Calendar of Events
Thursday, January 16, 2025
Knoxville Symphony Orchestra: Mahler Symphony No. 5
Category: Music
Thursday, January 16, 2025, at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, January 17, 2025, at 7:30 p.m.
Tennessee Theatre
The artistic excellence of the Knoxville Symphony is showcased in January’s program through Bach’s haunting and dramatic Toccata and Fugue and Mahler’s intense Fifth Symphony, whose breathtaking fourth movement remains a pinnacle of Mahler’s compositions.
Aram Demirjian, conductor
JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH (arr. STOKOWSKI): Toccata and Fugue in D minor
GUSTAV MAHLER: Symphony No. 5
Knoxville Symphony Orchestra: 865-291-3310, www.knoxvillesymphony.com
Art Guild of Tellico Village: Meeting & Lecture with Sheila Atchley
Category: Exhibitions, visual art, Free event, Lecture, panel and Meetup
January 16, 2025
Art Guild Meeting at the Yacht Club top floor 10 AM; Coffee at 9:45
Sheila Atchley: The Art of Inquiry
How Asking a More Beautiful Question Becomes More Beautiful Art
In this talk, Sheila Atchley explores the often-overlooked power of asking meaningful questions in the creative process. Drawing from personal experiences and her own art, Sheila demonstrates how inquiry can overcome creative blocks, and infuse your work (on canvas or in private art journals) with authenticity. Attendees will hear how to incorporate reflective questioning into their routines and discover how this transformative practice can elevate their art. Whether you are a seasoned artist, or just beginning, this presentation will leave you with fresh perspectives and actionable insight into your own creative practice.
www.sheilaatchley.art
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Commission: Knoxville King Week
Category: Festivals, special events, Free event, History, heritage, Kids, family, Lecture, panel, Meetup and Music
Wed Jan 15, 12 PM: Interfaith Prayer Service
Thu Jan 16, 8:30 AM: Leadership Educational Symposium & Leadership Awards Luncheon
Fri Jan 17: Community Forum
Sat Jan 18: MLK Youth Symposium
Sun Jan 19: Night with the Arts Tribute
Mon Jan 20: MLK Jr. Memorial Tribute Service
https://mlkknox.org/
Theatre Knoxville Downtown: Dancing at Lughnasa
Category: Theatre
By Brian Friel
Directed by Barry Wallace
This extraordinary play is the story of five unmarried sisters eking out their lives in a small village in Ireland in 1936. We meet them at the time of the festival of Lughnasa, which celebrates the pagan god of the harvest with drunken revelry and dancing. Their spare existence is interrupted by brief, colorful bursts of music from the radio, their only link to the romance and hope of the world at large. The action of the play is told through the memory of the illegitimate son of one of the sisters as he remembers the five women who raised him: his mother and four maiden aunts. He is only seven in 1936, the year his elderly uncle, a priest, returns after serving for twenty-five years as a missionary in a Ugandan leper colony. For the young boy, two other disturbances occur that summer. The sisters acquire their first radio, whose music transforms them from correct Catholic women to shrieking, stomping banshees in their own kitchen. And he meets his father for the first time, a charming Welsh drifter who strolls up the lane and sweeps his mother away in an elegant dance across the fields. From these small events spring the cracks that destroy the foundation of the family forever. Widely regarded as Brian Friel’s masterpiece, this haunting play is Friel’s tribute to the spirit and valor of the past.
Performances are Thu-Sat 7:30 PM and Sun 3 PM
Theatre Knoxville Downtown, 800 S. Central Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information & tickets: 865-544-1999, www.theatreknoxville.com
Bijou Theatre Gallery: Featuring Patsy Ferrell White
Category: Exhibitions, visual art and Free event
Patsy White's exhibit celebrates Knoxville’s vibrant arts scene through her stunning acrylic-on-canvas portraits and figurative works. The subjects of her paintings include a remarkable lineup of Knoxville’s prominent artists, musicians, and cultural figures, each carefully rendered to honor their contributions to the community.
This exclusive reception offers media attendees the unique opportunity to preview the exhibit and engage directly with Patsy White to explore the inspirations and stories behind her artwork.
