Calendar of Events

Lecture - “Precontact Native American Mud Glyph Cave Art from the American Southeast”

AIA/East Tennessee Society and McClung Museum are pleased to present the next program in the 52nd Annual Series, 2024-2025. The lecture will feature Jan Simek, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Anthropology Professor Emeritus. This is AIA’s Leonard and Lynn Quigley Lecture.

April 22, 2025 6pm
https://calendar.utk.edu/event/lecture-precontact-native-american-mud-glyph-cave-art-from-the-american-southeast

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/

1pm to 2pm

Join us at the McClung Museum for an hour of crafting! Drop in with any fiber art or craft-related project and join us for an hour of creativity on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month! Bring your work in progress, or learn to crochet, knit, or embroider with materials that we have on hand. All skill levels welcome.

Frank H. McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture
1327 Circle Park, Knoxville, TN 37996
https://calendar.utk.edu/event/montys-craft-circle

The Guild of the Knoxville Museum of Art presents Artists on Location 2025, an art show and sale, from 5:30 to 9:00 pm Saturday, April 26, 2025, at the Knoxville Museum of Art. Artists on Location promotes the museum’s connection to the local and regional art community and provides both new and seasoned collectors a rare opportunity to buy original paintings of Knoxville and East Tennessee.

From Monday, April 21 through Friday, April 25, talented artists selected through a rigorous juried process will be painting outdoors in and around the Knoxville area. The public is invited to watch AOL’s artists in action as they capture on canvas a wide variety of subject matter, from urban street scenes to pastoral garden settings. The artists’ specific locations will be published on the KMA website www.knoxart.org prior to the event and will be followed on the KMA Guild’s Instagram page @artistsonlocation.

The paintings produced that week will be sold from 5:30 to 9:00 pm on Saturday, April 26, 2025, at the Knoxville Museum of Art. Proceeds of the sale will benefit both participating artists and the Knoxville Museum of Art. Artists on Location is organized by the Guild of the Knoxville Museum of Art.

The Knoxville Museum of Art (KMA) celebrates the art and artists of East Tennessee, presents new art and new ideas, serves and educates diverse audiences, and enhances Knoxville’s quality of life. The museum is located in downtown Knoxville at 1050 World’s Fair Park and is open to the public at no charge Tuesday through Saturday 10am–5pm and Sunday 1–5 pm. Admission and parking are free. For more information, visit www.knoxart.org. The Guild is a volunteer organization that raises funds for the Knoxville Museum of Art and promotes the museum’s programs in the community while educating and building appreciation for visual arts.

River & Rail Theatre Company proudly announces its upcoming production of "Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill," a soul-stirring theatrical experience celebrating the life and music of legendary jazz artist Billie Holiday. This remarkable performance will star the acclaimed actress and singer Shinnerrie Jackson in the title role, bringing Holiday’s iconic voice and heartrending story to life on stage.

Performance Dates and Venue: The production will run at River & Rail Theatre Company in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee at the Old City Performing Arts Center (111 State Street), from April 17-May 4 2025, offering audiences an intimate and unforgettable evening of music and drama.

Written by Lanie Robertson, "Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill" takes audiences back to a small Philadelphia nightclub in 1959, where Billie Holiday performed one of her final concerts. Through the hauntingly beautiful melodies of Holiday’s most beloved songs, including "Strange Fruit," "God Bless the Child," and "What a Little Moonlight Can Do," the play weaves a narrative that is both poignant and raw, exploring her struggles, triumphs, and enduring legacy.

Shinnerrie Jackson Shines as Billie Holiday: Shinnerrie Jackson, a celebrated performer known for her captivating stage presence and powerful voice, steps into the role of Billie Holiday with grace and authenticity. Her portrayal promises to capture the essence of Lady Day’s artistry and vulnerability, offering audiences a deeply emotional and immersive experience.

