Calendar of Events

The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present five new exhibitions at the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville opening on Friday, February 7, from 5:00-9:00 PM. A free gathering with the exhibiting artists will also feature live music by Ella Pinchok and Friends.

All of us have an inner voice. For artists, that voice constantly whispers “create”, and one of the best ways to ignite the creative spark is through collaboration. In this spirit of camaraderie and creativity, three artists come together as “Three Dames” to exhibit their work: Linda Blair, Cheryl Massey (Cherdo) and Marcia Shelly (Maru) showcase their talents across various media, including watercolor, acrylic, pastel, and ink.

Dame Linda Blair shares this about their unique partnership, “We created Three Dames a few years ago to enjoy the advantages of exhibiting collectively. We each lean towards watermedia, which naturally allows our work to be a cohesive display.”

Dame Cheryl Massey (Cherdo) is a self-taught artist driven by an unwavering passion for art, creativity, and a dedicated commitment to lifelong learning. Whether actively engaged in creating art, exploring diverse artistic mediums, or drawing inspiration from a myriad of sources, her love for creativity establishes a profound connection with the artistic world. Identifying as a lifelong enthusiast of paint, pencil, and pastels, she proudly describes herself as a perpetual cheerleader for creativity. https://www.studiocherdo.com

Dame Marcia Shelly, recognized by the signature “Maru”, specializes in vibrant colorful paintings that have captured the attention of admirers throughout the U.S. and internationally. She sees art as a wonderful puzzle, finding the key to balance, color, depth and composition and making them fit together. https://www.maruarts.net

The Three Dames have exhibited throughout East Tennessee, including at the Emporium Center, Fountain City Art Center, Tomato Head restaurants, Awaken Coffee, Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, Plateau Creative Arts Center (Crossville) and Good Samaritan of Crossville.

The exhibitions will be on display February 7 – March 1, 2025 at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. The Emporium is open to the public Monday-Thursday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM; Friday, 9:00 AM – 7:00 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.

The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present five new exhibitions at the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville opening on Friday, February 7, from 5:00-9:00 PM. A free gathering with the exhibiting artists will also feature live music by Ella Pinchok and Friends.

Aad Berlijn's inspiration comes from memories, experiences, and observations of everyday reality, which he zooms in on until an internalized image emerges. The drawings encourage fantasy and association.

Aad Berlijn (1948) lives alternately in Amsterdam and Knoxville. He has created paintings and drawings for over 40 years. In Amsterdam, Berlijn enjoys the social life and paints in his studio. In the quieter American city of Knoxville, he focuses on sketches and drawings. A storyteller at heart, he draws inspiration from the art world and his personal experiences, which results in accessible works of art with clear painting principles. His paintings often feature depth and a blend of abstract and figurative elements. His work is included in the collections of the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam and the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands.

http://www.aadberlijn.coltd.nl/
https://apuntogallery.com/kunst-categorie/kunstenaars/aad-berlijn/

The exhibitions will be on display February 7 – March 1, 2025 at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. The Emporium is open to the public Monday-Thursday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM; Friday, 9:00 AM – 7:00 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.

The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present five new exhibitions at the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville opening on Friday, February 7, from 5:00-9:00 PM. A free gathering with the exhibiting artists will also feature live music by Ella Pinchok and Friends.

The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present a new exhibition featuring work by some of its member artists who work in collage. Exhibiting artists include Debbie Alley, Jamie Dakin, Barbara Enloe, Natalie McLaurin, Sara Blair McNally, Ellery Nief, Luis Santiago, Ranee Taylor, and Marilyn Avery Turner.

Read more about the artists at https://www.knoxalliance.com/collage-collective.

The exhibitions will be on display February 7 – March 1, 2025 at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. The Emporium is open to the public Monday-Thursday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM; Friday, 9:00 AM – 7:00 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.

The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present five new exhibitions at the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville opening on Friday, February 7, from 5:00-9:00 PM. A free gathering with the exhibiting artists will also feature live music by Ella Pinchok and Friends.

The Arts & Culture Alliance’s 19th annual National Juried Exhibition features selected works from 36 artists throughout the region. The National Juried Exhibition was developed to provide a forum for artists to compete on a regional scale and display their highest quality work. The exhibition encompasses all styles and genres from both emerging and established artists working in a variety of media such as wood, photography, oil, glass, fiber, paper and more. Over $1,800 in cash awards will be announced at a brief awards ceremony at 5:30 PM on February 7 with remarks from the juror, Jessica Wohl.