The exhibit includes portraits of the following notable Knoxville figures:
• Kelsey Bentley – French horn, Knoxville Symphony Orchestra (@kelshbentley)
• Suzanne Cada & Liza Zenni – Arts and Culture Alliance (@artsandculturealliance)
• Chih-Long Hu – Master pianist, University of Tennessee
• Evelyn Jack – Vocalist (@evelynjack681)
• Cynthia Markert – Visual artist/painter (@cynthiamarkert)
• Brian K. McQuain – Photographer (@briankmcquain)
• Nick Moran – Tattoo artist (@nickjmoran)
• Dana Plasencia Nies – Filmmaker (@dplasencia @think_draft)
• Charlie Pogue – Visual artist/painter
• Aaron White – Stylist, fashion director, runway producer (@theaaronwhiteproject)
Patsy Ferrell White is a self-taught fine art painter based in Knoxville, TN. Her unique process—freehand without digital aids or tracing—imbues her works with authenticity and emotion. Each painting reflects her passion for portraiture and her commitment to exploring personal and social themes. Patsy’s work has earned recognition in regional and international shows, including being a finalist in the Art Elevated competition in Manhattan, NYC. Her art has been featured in Artist Closeup, an international art magazine. Learn more about Patsy Ferrell White at ferrellwhitecreative.com or follow her on Instagram at @ferrellwhitecreative.
This exhibit will be available for viewing by Bijou Theatre patrons during its run.
Bijou Theatre, 803 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-522-0832, https://knoxbijou.org/
WDVX: Blue Plate Special & The Big Plate
Category: Free event, Kids, family and Music
The WDVX Blue Plate Special is a live performance radio show held at noon at Visit Knoxville (301 S. Gay Street) every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday with your host Red Hickey… and on Saturday with host Sean McCollough. On Fridays WDVX takes the Blue Plate Special to Barley’s Taproom & Pizzeria (200 E Jackson Ave) for “The Big Plate”. Make yourself at home as part of the WDVX family at this this daily free concert series. From blues to bluegrass, country to Celtic, folk to funk, rockabilly to hillbilly, local to international, it’s all part of the live music experience on The WDVX Blue Plate Special.
All seats are free, and visitors may come and go as they please.
Info: 865-544-1029, http://www.wdvx.com
Clayton Center for the Arts: Marc Burnett Exhibit
Category: Exhibitions, visual art and Free event
Discover selected works by local artist Marc Burnett in our DENSO and La Dolce Vita galleries.
Visit Monday-Friday from 10am-5pm or before and during any Clayton Center performances.
Clayton Center for the Arts, 502 East Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville, TN 37804. Information: 865-981-8590, www.ClaytonArtsCenter.com
Westminster Presbyterian Church Schilling Gallery: Woven Together
Category: Exhibitions, visual art and Free event
A group show featuring work by Lauren Farkas, Lauren Adams, Lyndsey Ullom, Hanna Seggerman, Hannah Hancock, Mack Hickey, Andrew Godwin, Andrea McCulley, and Amber Rountree
Artist's discussion/talk after service on February 9 at 12:15
Westminster Presbyterian Church Schilling Gallery, 6500 S Northshore Dr, Knoxville, TN 37919. Hours: M-R 9-4, Fri 9-12. Information: (865) 584-3957 or www.wpcknox.org
Union Ave Books: Upcoming Events
Category: Festivals, special events, Free event and Literature, spoken word, writing
This month, we’re kicking the year off with a midnight release, author meet-and-greets, and much more. Keep reading for all the details and mark your calendars!
Katie Holt - This event will take place on January 5 at 3:00pm at the bookstore. This is a free event. Please RSVP so we know to expect you!
Adam Rosenbaum - This event will take place on January 15 at 3:00pm at the bookstore. This is a free event. Please RSVP so we know to expect you!
Join us on January 20th from 10 PM to 1 AM for a night shrouded in intrigue and excitement at the Onyx Storm Midnight Release! Immerse yourself in the captivating world of The Empyrean series as you embark on a thrilling adventure filled with riddles, puzzles, and clues hidden throughout the store. Secure your tickets now and step into a world of magic and mystery!
