Calendar of Events

In partial fulfillment of their graduation requirements, students pursuing the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree are required to mount a solo exhibition of work. Due to the number of graduate students enrolled in the UT School of Art, these exhibitions generally take the form of small groups of students presenting concurrent solo exhibitions in the gallery space.

Exhibiting artists: Kaitlyn Anderson, Kyle Cottier, Hannah Langer, Ruchi Singh

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

ANA POPOVIC
MONDAY, APR 7 | 7:30PM

Bijou Theatre, 803 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information/tickets: 865-522-0832, https://knoxbijou.org/

The UT Creative Writing Program is excited to present a reading by debut novelist Chukwuebuka Ibeh, named one of the “Most Promising New Voices of Nigerian Fiction” in Electric Literature. The reading will take place Monday, April 7 at 7pm in the Lindsey Young Auditorium of John C. Hodges Library on the UT Campus. The event is free and open to the public.

Chukwuebuka Ibeh is a novelist and Tedx speaker from Port Harcourt, Nigeria. His writing has appeared in McSweeneys, New England Review of Books and Lolwe. A 2023 Spruceton Inn Artist Resident, he was runner-up winner of the 2021 J.F. Powers Prize for Fiction and was a finalist for the Gerald Kraak Award and Morland Foundation Scholarship. His debut novel, Blessings, named highly anticipated in USA Today, Cosmopolitan, The Gentleman's Journal, The Irish News, and Esquire, was sold in eight territories, available in five languages and was shortlisted for the 2024 Wilbur Smith Prize. He is currently a teaching fellow in Fiction at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.

Information: chebert3@utk.edu

Event Starts 12:00 PM
Doors Open 11:30 AM

Join us for a FREE concert you won't want to miss! Mighty Musical Monday will feature House Organist Freddie Brabson on the Mighty Wurlitzer Organ. Stay tuned for more info about our special guest performer!

While we will not be providing lunch, you may bring your own. Concessions will also be available for purchase.

Tennessee Theatre, 604 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. For information/tickets: 865-684-1200, www.tennesseetheatre.com

Cosponsored by the Birdhouse Neighborhood Center
April 6, 2:00 pm - 4:30 pm and April 8, 6:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Cost: Sliding-scale donation ($0-35)

This workshop is designed for teachers, community leaders, and any other individuals ages 13 & up who would like to learn how to design and create giant puppets and other parade art for this spring's Cattywampus Parade and Block Party on Sunday, May 18, 2025, at Suttree Landing Park!

Now in its 8th year, Cattywampus's people-powered Parade invites community members of all ages to make giant puppets, costumes, and other art and come together to parade as one. This year’s parade theme “Our Joy is Powerful” invites us to let delight, play, and celebration inspire our artmaking as we conjure our collective joy as a community and use it as fuel to practice audacious acts of imagination and move into the future together.

During this workshop, we will focus on papier-mâché, cardboard sculpting, rigging, and other methods for making inexpensive parade art. There will not be enough time for participants to complete their own project during this workshop but each participant will receive a Giant Puppet Making & Parade Art Manual to take home, plenty of hands-on experience, and time to work on their own design/brainstorm a project for their group.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeYZcbyuVMlet13ORe03uJOimCbmankbv7Cuqw4X-sZAzi4VA/viewform

MAIN GALLERY
Thenjiwe Niki Nkosi — Apr. 4 - Jun. 21, 2025 / reception Apr. 4, 2025

PROJECT SPACE
Meg White — Apr. 4 - Jun. 21, 2025 / reception Apr. 4, 2025

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

Friday, April 4 from 6-8 Awaken Coffee will host an opening reception for Emily McTyre

Emily McTyre is a photographer, filmmaker, and mixed media artist from East Tennessee. Her photography is often inspired by travel, evoking a sense of place for the viewer.

More about this collection: Emily enjoys working with black and white film as it emphasizes light and shadow, texture and pattern. Photos in this collection were taken around the world: England, Germany, Georgia, and Tennessee. Whether it be our own backyard or many miles away, we can capture moments and symbols of familiarity that tie us together.

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/

They will be on view and available for purchase until the end of April.
First Friday reception, April 4, 6-8 PM
Instagram @hollypawlowskiart
https://www.facebook.com/holly.pawlowski.71

Address: 207 W Jackson Ave, Knoxville, TN 37902
Phone: (865) 337-5726

The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present five new exhibitions at the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville opening on Friday, April 4, from 5:00-9:00 PM. A free gathering with the exhibiting artists will also feature live music by Robinella and friends.

No Bigger Than a Breadbox – Biennial Small Works Show in the upper gallery
The Arts & Culture Alliance’s fourth biennial juried exhibition features selected works from 48 artists throughout the region. The exhibition was designed to celebrate the innovation of artists who create work on a small scale (under 12”) and in a broad range of media and styles. Over $1,500 in cash awards will be announced at a brief awards ceremony at 5:30 PM on Friday, April 4 with remarks from the juror, Julie Lohnes.

