performance excellence, the group, consisting of over 100 auditioned musicians, performs major choral and orchestral works, highlighting a variety of choral literature and styles.

“The Knoxville Choral Society offers singers the chance to participate in high-caliber choral concerts in our area,” says John Orr, Artistic Director of the Knoxville Choral Society. “We seek artistic, creative singers who love choral music of all kinds and who want to connect through the creative expression of the choral arts.” For additional information about the 2024-2025 concert season and tickets, visit www.knoxvillechoralsociety.org.

Art Exhibit at Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, Free and open to the public
Reception Friday, August 9, 2024, 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Artist talks at 6:30 p.m.
Gallery hours: 9:30 - 4:30 Monday through Thursday, 9:00 – 1:00 Sunday
At Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church Gallery, 2931 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37918

Mary Bow
Images of many different animals, both domesticated and wild, are rendered in thickly applied acrylic paint on textured canvases using a dry brush technique that allows successive layers of color to show through. Bow hopes to provoke empathy for non-human animals as they live, raise their young and experience joy, sorrow and pain. Mary Bow has degrees in Anthropology, Psychology, and Visual Art, as well as higher degrees in Education. She feels that she has a unique perspective on how human relationships with others in the animal kingdom have changed over time. www.marypbow.com

Curt Imerman’s finely detailed drawings of barns are created by using fine-tipped pens as a brush rather than an instrument to draw lines. As the tip of the pen wears away from use, it produces lighter and finer lines, allowing different effects. Imerman says, “Barns are disappearing from our country’s landscape at an ever-increasing rate. Barns are a part of our Americana. This is my way of memorializing and sharing my fascination with old, weathered barns.” Imerman’s attention to detail comes from his career as a mechanical designer for a major U.S. crane manufacturer. While designing cranes, Curt’s drawing talent was called upon to prepare conceptual drawings of various lift crane designs. He is a member of the Art Market Gallery in Knoxville and serves on their Board of Directors.

https://tvuuc.org/

8/9 • Knoxville Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night's Dream
8/9 • Evening Paddle
8/10 • Knoxville Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet
8/11 • Sound Bath Meditation
8/11 • Paint and Plant with an Owl Workshop
8/11 • Knoxville Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night's Dream
8/16 • Movies Under the Stars: Across the Universe
8/16 • Evening Paddle

Ijams Nature Center, 2915 Island Home Ave, Knoxville, TN 37920. Visitor Center open daily 10-6; grounds and trails open daily from 8 AM - dusk. Information: 865-577-4717, www.ijams.org

First Friday Reception: August 2nd, 5:30 - 9 pm

A native of Virginia, Kathy Holland attended the School of the Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCUarts) in Richmond, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in painting and printmaking in 1978. The following summer she studied with master wood-engraver Blair Hughes-Stanton at the Central School of Art and Design in London, England. Ever since graduation from VCUarts, Kathy has worked continually as an artist, exhibiting drawings, etchings, relief prints, and paintings in juried national and international exhibitions and solo shows. In addition to her studio practice, she has worked over the years as a freelance graphic artist, medical illustrator, mura lpainter, portrait artist, art show juror, and drawing instructor. In 1986 she emigrated to Canada, lived in the small rural town of Deep River, Ontario for over11 years, and exhibited her work extensively in solo exhibitions at public galleries throughout Ontario and in juried shows across the US.

Debbie Corley of DC Pottery creates pieces that are mostly wheel thrown, but she constructs some hand-built pieces as well, focusing on functional ware that is intended to be used and enjoyed in daily life. Inspired by the dynamics of the outside world, the changing seasons, and the organic patterns and textures found in nature, her work includes surface designs are created by employing carving techniques to expose the clay material underneath underglazes, hand painting to emphasize and highlight to create contrast and interest, and layering of patterned transfers, textures, and decals.

Art Market Gallery, 422 S. Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: Tu-Sa 11-6, Su 1-6. Information: 865-525-5265, www.artmarketgallery.net, www.Facebook.com/ArtMarketGallery

This upcoming First Friday we will be showcasing “Sueños,” an exhibition that celebrates the artistry of Honduran artists Sergio Martínez, Valeria Martínez, and Estefano Martínez.

https://holahoralatina.org/current-exhibit/
865.335.3358

Emporium Center + Dogwood Gallery
Reception: August 2nd / 5-8PM
Details TBA

Dogwood Arts, 123 W. Jackson Ave, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-637-4561, www.dogwoodarts.com

The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present five new exhibitions at the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville opening on Friday, August 2, from 5:00-9:00 PM. As part of a special First Friday Block Party sponsored by the Alliance and City of Knoxville, the free gathering with exhibiting artists will also feature nearly 20 artist vendors and live music with Robinella outside along the 100 Block of Gay Street, which will be open to pedestrians only from 4-10 PM between Jackson and Vine avenues. Inside the Emporium, music will be provided by Rodney Lee and Too Easy (Rachelle and Kenneth Navy).

My creations come to life on Gesso boards or framed wooden painting panels, where I breathe vibrancy into each drop with acrylic paint. The final touch is a resin overlay, which enhances and illuminates the colors making them dance with brilliance and vitality. My paintings are a dance of contemporary and modern style, infused with the hues of nature. Each piece is a vessel of energy, capturing the essence of the world around us.