Andrew K. Clark - This event will take place on January 26 at 3:00pm at the bookstore. This is a free event. Please RSVP so we know to expect you!
Jessi Gold - This event will take place on January 29 at 6:00pm at the East Tennessee History Center. This is a free event. Please RSVP so we know to expect you!
Billy Collins - Friends of Music and the Arts, The Episcopal Church of the Ascension and Union Ave Books are excited to present Billy Collins for Water, Water. This ticketed event will take place on Thursday, January 30th at 7:30pm at The Episcopal Church of the Ascension. Doors will open at 6:30pm and a book signing will follow the reading. Purchase Tickets
Union Ave Books, 517 Union Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-951-2180, www.unionavebooks.com
UT Downtown Gallery: My Memory is a Machine - Ambrose Rhapsody Murray
Category: Exhibitions, visual art and Free event
MY MEMORY IS A MACHINE - AMBROSE RHAPSODY MURRAY
FIRST FRIDAYS | JANUARY 3, FEBRUARY 7, 5-9PM
Come meet the artist as part of the February 7th First Friday Art Walk.
Ambrose Rhapsody Murray (she/they) is a self-taught artist with roots in Florida and Asheville, NC. Through sewing, painting, material experimentation, film, and collaborative projects, they create stories to investigate our relationships to the colonial undercurrents of our lives, the charged symbology of black feminine bodies, and the ephemeral and layered qualities of memory and remembering. Ambrose received their Bachelor’s from Yale University, and was recently selected as Forbes 30 under 30 in the 2024 Art section. Their work lives in the permanent collection of The Studio Museum in Harlem and the Montclair Art Museum, and has exhibited across the US and abroad.
This exhibition and programming is co-sponsored by The Pride Center and generously supported by UT’s Office of Multicultural Student Life; Women, Gender, and Sexuality; The Department of Geography and Sustainability, and Africana Studies.
UT Downtown Gallery, 106 S. Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: W-F 11-6, Sa 10-3. Information: 865-673-0802, https://downtown.utk.edu
Art Market Gallery: Featuring New Members
Category: Exhibitions, visual art, Fine Crafts and Free event
New members of 2024 will be featured during the month of January! A First Friday opening reception for the “New Members” exhibit is planned from 5:30-9pm, January 3rd, with complimentary refreshments and music.
New members:
Kimberly Collins - photography
Bonnie Colonna - fiber
Katharine Emlen - photography
Robin Ford - fiber
Paul Morris - wood
Katherine Schmoeller - fiber
Amber Purdy - drawing (2nd medium)
Claire Bodnaruk - glass
Christine Westbrook - painting
Deborah Etheredge - painting
Steven Varga - metal
Julie Boisseau-Craig - clay (3rd medium)
Alessandra Sutter Page - painting
The Art Market Gallery is a juried cooperative of over 50 East Tennessee artists dedicated to providing a vibrant marketplace for original art and fine crafts.
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
The Arrowmont Gallery & Marketplace: A Penny in Your Pocket
Category: Exhibitions, visual art, Fine Crafts and Free event
A Penny in Your Pocket: National Juried Exhibition, Part I
Opening reception: January 3, 5:00-9:00pm
Carrying a penny in your pocket into the new year is alleged to bring good fortune and prosperity. Kicking off the 2025 Arrowmont Gallery exhibition calendar, this exhibition explores interpretations of superstition. Held in two parts, Part I will be in January, opening to the public on First Friday, January 3rd, and Part II will be on view in February beginning First Friday, February 7th.
Juried by Rachel K. Garceau, Part I features work by the following artists: Celena Amburgey, Priscilla Bañuelos, Brittani Brown, Cindy Cheng, Jessika Edgar, Casey Engel, Noah Kiehne, M. Kobe, Lisa Kurtz, Ashlee Mays, Alena Mehic, Sung Eun Park, Kaleena Stasiak, Stacy Tabb, Scott Thorp, Sara Torgison, Hanna Washburn, Josh Winkler, Juanita Wyatt, Ashleigh York and Valerie Zimany.
For more information on this exhibition and others, please visit our site at: https://arrowmont.org/galleries/
110 S Gay St. Knoxville, Tennessee 37902
www.arrowmont.org