Exhibiting artists include:
+ Skip Rohde of Mars Hill, NC
+ Susan Parrish of Raleigh, NC
+ Ann Harwell of Wendell, NC
+ Megan Wolfkill of Cincinnati, OH
+ Brian Melton of Jamestown, TN
+ Adam J. Trabold of Johnson City, TN
+ Michelle Lindsey of Kingston, TN
+ Melinda Adams, Carmen Alcocer, Nick DeFord, Shannon Ferguson, Casey Field, Gordon Fowler, Lynne Marinelli Ghenov, Hannah Jordan, Gared Luquet, Jose Nunez, Amber Purdy, Lennie Robertson, Carla Sanchez, Amanda Scott, Hanna Seggerman, Jess Socia, Kurt Weiss, Chase Williamson and Vicki Grossman Wyrick of Knoxville, TN
+ Tina M. Brunetti and Laurel Hughes of Loudon, TN
+ Yvonne Dalschen, Erica Ashley Entrop and Robert Grassel of Oak Ridge, TN
+ Charlotte Rollman of Sevierville, TN
+ Marty McConnaughey of Sharps Chapel, TN
+ Charlotte Brindley of Talbott, TN
+ Laurie Lynn Szilvagyi of Vonore, TN
+ Laurie Drake of Sterling, VA

About the juror: Jessica Wohl is Associate Professor and Chair of Art, Art History and Visual Studies at Sewanee. Jessica Wohl received her BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute, and her MFA from the University of Georgia. Her work has been exhibited in nationally and internationally and is collected by the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, the Sprint-Nextel Corporation, H&R Block World Headquarters, and numerous private collectors. www.jessicawohl.com

The exhibitions will be on display February 7 – March 1, 2025 at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. The Emporium is open to the public Monday-Thursday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM; Friday, 9:00 AM – 7:00 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.

Opening Friday, February 7 from 6-8

Awaken Coffee will host an opening reception for Gulya Elhan

Gulya is a Knoxville-based artist specializing in dot painting and geometric patterns. Originally from Azerbaijan, Gulya transforms the timeless symbolism of mandalas into breathtaking expressions of unity and connection. A self-taught painter with a passion for detail, her art reflects the intricate patterns and relationships found in life and nature. Gulya’s most notable accomplishment is creating The Sun, the largest handmade dot-painted acrylic mandala in the world. This extraordinary piece, which took 960 hours to complete, is displayed in LunaVerse Knoxville and is currently under review for a Guinness World Record.

Please join us for some amazing art and of course great coffee!

Awaken Coffee, 125 W Jackson Ave, Knoxville, TN 37902. Open daily. Information: 865-951-0427, www.instagram.com/awaken_coffee or www.facebook.com/awakencoffeeoldcity/

Join us First Friday, February 7th, 6-8 PM, for the opening of Love Letters, a vibrant new collection by Mike C. Berry. Known for his bold, expressive style, Berry's latest work explores love and connection through dynamic color and movement.

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

Celebrate with us!

FRIDAY, FEB. 7 @ BECK - The Indelible Appalachians
5:30PM
Dinner, Documentary & Discussion in partnership with UTK
RSVP at https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=2RNYUX1x3UWeypqhnAnW-doMsPbB2jpLgxTPHLA9EBJUQzJQTlo0TUNIOFA3NjlBMDRUV0g0QllUWCQlQCN0PWcu

Sat Feb 8, 15, 22, 10 AM - 2 PM @ Beck
Tell Your Story - Record Your Oral History

Feb 13 - Nat'l Assoc of Real Estate Brokers
Panel Discussion & snacks at 5:30 PM

Feb 18 at 6 PM at Beck
Hip Hop Forum = Can We Kick It?

Feb 24 at 6:30 PM at Bijou - Leaving Legacy - Living Legacy
Black History Month Feature Program

Feb 26, 5:30 PM at Beck
The Black Church - Sacred Legacy

Feb 27, 10 AM - AARP Black Veterans Scam Jam
Panel discussion with Lunch

For More Information Call Us Today at 865-524-8461 or Visit http://www.beckcenter.net

Maryville College’s Blackberry Farm Gallery

A solo show, Omens & Auspices, features recent works by artist and Maryville College faculty member Sarah Bernstein. The show opens Feb 3 and will run through Feb 28, 2025.

A closing reception will be held on Feb 28, 2025, from 6-8pm that is free and open to the public.

For more information about the artist go to www.sarahbernstein.info

Gallery open daily. Maryville College 502 E. Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville, TN

Reception on Saturday, Feb. 15
Details TBA
Showing all media and styles!
https://tnartists.org/

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

MAIN GALLERY
A solo show, Under The Branches, featuring recent work by artist Jered Sprecher (Knoxville, TN) opens Tuesday, January 28 and will run through Saturday, March 29, 2025. Curator: Brian R. Jobe.

An opening reception will be held on Friday, January 31, 2025 from 5:00—8:00 pm (artist in attendance). There will be an artist talk given by Sprecher beforehand on January 31 from 3:30—4:30pm.

