Calendar of Events

The 9th annual Tennessee Medieval Faire invites you to travel back in time to the High Middle Ages (circa 1194 AD) to Live the Age of Chivalry with Robin Hood. The festival will open on October 5 and run for three consecutive weekends on Saturdays and Sundays. This outdoor, interactive, family-friendly, entertainment-oriented, special event will spring to life in Harriman, just west of Knoxville.

“The Sheriff of Nottingham is throwing a grand Faire to impress the evil Prince John and to win Lady Marian’s heart,” said Lars Paulson, general manager emeritus. “The Sheriff has also invited Robin Hood and his merry friends to the festivities to lure them in for capture. But who will be the mouse and who will be the cheese? Come and see!”

Patrons are encouraged to come to the festival with a sense of play. Wearing a medieval costume is optional, but patrons can enter the costume contest to win a prize. Patrons are also encouraged to share a talent in the Gong Show or to get knighted after a Chess Match. For the more romantic, folk dancing and speed courting are available. There will also be unicorn photo opportunities, axe-throwing, corn hole, giant chess, steel drum, and other games.

Throughout the eight-acre medieval village, professional acts will seek to entertain. Tournaments of skill will include The Royal Joust by Equus Nobilis and Human Combat Chess by the interactive street characters. Demonstrating circus talents will be aerialist, The Mandy Circus (new) (Oct 5-6); The Flaming Ginger (Oct 12-13, 19-20); and award-winning teen juggler, The Amazing Atticus (new). Back by popular demand will be interactive comedy trio, The Tortuga Twins; and Middle Eastern dance will be showcased by Tanasi Fusion (Oct 12-13) and Misfit Gypsies (Oct 19-20).

Patrons can feel transported by Celtic, pirate, and folk music by The CrossJacks, Kris Colt-The Black Rose, Estaban Diego of Landloch’d, Cory Whipple, Timothy Russell, Catalina the harpist, and Bravura Music Academy. Costumed street characters will also seek to entertain in the Tales of Robin Hood, The Sheriff’s Follies, Throw Me a Line, Chester the Heroic Little Pig, and Sherwood School. Interacting with these costumed street characters is also encouraged. Please visit the website for entertainment details: https://tmfaire.com/medieval-faire-entertainment/. Schedules will be available online before opening and at the festival entrance.

Adding to the festivities will be a variety of juried craft vendors, selling costumes, accessories, and gifts. Food will be available for purchase, including turkey legs, BBQ, loaded nachos, loaded baked potatoes, and desserts. Hot and cold beverages will also be available, including beer for adults ages 21 or older with a valid photo ID. Vendors are independent businesses and accept cash and credit.

The Tennessee Medieval Faire will be open rain or shine. The dates are October 5-6, 12-13, 19-20, 2024. Hours are 11am-6pm ET. The festival is located at 550 Fiske Road, Harriman, TN. Free field parking is provided, with handicap parking available near the entrance. The grounds consist of semi-rugged terrain with grass and some topography. Admission prices include all taxes and fees and are $20 for ages 13 and up, $10 for ages 5 to 12, and free for ages 4 and under. Tickets may be purchased online at https://tmfaire.com/tickets/ or on festival days at the ticket house for cash or credit. There will be no ATM onsite, so patrons are encouraged to bring cash for purchases, tips, and convenience and to purchase festival beverage tickets (online and at the festival). For more information, please visit https://tmfaire.com/, sign up for the e-newsletter for information and ticket discounts, and like and follow the Tennessee Medieval Faire / Tennessee Pirate Fest / Darkhorse Entertainment on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61562198558178

An exhibition celebrating Southern Appalachian artists and authors. Opening reception will take place on First Friday Oct 4th, 6-9pm.

The First Friday event will also host 8 open artist studios, poetry readings by Chelsie Nunn and Jazmin Witherspoon, and live printing with Relay Ridge merch. The exhibition will be up October 4th - November 8th, 2024, on view during public events or by appointment.

Relay Ridge, 4124 McKinley St, Knoxville. https://relayridge.org/ and https://www.instagram.com/relay_ridge/

No Tricks; just treats as we kick off the Halloween season with the second annual "Haunted Art Show" curated by Esther Sitver. Join us if you dare for a collaborative exhibition of creepy, eerie, spine-tingling, and all around haunted art pieces from multiple local artists. Come one come all to this family friendly event!