Farhad Naimy trained professionally as an engineer and later brought his passion for architecture, design and creative use of space to his custom-built multi-million dollar homes that now span across the landscape in San Francisco and other cities throughout the Pacific Northwest. His love of the Eastern Tennessee mountains and his family brought him back to Knoxville where he draws from his international experiences of a lifetime to create art. Naimy is captivated with Fluid Art because of his deep connection to nature and color. In both there is infinite variety, and like love, infinite expressions.

Instagram @fluidartbyfarhad

The exhibitions will be on display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. The Emporium is open to the public Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM. Most of the works on exhibition will be for sale and may be purchased by visiting in person or the online shop at www.knoxalliance.store. For more information, please see www.knoxalliance.com or call (865) 523-7543.

The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present five new exhibitions at the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville opening on Friday, August 2, from 5:00-9:00 PM. As part of a special First Friday Block Party sponsored by the Alliance and City of Knoxville, the free gathering with exhibiting artists will also feature nearly 20 artist vendors and live music with Robinella outside along the 100 Block of Gay Street, which will be open to pedestrians only from 4-10 PM between Jackson and Vine avenues. Inside the Emporium, music will be provided by Rodney Lee and Too Easy (Rachelle and Kenneth Navy).

Classic fairy tales are deep and complex, reflecting reality: light and dark, good and evil, life and death. Unlike modern interpretations, they don’t sugarcoat the hard truths to make them more palatable. Monsters, tricksters, and haters still exist; not every story ends happily ever after. Each new day, we are challenged to navigate through the unknown, making choices when we can, reaping the consequences of choices made before, and reacting to both the actions of others and the whims of providence. Fairy tales offer a treasure trove of human experience and wisdom that we can learn from and apply to our lives, hopefully avoiding the common pitfalls found by those who’ve gone before. I find inspiration in the captivating depictions of these stories created during the Golden Age of Illustration by artists such as Arthur Rackham, John Bauer, and Edmund Dulac. To create my artwork, I use a scroll saw to “unsew” various shapes from domestic and exotic woods carefully selected for their color, grain, and density. Utilizing a rotary tool and various sanders, the pieces are shaped, textured, finished, and fitted together, resulting in a three-dimensional effect. I’ve adapted a mixed media technique to increase the dimensionality by “floating” figures in multiple layers on a background scene, all enhanced by paint, stains, dyes, pyrography, acrylic resin, gemstones, and/or other materials.

Steven L. Griffin is a retired Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), having worked in health system leadership for more than 30 years. Originally from Dalton, Georgia, he currently resides in the Possum Creek area near Soddy Daisy, Tennessee. Being a lifelong learner and avid DIY’er (along with a touch of ADHD!) has led to broad accumulation of hobbies and skills. He and his wife are aspiring world travelers, having visited 39 countries to date. His current passion, mixed-media intarsia, began as a pandemic pastime but rapidly grew as he discovered the satisfaction of incorporating many of his previous skills into a unique art form.

Instagram @gryphon_intarsia
https://slgryphon1.wixsite.com

The exhibitions will be on display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. The Emporium is open to the public Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM. Most of the works on exhibition will be for sale and may be purchased by visiting in person or the online shop at www.knoxalliance.store. For more information, please see www.knoxalliance.com or call (865) 523-7543.

The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present five new exhibitions at the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville opening on Friday, August 2, from 5:00-9:00 PM. As part of a special First Friday Block Party sponsored by the Alliance and City of Knoxville, the free gathering with exhibiting artists will also feature nearly 20 artist vendors and live music with Robinella outside along the 100 Block of Gay Street, which will be open to pedestrians only from 4-10 PM between Jackson and Vine avenues. Inside the Emporium, music will be provided by Rodney Lee and Too Easy (Rachelle and Kenneth Navy).

This exhibition is twelve years in the making and came together from my past works and inspirations throughout those years. It is a portrait of my inspirational process and a look across the variety of objects that I have challenged myself to make (mostly in glass with a few ceramic pieces). I have always enjoyed leveraging my creative talents to make things that I like just because I like them. It is a very freeing feeling when you’re making what you want to make just because you want to make it. From my desire to craft chop sticks to eat sushi I love to my curiosity about glass dice for use in games, this exhibition displays some of my diverse interests and burning desire to turn them into art.

Drew Turner initially worked in clay, taking classes at Farragut High School, Mighty Mud Studios, and Pellissippi State with Jim Darrow. He has also taken classes in metalworking, including wire wrapping, soldering, and enameling. For the past ten years, Turner has worked with blowing glass, first at a small-scale production studio and later studying at Penland School of Crafts on multiple occasions. He also started flameworking and fusing glass around the same time. Additionally, he works with stained glass in panels, having studied at Fountain City Stained Glass. All the while, he has pursued Associate’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Engineering from Pellissippi State and Tennessee Technological University, respectively. Turner has always been curious about how the world works and making things with that knowledge.

The exhibitions will be on display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. The Emporium is open to the public Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM. Most of the works on exhibition will be for sale and may be purchased by visiting in person or the online shop at www.knoxalliance.store. For more information, please see www.knoxalliance.com or call (865) 523-7543.