Calendar of Events

Thursday, February 20, 2025, at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, February 21, 2025, at 7:30 p.m.
Tennessee Theatre

The Knoxville Symphony and several East Tennessee collaborators bring Mendelssohn’s charming “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” to life. Crawford-Seeger’s bouncing “Rissolty, Rossolty,” Rautavaara’s atmospheric “Cantus arcticus: Concerto for Birds and Orchestra” and Smetana’s evocative “The Moldau” open the program.

Aram Demirjian, conductor
Laura Beth Wells, narrator
Appalachian Ballet Company
Women of the Webb School & Pellissippi State Community College choirs

RUTH CRAWFORD-SEEGER: Rissolty, Rossolty
EINOJUHANI RAUTAVAARA: Cantus arcticus: Concerto for Birds & Orchestra
BEDRICH SMETANA: “The Moldau” from My Fatherland
FELIX MENDELSSOHN: A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Knoxville Symphony Orchestra: 865-291-3310, www.knoxvillesymphony.com

Ty Myers, Thursday, February 20, 2025, 8:00 PM (Doors 7:00 PM) at
The Mill & Mine.

Ty Myers grew up on a cattle ranch owned by his family for more than six generations outside of Austin TX. He clung on to music as a kid and never let go, obsessing over an expansive range of artists like Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimi Hendrix, Bill Withers, and Otis Redding to Chris Stapleton and George Strait. He gave up baseball and football and opted for homeschooling in order to wholeheartedly pursue his dream. During 2023, he made waves with his debut single “Tie That Binds.” Between packing houses in his home state and sharing the stage with Willie Nelson, he has performed countless sold out shows across the states.

Tickets at: https://www.ticketweb.com/event/ty-myers-the-select-tour-the-mill-mine-tickets

The Mill & Mine, 227 W. Depot Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37917. Tickets/information: 865-343-6000 or https://themillandmine.com

On February 20 at 6 PM, Knox Heritage is hosting a showing of the documentary “Unity Temple: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Modern Masterpiece” at Historic Westwood (3425 Kingston Pike).

A dedicated team of historians, craftspeople, members of the Unitarian congregation and Unity Temple Restoration Foundation reveal the history of one of Wright’s most innovative buildings that merged his love of architecture with his own spiritual values.

Admission is free but space is limited- please RSVP by Wednesday, February 19 at https://www.knoxheritage.org/preservation/preservation-network/? Complimentary popcorn, sodas, and water will be available. Parking is available at Laurel Church of Christ (3457 Kingston Pike).

Knox Heritage at Historic Westwood, 3425 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919. Information: 865-523-8008, www.knoxheritage.org

Update 2/19/25 - Feb. 20 Meeting CANCELED!

Tellico Village Art Guild Meeting at the Yacht Club top floor 10 AM; Coffee at 9:45.
Janet Muir will be speaking on Artistic Photography of Wildlife.

Jan Muir has been creating intimate portraits of wildlife in remote locations. She will share her art, favorite locations, adventure stories, and some simple tips to bring your own photographic vision to life.

Art Guild of Tellico Village, 128 Saligugi Way, Loudon, TN 37774. Info: agtv.president@gmail.com or www.tellicoartguild.com

One of the challenges interpreting the stories of people enslaved by the Mabry family is the lack of individualized details, but over the last few years, the museum has uncovered fascinating and sobering tales like Wiley Mabry--the man who bought himself. And we are excited to share with you the story of another family who was enslaved by the Mabrys--the Franklins. Only a few months ago, our colleagues at the East Tennessee Historical Society shared a research lead that unlocked a trove of information about Eliza Franklin, her ten children, and her husband, Ben Franklin, who was a Free Black man in Knoxville.

Join our executive director, Patrick Hollis, as he shares what we've learned about their lives following them in their footsteps to freedom and our plans for integrating their story into Mabry-Hazen House. The presentation will take place in the Julia-Meek Guest House on the Mabry-Hazen campus and is free and open to the public.

Mabry-Hazen House, 1711 Dandridge Avenue, Knoxville, TN, 37915. Information: 865-522-8661, www.mabryhazen.com

Mondays @ 6:30 PM Adult Tap Dance (Adv Beg)
Mondays @ 7:30 PM Adult Tap Dance (Int-Adv)
Tuesdays @ 6:30 PM Adult Jazz Chair Dance (Open Level)
Wednesdays @ 6:30 PM Adult Tap Dance (Beginners)
Thursdays @ 6:30 PM Adult Ballet Barre & Center

Classes held at The Follies Girls Dance & Performing Arts Center, located inside the 1400 Building at 1400 N. 6th Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37917. Information: 865.888.0341 or www.thefolliesgirls.org

Ijams welcomes Donna Moore's Night Blooming Cereus showcase to the Hallway Gallery this month.

