Calendar of Events

Reception: Friday, March 28, 5-7pm
Ewing Gallery of Art + Architecture | 1715 Volunteer Boulevard

Francis Akosah : Echoes of Heritage: A Journey Through West African Culture
As an artist, I feel a responsibility to share these stories, to amplify voices that have long been silenced, and to honor the beauty and diversity of West African culture. In each artwork, I strive to capture the essence of my heritage, honor the legacy of those who came before me, and inspire future generations to embrace their own cultural identities. My work extends beyond simple documentation. It is a call to action, a dialogue about the profound influence these historical objects have on society. By re-contextualizing these artifacts in a contemporary setting, I hope to have conversations which speak to their significance and relevance today. Through exhibitions, installations, and public interventions, I aim to create spaces for reflection, learning, and celebration of West African cultural richness. This journey is deeply personal to me. It speaks about my cultural roots and highlights the importance of heritage and tradition in shaping our identities. Ultimately, I believe that through understanding, appreciation, and respect for our differences, we can come together as a global community.

LaKesha Lee : Memory to Materials and Objects
My work is an ongoing dialogue between the past, present, and future, centered on honoring self-representation, family legacy, and the resilience of Black identity. I form assemblage collages, sculptural forms, and ceramic works, using found objects and materials that carry traces of lived experiences to display curated memories. These fragments—old photographs, textiles, ceramics, and everyday artifacts—are a material language that explore memory, materials, personal history, and cultural traditions.

Eliza Frensley : Family Obscura
This exhibition explores complexities of family histories and investigates relationships between heritage and personal identity. Through a comparison of both sides of my family, the work challenges the viewer to reflect on the ways in which traditions and the individual experience inform cultural narratives and memory.

Gaby Hurtado-Ramos : Tomorrow Night
Tomorrow Night is an exhibition of prints, drawings, and video dedicated to the glimmers of last night's party and the hopefulness for the next one.

https://ewing-gallery.utk.edu/upcoming-exhibitions/

Join us on Monday, March 24th at 6pm at Union Ave Books! Featured readers TBD.

UTK’s Creative Writing MFA Program presents Chiasmus, a reading series featuring graduate/undergraduate creative writers—followed by an Open Mic!

https://www.facebook.com/events/1000310078584608/

Monday, March 24 at noon at UT Law School, 1505 Cumberland Ave

In conjunction with UT’s commemoration of the centennial of the Scopes “monkey trial” in Dayton, Jack Neely will be talking about one of the most interesting lawyers who ever lived and worked in Knoxville. Although Clarence Darrow is famous for his role as the aggressive defense attorney in the trial, Scopes’ lead defense attorney, who controversially enlisted Darrow, was John R. Neal (1876-1959). A severe eccentric, originally from a town that’s now at the bottom of Watts Bar Lake, Neal was both a former UT professor—fired for insubordination two years before the Scopes trial—and later a significant influence on the creation of the Tennessee Valley Authority. He even makes a startling cameo in Cormac McCarthy’s novel Suttree. Free program.

Knoxville History Project: 865-300-4559, www.Knoxvillehistoryproject.org

The O’Connor Senior Center will host a regular monthly Artist Trading Card meeting on Monday, March 24th from 1:00 - 2:00 pm. This meeting is free and open to anyone interested in making and trading ATCs. Refreshments will be served.

No art experience is required. The goal is to have fun, create something and connect with others by trading and sharing cards. The group is currently preparing for a small exhibit of ATCs at the Fountain City Branch Library.

History and background of ATCs, instruction, materials, prompts and creative ideas will be provided by Tim Wiegenstein, Creative Aging Teaching Artist. No age requirements apply for this program; ATCs are for any age, and intergenerational events are encouraged. The O’Connor Center is located at 611 Winona Street, Knoxville, TN 37917. For more information, call 865-523-1135, or email info@oconnorcenter.org

Dogwood Arts, in collaboration with professional muralist Megan Lingerfelt, will unveil six new murals in Downtown Knoxville as part of the 3rd Annual Mural Workshop at Maker Exchange. Six local and regional artists were selected to participate and will design and paint an 8x8 ft mural in the Curio at Maker Exchange. The workshop begins Saturday, March 22nd and artists have until Friday, March 28th to complete their pieces. The murals will remain on display at Maker Exchange through May 2025 (710 Clinch Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37902).

Participating Artists:
Adele Ferguson – @ahousecalled_adele
Zoe Haun
Andi Kur – www.andikurart.com
Lydia May – @lydiamay.art
Jordan Thompson – @jordankthompson
Esther Sitver – esthersketch.com

About the Workshop: Designed by Megan Lingerfelt and Dogwood Arts, the Mural Workshop at Maker Exchange provides emerging artists with hands-on training in large-scale mural painting. Participants gain experience from seasoned professionals and leave with the skills and confidence to pursue their own mural projects. For more detailed information about the workshop, visit: https://www.dogwoodarts.com/post/2025-mural-workshop-at-maker-exchange

More information about the program can be found online at https://www.dogwoodarts.com/murals.

You can find our full listing of events by visiting our Events Calendar: https://music.utk.edu/events/
Can't attend in-person? Check out our Livestream. https://music.utk.edu/livestream/

Wind Ensemble Concert
Thursday, March 13 at 7:30 p.m.
Alumni Memorial Building, Cox Auditorium

Chamber Singers & Concert Choir Spring Concert
Tuesday, March 25 at 7:30 p.m.
Alumni Memorial Building, Cox Auditorium

Musicology Distinguished Lecture Series: Professor Timothy D. Taylor
Monday, March 31 at 4:30 p.m.
Natalie L. Haslam Music Center, Powell Recital Hall

Men's & Women's Chorales Spring Concert
Tuesday, April 1 at 7:30 p.m.
Alumni Memorial Building, Cox Auditorium

On view through March 28
In the Blackberry Farm & William "Ed" Harmon Galleries

Featuring works by Knoxville artist Jon Pemberton, this exhibit showcases a collection that interprets anonymous secrets and transforms them into art. A reception will be held in the gallery on Saturday, March 22 from 6-8 p.m.

