Calendar of Events

RICKY SKAGGS & KENTUCKY THUNDER CHRISTMAS
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19 | 7:30PM

Tennessee Theatre, 604 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. For information/tickets: 865-684-1200, www.tennesseetheatre.com

Mikes Farris comes to the Bijou Theatre on December 19 at 7:30 PM.

Grammy, Americana and Dove Award Winner, Mike Farris lights up the season each year with his acclaimed holiday show; "Mike Farris Sings! The Soul of Christmas!"
Since 2014, this Christmas concert has consistently sold out a two-night run in Nashville. This year, Farris and The Soul of Christmas Band pack up the sleigh and take the show on the road. They are more than ready to deliver everything you want in a Christmas show; high-energy soul, great classic ballads, and surprises - lots and lots of surprises!
With Mike and his world-class 10-piece band, the experience of the "Soul of Christmas" is unlike any other and absolutely guaranteed to get you into the celebratory spirit!

Tickets at: https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/1B006132C01353BE

Bijou Theatre, 803 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information/tickets: 865-522-0832, https://knoxbijou.org/

Circle Modern Dance Presents: Modern Dance Primitive Light 2024 in the Laurel Theater, 1538 Laurel Avenue, December 18 through December 21.

Modern Dance Primitive Light is an intimate event featuring original dance works from Circle Modern Dance past and current core members, local guest artists, and a live band - all in the historic Laurel Theater.

The performance on Wednesday, December 18, at 8:00 pm will be a Dress Rehearsal: Pay What You Wish. Donations (cash or credit) accepted at the door. No ticket needed for entry.
The performances on Thursday, December 19, Friday, December 20 and Saturday will be at 8:00 PM with an additional matinee at 2:00 PM on Saturday.
Advance tickets $20 (general) / $15 (student/senior/military) or pay $25 (general) / $20 (student/senior/military) at the door.

Purchase Tickets: https://buytickets.at/circlemoderndance/1446795

https://www.circlemoderndance.com/

Reception Dec 13, 6-7:30 PM with artist's talks at 6:30 PM
Art Exhibit at Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church
Free and open to the public

Yvonne Dalschen
After living for over 20 years in the “Secret City” of the Manhattan Project, I never learned how to stop worrying and love the bomb. I am surrounded by fences and signs, atomic nostalgia, selective amnesia and heritage tourism, and I sometimes seem to be the only one bothered by this. “Ghosts of the Manhattan Project” started during the clean-up of K-25. This uranium enrichment plant in Oak Ridge was the largest building in the world when built in 1944. My work is an ongoing exploration of the landscapes and archives of the atomic age, layering histories with observations into photographic palimpsests. I picture the invisible and the unthinkable, collecting the choices and promises made, the stories told, the stories forgotten and the fears that haunt us at night.

Yvonne Dalschen is a German photographer living in Oak Ridge, TN. She is interested in history of place, cultural landscapes and digital experimentation. She earned an MA in Comparative Literature from the Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich and a Photography Certificate from the University of Tennessee. Her images haven been exhibited nationally and internationally from Oak Ridge to Sydney, Australia, recently at the Knoxville Museum of Art, The Bascom Center and UGA’s Circle Gallery.

Debby Hall
“The Joy of Color” features paintings reflecting the artistry in nature through color and the spontaneity of alcohol inks and watercolors. Whether painting abstracts or more realistic mountains, flowers, landscapes or birds, Hall hopes her paintings bring people joy and a greater connection to the beauty around us.

Debby Hall is a self-taught artist whose paintings were juried into the Oak Ridge Art Center’s Open Show (September 2023) and the “Arts in the Airport” Spring 2024 show, where she received the Award of Merit. She exhibits often through Knoxville’s Arts & Culture Alliance and the St. Lucie Culture Alliance. She donates net proceeds from art sales to a non-profit charity, Saving Grace in Uganda, that rescues young homeless street children and gives them medical care, food, education, housing and hope in a country with virtually no social services. For more information visit her website, https://artforsavinggrace.com

Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, 2931 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919. Gallery hours: M-Th 9:30-4:30, Su 9-1. Information: 865-523-4176, www.tvuuc.org

First Friday Reception: December 6th, 5:30 - 9 pm
December Featured Artists

Claire Bodnaruk, Glass
A Native Tennessean, Claire Bodnaruk has lived in Australia, Florida, Minnesota and Chicago, before returning to her home state of Tennessee in 2019. Following a career in advertising, film & video production, she explored different creative outlets while raising her two daughters. Claire has been working in glass for over 20 years. Her journey in glass began with becoming proficient in metal fabrication, incorporating colorful glass into unique jewelry. During travels to London, France and Italy, she was inspired by the beautiful Venetian and stained glass art that led to exploring glass on a larger scale. Learning from recognized glass artists across the United States in glass blowing to glass fusing, Claire’s current focus is in kiln formed glass, the manipulation of shaping glass in a kiln with heat and gravity. The process to produce one piece may involve several firings with many hours in the cycle, multiple techniques and manipulations, and cold working for a quality finish. Her work is both functional and nonfunctional glass art.