Opens October 4th 6pm-8pm

Rala: Regional and Local Artisans, 112 W. Jackson Ave, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: Mon-Thu & Sat 11-6, Fri 11-8, Sun 11-5. Information: 865-525-7888, https://shoprala.com or www.instagram.com/ShopRala

First Friday Reception: October 4th, 5:30 - 9 pm

Marilyn Dwyer, Drawing and Painting
Originally from Mobile, Alabama, Marilyn treasured her idyllic summers on Mobile Bay and Gulf beaches. After graduating with a BFA from Auburn University, she discovered the captivating beauty and heritage of East Tennessee, where she enjoyed a successful 40-year graphic design career. In 2012, Marilyn returned to her first love—fine arts. She now spends her time drawing, painting, and attending workshops with prominent pastel artists. While primarily working in charcoal and pastel, she is always experimenting with other mediums and techniques to achieve more expressive work. Marilyn’s strong compositions and contemporary style reflect her graphic arts background. Her work has consistently been acknowledged and awarded at regional and national pastel exhibitions.

Cindy Sugg, Clay
Cindy Sugg has been drawn to the medium of clay since a young child. Cindy’s earliest memory is an elementary school field trip (while living in Japan) to a Japanese potter’s studio. It was the first time she experienced the wheel, throwing off the hump, as well as gathering raw clay. That experience has lead her many years later sitting in front of the potters wheel at universities, workshops, studios, and now in her own home studio. Functional art - the ability to create art work that can be used in everyday life - is rewarding and fun for Cindy. She adorns her pieces either painting and drawing with nonrepresentational designs (Zentangle influence), as well as organic designs with underglaze. She is drawn to black and white - sometimes with pop of color. For the pieces made with the sgraffito process, the white is the color of the clay body, and the pattern is sgraffito/scratched off the black underglaze when the piece is “leather hard”. This process can take up to 20 hours per large bowl or platter. The first bisque firing sets all the designs in place, and is ready for the glaze firing to create the “wow” with shine and/or color.

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

[Knoxville] by Design is quickly approaching, and the Art Salon will kick things off on October’s First Friday by showcasing the vast range of original works of art created by architects and related professionals in East Tennessee.

This year, the work will be displayed at the Phoenix Gallery between the dates of October 1st - 26th, with a First Friday opening celebration taking place October 4th from 5:00-9:00PM. This gallery is open to the public throughout the week.

Location:
The Phoenix Building
418 S. Gay Street
Knoxville, TN 37902

https://www.facebook.com/AIAETN

The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present a new exhibition titled 50x50 in recognition of its 50th anniversary. The exhibition will be on display throughout the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville and opens on Friday, October 4, from 5:00-9:00 PM. The free gathering with exhibiting artists will also feature live music by Variego3 inside the Emporium.

Curated by John Douglas Powers, 50x50 is a survey of Knoxville- and Tennessee-based artists exhibiting alongside peers from across the country. The exhibition is a celebration of the individual artistic voice and the essential role of organizations like the Arts & Culture Alliance in supporting and nurturing those diverse voices. The Arts & Culture Alliance serves and supports a diverse community of artists, arts organizations, and cultural institutions.
"You know, it’s a pretty big milestone for the Arts & Culture Alliance (formerly the Arts Council) to be able to celebrate 50 years of quiet, uninterrupted service to a community, its artists and arts and culture organizations," says Liza Zenni, Executive Director. "We remember and thank all the board and staff members whose devoted and unselfish service over the years has made this anniversary possible. We remember and thank the thousands of artists and arts and culture organizations whose belief in the concept of an alliance drove this organization forward with their constant participation in ACA’s programs and activities, the most visible of which in the last 20 years has been the Emporium Galleries. I couldn’t imagine a curator whose expertise and sophistication could be more perfect than John Powers to bring the many threads of ACA’s ethos together into one exhibition. He has somehow found a way to pair local art with art from further afield so that the cumulative effect is one that looks forward to the exciting future that is yet ahead of ACA."

Utilizing all the exhibition spaces at the Emporium, 50x50 includes more than 100 works utilizing a variety of media and conceptual approaches by 50 different artists.