Exhibiting artists include:
+ Mary Burk Smith of Wallingford, CT
+ Ashley Helton of Cleveland, GA
+ JoEl Levy Logiudice of Ashland City, TN
+ Terri Jordan of Clarksville, TN
+ Thomas Neckvatal of Crossville, TN
+ Brent Quarles of Jefferson City, TN
+ Sally Brogden, Jordan Butzine, Raeus Cannon, Heather Casteel, Victor Costantino, Rachel Sevier Dallery, Landin Eldridge, Drew Ellis, Shannon Ferguson, Gordon Fowler, Deana Fulton, J. Leigh Garcia, Karen Hall, Drew Justice, Hannah Jun Langer, Ashton Ludden, Shelley Mangold, Paulina Marchant, Sara Blair McNally, Sonja Oswalt, Amber Purdy, Rebecca Robinson, Robin Rohwer, Adam Rowe, and Chloe I. Wack of Knoxville, TN
+ Steven McQuilkin of Lenoir City, TN
+ Bernard R. Sizemore II and Lois Trader of Loudon, TN
+ Betty Bullen of Luttrell, TN
+ Brooke Holmes of Maryville, TN
+ Yvonne Dalschen, Garrett Durland, Lynn Fisher, and Robert Grassel of Oak Ridge, TN
+ Shana Goethals of Sevierville, TN
+ Carra Artis of Seymour, TN
+ Suzette McCauley of Townsend, TN

The exhibitions will be on display April 4-26, 2025 at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. The Emporium is open to the public Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM; Saturday, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM; and additional hours TBA. Please note, the Emporium will be closed on Monday, April 21, for the holiday. Most of the works on exhibition will be for sale and may be purchased by visiting in person or the online shop at 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, April 4, from 5:00-9:00 PM. A free gathering with the exhibiting artists will also feature live music by Robinella and friends.

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley: Seasons of Change in the Atrium
Seasons of Change embraces the vibrant artwork of young artists from the Youth Arts Initiative Program at the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley. Through classes and workshops, these young creatives are encouraged to explore and grow in their artistic practice. Featured in the exhibit are a diverse range of works, including fiber arts, ceramics, photography, and more. Each piece reflects the theme of change, inviting students to reflect on their personal experiences of transformation.

Over the course of several months, students have honed new skills and built confidence, often working in art forms they are discovering for the first time. We are proud to share the art created by our talented students and celebrate their journey as emerging artists within our community. For more information, visit www.bgctnv.org

The exhibitions will be on display April 4-26, 2025 at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. The Emporium is open to the public Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM; Saturday, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM; and additional hours TBA. Please note, the Emporium will be closed on Monday, April 21, for the holiday. Most of the works on exhibition will be for sale and may be purchased by visiting in person or the online shop at 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, April 4, from 5:00-9:00 PM. A free gathering with the exhibiting artists will also feature live music by Robinella and friends.

Jack Retterer – POETOGRAPHY; Blending Poetry and Photography on the North wall
POETAGRAPHY … Blending poetry and photography. On the surface, poetry and photography appear to be two very different and unrelated art forms. But, as legitimate arts forms, they have much in common. Both help us explore, communicate and understand the human experience. Both can bring our deepest emotions to the surface. They can also help us recognize how we are all more alike than different. As an artist, poet and photographer, my biggest challenge is maintaining a balance in my Poetagraphy creations so that the poetry is not just a caption nor is the image simply an illustration. Each poem and image must be able to stand on its own, and when presented together, create a new and more complete emotional experience beyond what either can accomplish alone.

Originally from the Chicago area, Jack Retterer was introduced to photography at age 16. Early education came from a combination of trial and error and self-study of photography by Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, Dorothea Lange, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Yosef Karsh and others. He later took classes at the Chicago School of Photography. Frequent attendance at workshops, photography club seminars and conferences helped further his skills. Before moving to Tennessee, Retterer taught photography at Benedictine University in Naperville, IL; currently, he teaches Fine Art Photography at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He is active as a teacher and speaker for art and photography groups, and his work has sold and received recognition in numerous Tennessee venues. His present and past professional affiliations and memberships include Professional Photographers of America, Professional Photographer of East Tennessee, Tennessee Artists Association, Arts & Culture Alliance, Art Market Gallery, Art Guild of Fairfield Glade, Tellico Village Art Guild, Foothills Craft Guild, and the Tennessee Poetry Society. He has served on the boards of artist and photography associations in both Tennessee and Illinois. For more information, visit jackrettererphotography.com

The exhibitions will be on display April 4-26, 2025 at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. The Emporium is open to the public Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM; Saturday, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM; and additional hours TBA. Please note, the Emporium will be closed on Monday, April 21, for the holiday. Most of the works on exhibition will be for sale and may be purchased by visiting in person or the online shop at 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, April 4, from 5:00-9:00 PM. A free gathering with the exhibiting artists will also feature live music by Robinella and friends.

Roberta Smashey: Birds and the Bees in the display case
Roberta Smashey is a stained glass artist creating both nature-themed and abstract works using the glass foiling technique developed by Louis Comfort Tiffany. By utilizing hand-made glass sheets of various colors and textures, she produces dynamic depictions of the beauty found in nature. The variations in artisanal glass give a unique feeling of depth and movement with this challenging medium. Using the Tiffany technique coupled with the beauty of glass and a lifelong study of wildlife, Smashey seeks to evoke appreciation of our natural world in all who view her creations. Whenever possible, she adds antique glass repurposed from old church windows and often incorporates at least one feature made from the older glass. In addition to her glass creations, Smashey is a nationally recognized wildlife artist represented in several museum collections and fine art galleries. Besides using traditional acrylic painting methods, she creates many of her art works using a combination of abstract with pointillism which produces a distinctive texture and appearance and enhances certain textures and colors. Using this technique, she has produced a series of paintings that incorporate Braille messages, and all of the pointillism paintings are meant to be touched.

The exhibitions will be on display April 4-26, 2025 at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. The Emporium is open to the public Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM; Saturday, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM; and additional hours TBA. Please note, the Emporium will be closed on Monday, April 21, for the holiday. Most of the works on exhibition will be for sale and may be purchased by visiting in person or the online shop at www.knoxalliance.store. For more information, please see www.knoxalliance.com or call (865) 523-7543.