Allen Monsarrat, Painting
Allen’s art education began with three years training in architecture, but finished with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree with a concentration in pottery at the Memphis College of Art. His first art career was as a studio potter in Friendsville, Tn for 25 years. That was followed by careers in decorative wall finishes, faux painting, cabinetry finishing and the occasional mural project. It was studying “trompe l’oiel” (fool the eye) imagery with French master craftsman Michel Nadai that nurtured his interest in creating representational art. “Creating a painting is always an exciting journey. I am never certain whether a painting will be as successful as I have envisioned it in my mind. I am more than a decade into developing my representational painting skills. I have honed my methodology into a procedure of how I develop a painting by breaking it into manageable steps. First choosing a subject with personal meaning based on my travels or a subject close to home here in East Tennessee. But the image must be a strong composition and contain a range of tonal values from darks to lights. This is worked out by doing an under painting by using only one color to establish a range of values. At this point I can concentrate on colors and brush application. Brush application refers to how apparent or not are the actual brush strokes. Slowly edging away from my original tendency toward photorealism, some of my new work has a more painterly feel to it. Yet, like a photograph, it retains a great deal of detail.
I have always been a student of art. The continuing passion I have for art is that I will never stop learning.”

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

RED Gallery is proud to announce the opening of if only in my dreams … by Melissa N. Everett

A collection of quilts, sculptural pieces, soft mixed with rigid, color used to nurture and encourage you to "be a wildflower”.

"As a mother, I wish I could provide solace and refuge for you all. Instead, we must connect to our inner children and play in our communities. Let’s escape to our dreams—find comfort in our imaginations. As a female artist, woman, and caregiver in a society that undervalues my contributions, this is my expression of hope. These artworks are pieces of pretend worlds I create to escape, to connect to my younger self. When the roles of domesticity seem to dominate my daily life, I visit these worlds to remind myself of all my layers.”

The show will open on First Friday, December 6, 5 - 9pm and will run through the month of December.
RED Gallery, 131 W Jackson Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37902
robin@robineaster.com
IG: @redgallery.knox

Performed Thursdays and Fridays at 7 PM; Saturdays at 1 PM and 5 PM; and Sundays at 3 PM and 6 PM.

In this hilarious Christmas classic, a couple struggling to put on a church Christmas pageant is faced with casting the Herdman kids: probably the most inventively awful kids in history! You won’t believe the mayhem – and the fun – when the Herdman’s collide with the Christmas story head on!

The play is performed by twenty-four talented young actors ages 8 to 16. The cast includes KCT veterans Vivienne Bullard as Imogene Herdman, Mason Cox as Leroy Herdman, Julian Daniel as Ollie Herdman, Desmond Gondo as Claude Herdman and Harper Monday as Gladys Herdman. Mother and Father will be played by Leeland Robbins and Quinton Stiffler respectively, while Luna Chavez will be playing Beth Bradley and Owen Bellamy will be playing Charlie Bradley. Joining them will be Connor Watters as Elmer and Rev. Hopkins, Lydia Komeshak as Mrs. Armstrong, and Chloe Beeler as Mrs. McCarthy. Also featured are KCT veterans Camila Herrera, Hogan Honeycutt, Saha Lau, Caroline Simmons, Sophia Stiffler, and Auden Tatler. Making their KCT debuts in this production are Luke Bounds, Laila Brown, Amelia Carroll, Lola Longmire, Julia Luehrs, and Camden Powell.

The show is directed by guest director Ashlee Latimer and designed by eleven student designers ages 10 to 16. KCT is East Tennessee’s leading producer of plays for children and families. Knoxville Children's Theatre, 109 E. Churchwell Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37917. Information: 865-208-3677, www.knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com

The Arts & Culture Alliance proudly presents its 2024 Members Show, the largest annual exhibition of local artists in the Greater Knoxville area. The fresh mix of two- and three-dimensional works created within the last two years encompasses a wide variety of media such as oil, acrylic, watercolor, pastel, mixed media, photography, fine craft, sculpture, ceramics, fiber, and more from regional artists who are all individual members of the Arts & Culture Alliance, which serves and supports a diverse community of artists, arts organizations, and cultural institutions. Membership is open to all, and information may be found at www.knoxalliance.com/join-renew.

