Calendar of Events

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

Members of the press and public are invited to attend “The Art of War,” an art exhibit curated by nonprofit RESTORE UKRAINE in one of Knoxville’s leading museums. “The Art of War: Expressing the true cost of war in Ukraine” opens on December 20th in the Knoxville Museum of Art’s (KMA) Kramer Gallery and will be open to the public until February 20th of next year.

“This exhibit is meant to illuminate the consequences of Russia’s war in Ukraine,” Executive Director Yaro Hnatusko said. “Each piece was created by those who have faced conflict: Ukrainian children, parents, refugees, volunteers, and soldiers.”

“The Art of War” offers an authentic and unfiltered look at the harsh realities of today’s conflict through the lens of those who have experienced it. This exhibition aims not only to foster empathy but to deepen the world’s connection with those who continue to endure the unseen and unthinkable. Visitors will also witness the artwork of local East Tennesseans who saw their own stories within the footprint of violence in Ukraine. Both American and Ukrainian artists joined the benefit exhibition to share a common goal: defeat indifference and raise the quality of life of Ukrainians. Throughout the exhibition, multiple pieces will be offered for sale with the exception of priceless pieces like children’s finger paintings and a Ukrainian flag signed by those living in frontline communities. “This event is a unique opportunity to gather as a community and be an asset to each other,” Yaro highlighted. www.restore-ukraine.org

The museum is located in downtown Knoxville at 1050 World’s Fair Park Drive and is open to the public Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sunday, 1-5 p.m. Admission and parking are free. For more information, visit www.knoxart.org

Reception Dec 13, 6-7:30 PM with artist's talks at 6:30 PM

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

Fountain City Art Center Open Show with artists sharing their vision of “holiday dreams”, be it a vacation or an idea of a simple celebration. Show opens Nov 22, 6:3-8 PM and will be on display through Jan 24, 2025. www.fountaincityartcenter.com

Fountain City Art Center, 213 Hotel Ave, Knoxville, TN 37918. Information: 865-357-2787, www.fountaincityartcenter.com

A group show, Greetings From Vestal IV, featuring recent works by resident studio artists Rachel Sevier Dallery, Casey Field, Risa Hricovsky, and Ashley Pace opens Tuesday, October 29, 2024 and will run through Wednesday, January 29, 2025. Curator: Brian R. Jobe. An opening reception will be held on Friday, November 1, 2024 from 5:00 until 8:00 pm (artists in attendance). The address is 4450 Candora Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37920 and admission is always free of charge.
https://tristararts.org/the-gallery/f/greetings-from-vestal-iv

Tri-Star Arts at Candoro Marble Building, 4450 Candora Drive, Knoxville, TN 37920. Hours: Tu-Sa 11-5. Information: https://tristararts.org/visit

Tri-Star Arts is pleased to present the next exhibition in their Golden Chain Gallery project space located at the historic Candoro Marble Building. Stairfall by Adam Rowe (Knoxville, TN) opens Tuesday, October 29, 2024 and will run through Wednesday, January 29, 2025. This show is located within the unique architectural space of a narrow wooden stairwell. An opening reception will be held on Friday, November 1, 2024 from 5:00 until 8:00 pm (artist in attendance). The address is 4450 Candora Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37920 and admission is always free of charge.

https://tristararts.org/the-gallery/f/stairfall

Tri-Star Arts at Candoro Marble Building, 4450 Candora Drive, Knoxville, TN 37920. Hours: Tu-Sa 11-5. Information: https://tristararts.org/visit