Jered Sprecher is an artist who makes paintings, drawings, and installations that abstract the landscape to explore the precarious relationship between nature and technology. His work wrestles with the beauty and complexity of the environment and how we as humans interact with the world around us both directly and mediated through technology. He received his BA from Concordia University and his MFA from The University of Iowa. Sprecher has exhibited at The Drawing Center, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Des Moines Art Center, Hunter Museum, Asheville Art Museum, and Espai d'art Contemporani de Castelló. He has had solo exhibitions at Jeff Bailey Gallery, New York; Gallery 16, San Francisco; Steven Zevitas Gallery, Boston; Kinkead Contemporary, Los Angeles; Whitespace, Atlanta; Ferrara Showman, New Orleans; and the Knoxville Museum of Art. He is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Bailey Opportunity Grant, and a Tennessee Arts Commission Individual Artist Fellowship. Sprecher has been awarded residencies at the Marie Walsh Sharpe Foundation, the Chinati Foundation, The American Academy in Rome, and the Irish Museum of Modern Art. He is a Professor at the School of Art at the University of Tennessee. He lives and works in Knoxville, Tennessee.

PROJECT SPACE
My Art Is Fine, My Art Is Craft by Melissa Everett (Knoxville, TN) opens Tuesday, January 28 and will run through Saturday, March 29, 2025. This show is located within the unique architectural space of a narrow wooden stairwell. An opening reception will be held on Friday, January 31, 2025 from 5:00—8:00 pm (artist in attendance).

Melissa Everett is a self-taught quilter, textile artist, and caregiver living in Knoxville, TN. She received her BS from the University of Tennessee in Therapeutic Recreation in 2005. The philosophies of play permeate her process and journey as an artist. Her work is energized by textures, simple lines and shapes created by the human hand, rooted in tradition but continually pushing for freedom – and embracing imperfection. She creates surface pattern designs on natural fibers by utilizing fiber-reactive dyes, textile pigments and the traditions of quilt making. Each dyed, painted or printed textile, a unique piece of art, is often cut and deconstructed to be reconciled into a new work. Everett’s work has been exhibited in national and local shows including QuiltCon, Houston International Quilt Festival, McGhee Tyson’s Art in the Airport. She has also been published in QuiltFolk and Quilt Now magazines. Melissa was born and raised in the mountains of Waynesville, NC where craft, improvising and resourcefulness were a way of life for mountain folk; these values carry through her work and connect her to her ancestors.

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

Reception | Thursday, January 23, 5-7pm with awards at 6pm
Begun in 1947 by C. Kermit Ewing, founder of The University of Tennessee School of Art, the annual student exhibition has become one of the oldest competitions in the country and one of the highlights of the Ewing Gallery’s exhibition season. This competition has been an outlet for UT’s talented students for 78 years.
This year’s exhibition was juried by William Downs.

https://ewing-gallery.utk.edu/78th-annual-student-art-competition/

Ewing Gallery, 1715 Volunteer Blvd on the UT campus, Knoxville, TN 37996. Hours: M-F 10-5, Sun 1-4. Information: 865-974-3200, www.ewing-gallery.utk.edu

Artwork created over twenty years at The State Botanical Garden of Tennessee in Knoxville
January 20 - March 2, 2025 • Tomato Head @ 12 Market Square
Greet the Artist: Tuesday, January 28, 2025 from 4:30-5:30pm

Tomato Head Market Square hours are: M-R 11am-9pm; F 11am-10pm, Sat 10:30-10pm, Sun 10:30am-9pm

Artist Statement: Since co-founding COMMA Art Group in 2004, I have been going weekly each summer for "plein air" art creation at the University of Tennessee Gardens. Our group has had art shows over the years at Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, the Phoenix Building, Fountain City Art Center and Ijams Nature Center, as well as exhibiting individually. We celebrated our 20th anniversary this past summer. This retrospective is a sample of work created over the years. Typically, each year I would choose a theme for that summer’s work, which might include media, techniques and subject matter. UT Gardens offers a wide variety of subjects and has changed over the years, so it’s always an adventure to see what each summer offers.

Bio: Cheri Jorgenson has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Alabama and a Masters of Science in Art Education from the University of Tennessee. She originally was a graphic designer, working for the Knoxville International Energy Exposition, Tennessee Valley Authority, and in her own design firm, among others. She was an art educator for Knox County Schools for 20 years, and retired from the L&N STEM Academy in 2020. She was the 2012 Tennessee Art Educator of the Year, the 2020 Tennessee National Art Honor Society Sponsor of the Year, and was the 2021 National Sponsor. In 2004, she co-founded COMMA, a plein air group that meets weekly at UT Gardens, with shows in The Phoenix Building, Fountain City Art Center, Ijams Nature Center and TVUUC Gallery. She also shows her work in local competitions and shows. Ms. Jorgenson lives in South Knoxville with her husband in a very old farmhouse surrounded by natural habitat captured in another series.

Tomato Head, 12 Market Square (865-637-4067) in Knoxville. https://thetomatohead.com/