John Douglas Powers is an artist and educator based in Knoxville, Tennessee and is Professor of Sculpture and Time-Based Art in the School of Art at the University of Tennessee. Powers received his M.F.A. in sculpture (with distinction) from the University of Georgia and a B.A. in art history from Vanderbilt University. His work has been featured in The New York Times, World Sculpture News, Sculpture Magazine, Art Forum, The Huffington Post, Art in America, The Boston Globe and on CBS News Sunday Morning. He is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Virginia A Groot Foundation Award, a Joan Mitchell Foundation MFA Grant as well as a Southeastern College Art Conference Individual Artist Fellowship. Powers was a founding member and co-director of C for Courtside, an artist run curatorial project space. He sees creativity as vital to humanity and remains committed to supporting the arts.

The exhibition will be on display October 4-26, 2024 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 and Saturday, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM. Most of the works on exhibition will be for sale and may be purchased by visiting in person or the online shop at https://www.knoxalliance.store. For more information, please see www.knoxalliance.com or call (865) 523-7543.

Dreams, symbols, metaphors, and archetypes
Opens Oct 4, 5-9 PM

HoLa Hora Latina, 100 S. Gay Street, Suite 112, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-335-3358, www.holahoralatina.org

Historic Downtown Clinton, along with Pearl City Holdings, is hosting a one-of-a-kind indoor Christmas pop up market every Thursday-Saturday in October, November, and December.
At 341 Market Street
https://www.historicdowntownclinton.org/about

The UAB October events are so good - it's scary. This month, join us for book club nights, author events, and more! Continue reading for a not-so-haunting selection of upcoming events!

Book Lovers Night
This event will take place on October 1 from 5:00pm to 7:00pm at the Lakeshore Park. This is a free event.

Spooky Kids' Book Club
This event will take place on October 5 at 9:00am at our bookstore. This is a free event.

Ron Rash
This event will take place on October 4 at 6:00pm at East Tennessee History Center. This is a free event. Space is limited! RSVP to secure your spot.

Storytime Saturdays
This event will take place on October 5 at 11:00am at Lawson McGee Library. This is a free event.

Poetry Night
This event will take place on October 10 at 6:00pm at the bookstore. This is a free event. Please RSVP so we know to expect you!

Jared Sullivan
This event will take place on October 17 at 6:00pm at the East Tennessee History Center. This is a free event. Please RSVP so we know to expect you!

24 Tales: an Anthology Reading
This event will take place on October 27 at 3:00pm at the bookstore. This is a free event. Please RSVP so we know to expect you!

Clare Gilmore
This event will take place on October 29 at 6:00pm at the bookstore. This is a free event. Please RSVP so we know to expect you!

Union Ave Books, 517 Union Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-951-2180, www.unionavebooks.com

The "Crow Show!" -- starting October 1 and running through the month of October in the Ijams Visitor Center hallway art gallery. A wide variety of art celebrating crows and other corvids -- group show by members of A1LabArts artists' group.

https://www.a1labarts.com/

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

Big Fun Tuesday- End of Season Bash!
10/1 @ 5:00 PM
Join in the last Big Fun Tuesday celebration of the year with an AMBC Social Bike Ride, music from Steph Cabell, and tasty food from a local food truck on October 1 starting at 5pm!

Irvey's Giveback Fundraiser for Ijams
10/2 @ 1-9 PM
Enjoy a tasty treat at Irvey's Ice Cream in Kern's Food Hall to benefit Ijams Oct. 2!

Movies Under the Stars: SCREAM
10/4 @ 6 PM
Join Ijams and Central Cinema on October 4th for everyone's favorite fun filled horror film, Scream!

Evening Paddle
10/4 @ 6:00 PM
Get ready for a beautiful evening on the river under the setting sun!

10/5 • Early Morning Birding: Fall Migration
10/5 • Ijams Field Day: Botany for Beginners
10/5 • Creative Series: Paint at the Pond
10/5 • Fall Fungi ID: Beginner Workshop
10/6 • Sound Bath Meditation
10/6 • Self-Care Sunday Yoga
10/10 • Creative Series: Monsters Made with Love
10/10 • Pickin' on Nature Bluegrass Concert
10/11 • 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

The Oak Ridge Art Center's Open Show is a juried mixed-media exhibition open to all artists. It is intended to showcase exceptional work produced throughout our region. Over $4,000 in awards are available. The 2024 juror will be David Underwood, Professor of Art and Director of Exhibitions at Carson­ Newman University.

Oak Ridge Art Center, 201 Badger Avenue, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. Hours: Tu-F 9-5, Sa-M 1-4. Information: 865-482-1441, www.oakridgeartcenter.org