Moore says her work is often an exploration of reality distorted by time and memory. For this series, she used a flatbed scanner and an enlarger as her camera, and made cyanotypes and lumen prints using the sun and the passage of time to create original prints. Don't miss it!

Ijams Nature Center, 2915 Island Home Ave, Knoxville, TN 37920. Visitor Center open daily 10-6. Information: 865-577-4717, www.ijams.org

2/15 • Paint with a Turkey Vulture and American Kestrel
2/16 • Reset, Renew, Rejuvenate: Yoga Workshop and Sauna Session
2/21 • Woodcock Walk - Guided Birding Program
2/22 • Ijams Junior Naturalist
2/22 • Reading the Landscape: Geology
2/22 • Woodcock Walk - Guided Birding Program
2/23 • Take Action! Annual Ijams Seed and Plant Swap
2/28 • Woodcock Walk - Guided Birding Program

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 Smithsonian’s National Collection of Fishes X-rays represent more than 70 percent of the world’s fish specimens and is the largest and most diverse collection of its kind in the world. Although the X-rays featured in the national collection were made for research purposes, the strikingly elegant images demonstrate the natural union of science and art and are a visual retelling of the evolution of fish. X-Ray Vision: Fish Inside Out, an exhibition from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), showcases these dramatic prints exposing the inner workings of the fish.

The exhibition features 32 black-and-white digital prints of different species of fish. Arranged in evolutionary sequence, these X-rays give a tour through the long stream of fish evolution. The X-rays have allowed Smithsonian and other scientists to study the skeleton of a fish without altering the specimen, making it easier for scientists to build a comprehensive picture of fish diversity.

The exhibition also includes specimens from the collections of the McClung Museum, the Etnier Ichthyological Collection, and the Vertebrate Osteology Collection to highlight research happening with fish specimens at the University of Tennessee.

McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture, 1327 Circle Park Dr on the UT campus, Knoxville, TN 37996. Hours: Tu-Sa 9-5, Sun 12-4. Information: 865-974-2144, https://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu/

By Neil Simon

Corie, a free-spirited optimist, and Paul, a reserved attorney, couldn’t be more different. Corie’s spontaneity clashes with Paul’s practicality, leading to a series of hilarious misunderstandings and endearing reconciliations as the newlyweds embark upon married life in their quirky, cozy new apartment. As their relationship evolves, the couple not only faces the challenges of wedlock, but also a grueling flight of stairs and an eccentric upstairs neighbor who adds an extra dash of hilarity. Love sparkles in Neil Simon’s delightful romp, reminding us that true love can endure even the quirkiest of circumstances – and be incredibly fun.

PG-13 AUDIENCES
https://www.orplayhouse.com/

BY JEROME LAWRENCE AND ROBERT E. LEE

Feel the heat of the courtroom in the sizzling American classic 'Inherit the Wind', an explosive drama inspired by the most important trial of the 20th Century, the Scopes Monkey Trial, on its 100th anniversary. As a media circus descends on a small Tennessee town, two of the nation’s most powerful lawyers go head-to-head in the ultimate battle of wits, wills, and the political and religious divide that could be ripped directly from today’s headlines. In a fresh production boldly reimagined for today, the fast-paced drama explores religion, intellectual freedom and the relationship between social norms and law.

Clarence Brown Theatre, 1714 Andy Holt Ave on the UT campus, Knoxville, TN 37996. For information/tickets: 865-974-5161, www.clarencebrowntheatre.com

As part of the Clarence Brown Theatre’s production of Inherit the Wind, the Hokes Archives presents the Association for Creative Zoology, a fictive creationist organization from the 1920s. Included are lithographs and taxidermy that present unusual hybrid animals, and a QR code with a short video presentation about Reverend James Randolph Denton, claimed to be the founder of the Association. The display also depicts the Taurus crockettensis, a bull-raccoon that inhabited Tennessee before the Great Global Flood. The project has been presented previously at the Scopes Trial Festival held in Dayton, Tennessee, and at the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The exhibit was created by Beauvais Lyons, a Chancellor’s Professor of Art and Divisional Dean for Arts and Humanities in UT’s College of Arts and Sciences known or his works of academic parody.

Event dates: Tue-Fri Feb 11-14, 12-5 PM
Tue-Fri Feb 18-21, 12-5 PM
Tue-Thu Feb 25-27, 12-5 PM

Event Location: Clarence Brown Theatre, lobby, 1714 Andy Holt Ave, Knoxville, TN 37916
Beauvais Lyons: blyons@utk.edu, 865-974-4342 or https://calendar.utk.edu/event/the-association-for-creative-zoology