Visit Monday-Friday 10am–5pm to see these works in person.

Clayton Center for the Arts, 502 East Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville, TN 37804. Information: 865-981-8590, www.ClaytonArtsCenter.com

On view through March 27
At DENSO & La Dolce Vita Galleries

This art exhibition showcases K-12 art students alongside their teachers and current art interns/student-teachers from East Tennessee. A Closing Reception and Awards Ceremony will be held on Thursday, March 27 from 5:30-7:30PM.
www.dogwoodarts.com

Visit Monday-Friday 10am–5pm (or before/during CCA performances) to see the results of the artistic student-teacher synergy that happens in our schools!

Clayton Center for the Arts, 502 East Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville, TN 37804. Information: 865-981-8590, www.ClaytonArtsCenter.com

The Museum of Infinite Outcomes presents Symbiogenesis: A New Nature in the Anthropocene at Ijams in March!

Sponsored by Arrowmont and part of the AVIFAUNA 2025, this exhibition features the indoor and outdoor works of regional artists that engage the living landscape. A reception is March 9 from 2-5 pm.
https://museumofinfiniteoutcomes.com/avifauna

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

First Friday, 5-8 PM on March 7
Seven Decades in Bloom reflects on the 70-year journey of Dogwood Arts, with an immersive retrospective honoring our rich history, evolution, and impact on the region.

123 W. Jackson Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37902
Regular Gallery Hours: M-F | 10AM-5PM

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

Kerry Remp is a retired NASA Engineer and professional pianist who enjoys the exploration of various mediums to “build” art. A musician from the age of three, Remp discovered visual art, via paper (modular origami) at age 40. Once he was hooked on creating, other paper art forms such as quilling, sculpture and portraiture began to take shape. At age 60, he began exploring the creation process using thread and eventually yarn. Currently involved in weaving on a rigid heddle loom, the love of creating continues to inspire him. He has been an active participant in Arts & Culture Alliance activities since retiring to Tennessee in 2017. In addition to individual commissions and sales, he has participated in displays/shows at the Emporium, Broadway Gallery and City/County Offices. Since becoming a grandfather to Malakai (a boy born with Downs Syndrome), all proceeds from his artwork are donated to GiGi's Playhouse, a non-profit organization that provides free programming and support to families affected by Downs Syndrome through 60+ locations across the United States.

The exhibitions will be on display March 7-30, 2025 at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902.
Gallery hours: Mon-Fri 9-5; Sat 10-1. Additional hours: Tue Mar 11, 6-9 PM (jazz performance); Fri Mar 14, 9 AM – 7 PM (Gallery 1010 opening); BIG EARS WEEKEND: Wed-Thu Mar 26-27, 9 AM – 9 PM; Fri-Sat Mar 28-29, 10 AM – 9 PM; Sun Mar 30, 10 AM – 8 PM. Most of the works on exhibition will be for sale and may be purchased by visiting in person or the online shop at knoxalliance.store. For more information, please see knoxalliance.com or call (865) 523-7543.

Pangrok Sulap, a Malaysian community-collective from Borneo will be in Knoxville for two-weeks in March 2025 leading up to the Big Ears Music Festival. Pangrok Sulap includes “artists, musicians and social activists with a mission to empower rural communities and the marginalized through art.” “Pangrok” is the local pronunciation of “punk rock”, and “Sulap” is a hut or a resting place usually used by farmers in Sabah, Borneo. Artists Adi Helmi Bin Jaini and Zayrul Rizo Bin Osman Leong will collaborate with students and faculty from the University of Tennessee in the creation of a large scale, community-printed woodcut. Accompanied by percussion, Pangrok Sulap prints are created through community participation.

As part of the Big Ears Festival the group has plans to conduct printing sessions in the South Garden of the Knoxville Museum of Art, 1050 World’s Fair Park Drive on Thursday through Saturday March 27, 28, and 29th from 10:00am – 6:00pm during intermissions for performances in the Ann and Steve Bailey Great Hall.

During the month of March, prints from Pangrok Sulap will also be presented at RED Gallery, 130 West Jackson Ave. with an opening reception on Friday March 7.

Regular Gallery Hours: 1:00 – 5:00pm Fridays and Saturdays
• Friday March 7 (plus public reception from 5-9pm)
• Saturday March 8
• Friday March 14
• Saturday March 15
• Friday March 21
• Saturday March 22

Gallery Hours During the Big Ears Festival, 10am – 6pm
Thursday March 27
Friday March 28
Saturday March 29
Sunday March 30

Website: https://pangroksulap.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pangrok_sulap/?hl=en
Borneo Art Collective Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unnrhi_0BYA
Dancing and Printing Video: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=221525348760725
RED Gallery: https://www.downtownknoxville.org/red-gallery/

This project is sponsored by the UT College of Arts and Sciences, the UT School of Art and the UT Department of English and the Denbo Center for Humanities & the Arts, in partnership with an AsiaNetworks Asian Embodied Learning Grant, and Scripps College (Los Angeles). For more information, contact Beauvais Lyons (blyons@utk.edu)

RED Gallery, 130 W. Jackson Ave, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-524-0146 or https://www.facebook.com/REDgalleryKNOX/