A free celebration with the artists will take place on Friday, December 6, from 5:00-9:00 PM. The 51st Annual WIVK Christmas Parade starts at 7:00 PM along Gay Street and passes in front of the Emporium.

"What a wonderful collection of thought-inducing work from some of the Arts & Culture Alliance's thousands of members," says Liza Zenni, Executive Director of the Arts & Culture Alliance. "As Greater Knoxville's only Local Arts Agency and United Fund, we couldn't be prouder to support and serve this dynamic community of artists."

Individual members of the Alliance participate locally and regionally in gallery exhibitions, art festivals, sculpture trails, weekend shows, studio tours, and public murals. Some Alliance members are full-time artists, while others have day jobs and create on evenings and weekends. Some members include art professors with the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Carson-Newman University, Maryville College, Pellissippi State, Roane State, and Walters State. Others are teachers within Knox and surrounding counties’ elementary, middle and high schools. Some Alliance members teach classes privately or through community classes with the Appalachian Arts Craft Center, Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts, Fountain City Art Center, Knoxville Arts & Fine Crafts Center, Knoxville Museum of Art, Mighty Mud, and Oak Ridge Art Center. Many of the artists have working studios in their own homes, while some are part of studio collectives such as Broadway Studios & Gallery, The Emporium, Mighty Mud, Relay Ridge, Sunday Studios, and West Fifth Studios.

The 2024 Members Show will be on display throughout the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, in downtown Knoxville from December 6-21, 2024. Most of the works will be for sale and may be purchased through the close of the exhibition by visiting in person or via the online shop at www.knoxalliance.store. The Emporium is open to the public Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM and Saturday, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM. Please note, the Emporium will be closed December 22-29 for the holidays. For more information, please see www.knoxalliance.com or call (865) 523-7543.

It’s a Wonderful Life is based on the story, The Greatest Gift by Philip Van Doren Stern and is adapted by Joe Landry. This beloved American holiday classic comes to captivating life as a live 1940s radio broadcast. One Christmas Eve, George Bailey is so discouraged, he wonders if the world would be better off without him.

River & Rail Theatre, 111 State Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-407-0727, www.riverandrailtheatre.com

Winter Warmer is presented by the Knoxville Modern Quilt Guild. Twelve members of the guild used a curated color palette and modern esthetic to create works based on their own vision, the only limitations being fabrics and size. The resulting pieces reflect many aspects of modern quilting: use of negative space, minimalism, improvisational piecing, asymmetry, bold use of color. Many modern quilters also learn from, experiment with, and utilize traditional patterns and techniques, while applying a modern twist.

The Knoxville Modern Quilt Guild is for residents in and around Knoxville who have an interest in modern design and quilting. We hope to provide members with a community where modern quilters can meet, share ideas and create in an environment that encourages creativity and acceptance. Our guild is a member of The Modern Quilt Guild.
https://www.themodernquiltguild.com/

At Printshop Beer, 1532 Island Home Ave.

12/1 • 11th Annual Ijams Holiday Marketplace
12/8 • Creative Series: Holiday Card Crafting with The Big Camera
12/8 • Self-Care Sunday Yoga
12/14 • Beyond the Blueprint - Exploring Neutral Tones with Van Dyke Brown Photography
12/14 • Pickin' on Christmas with Evie and the Elves
12/15 • Sound Bath Meditation
12/15 • Self-Care Sunday Yoga
12/15 • Bluegrass Jam with ETNBA
12/22 • Self-Care Sunday Yoga

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

This collaborative project with the East Tennessee Art Education Association is designed to gather the best student work in grades 6-12 from a 32-county region; award winners are eligible for $1,000,000 in scholarships to national art schools. Organized by the KMA.

For additional information and updates, follow the Knoxville Museum of Art on social media:
Facebook: Knoxville Museum of Art, Instagram: @knoxvillemuseumofart, X: @knoxart

Knoxville Museum of Art, 1050 World's Fair Park, Knoxville, TN 37916. Hours: Tu-Sa 10-5, Su 1-5. Information: 865-525-6101, www.knoxart.org. Admission and parking are free.