Tickets at https://www.simpletix.com/e/lady-day-at-emersons-bar-and-grille-by-lan-tickets-177072
Information: 865-407-0727, www.riverandrailtheatre.com

BY JONATHAN SAYER, HENRY SHIELDS, AND HENRY LEWIS

Welcome to the opening night of 'The Murder at Haversham Manor', where things go from not very good to an utter disaster. 'The Play That Goes Wrong' is an ill-fated play-within-a-play, set on the opening night of the Cornley Drama Society’s newest production. The troupe’s ambitious whodunit has everything you never want in a show: falling props, collapsing scenery, an unconscious leading lady, a corpse that can’t play dead, and actors who trip over everything…including their lines. Come see why this show has been called “the funniest play Broadway has ever seen!” (Huffington Post)

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

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

First Friday Reception: April 4th, 5:30 - 9 pm
April Featured Artists

Carol Quinn, Mixed Media
Carol has painted and exhibted since the late 1980’s, mostly in the Southeast. She has also been in exhibitions in
NYC through World Fine Art Gallery, Ariel Gallery, and Abney Gallery. Carol is inspired by nature and the local beauty of her local area, as well as the psychological processes that create this inspiration. She has been a member of Art Market Gallery since 2018. In the last few years Carol has participated in many solo and group shows in the Knoxville area. Carol was educated at the University of Tennessee (BS, MS, and PhD.) in Human Ecology. She began painting in the early 80’s as a watercolorist painting mostly nature, and rapidly moved into various mixed media, larger creations, and more abstraction in design. Her work consists of self-exploration and experimentation with different mediums, and the passion of exploring color and textures.

Patrick Deason, Sculpture
Patrick's art in metal grew out of other interests. His skills are self-taught and many of the tools he uses to shape metal were made by him. Patrick spent a large part of his career on the coastal waters of Georgia and Florida, hence the many marine related pieces. His whimsical works are intended to bring smiles and curiosity. Patrick's studio is in a house in the woods he shares with his wife, two dogs, and a very talkative parrot.

Art Market Gallery, 422 S. Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: Tu-Sa 11-6, Su 1-6. Information: 865-525-5265, www.artmarketgallery.net, www.Facebook.com/ArtMarketGallery

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.

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.

This new collection of 2D works invites viewers to examine the fragmented perspectives of memory. With subtle shifts in color, texture and line, each artist peels back the layered visions of the unseen.

S. Alexandra Simental (b. 1994, West Virginia) is a Mexican American painter and multidisciplinary artist. Through the usage of paint, sound, and installation, she investigates the intersection of art and psychology. In 2021, Simental earned a BFA in visual art, with a specialized focus on sculpture, from Marshall University. She also completed a minor in psychology to delve deep into the complexities of the human experience. After discovering the surreal possibilities with paint in her final year of undergraduate study, Simental embarked on an enriching journey to Alfred University and their joint studio facility in Düsseldorf, Germany. There, she completed an MFA in painting in 2023. Currently, Simental serves as a Studio Technician at Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts in Gatlinburg. Her artwork has been in a multitude of national and international exhibitions. Notably, her work has displayed in the 13th Annual Best of West Virginia Open Juried Exhibition in Beckley, WV and Minimum Capacity in Atlanta, GA. Overseas, her paintings were displayed in Kunst Jetzt Weltweit in Essen, Germany and in CENSOR/SENSOR in Düsseldorf, Germany. For more information, visit studio-simental.com or Instagram @s.alexandra.simental

Carla Taylor is a multi-media artist based in Johnson City. Her practice spans printmaking, textiles, ceramics and collage. She has shown in both solo and group exhibitions, regionally and nationally, notable of which include From These Hills: Contemporary Arts in Southern Appalachian Highlands at the William King Museum in Abingdon, VA and Woman’s Work in Woodstock, IL. In 2023, Carla curated an exhibition titled “Good Grief” featuring 22 artists expressing unique perspectives on loss, which was a part of the Tennessee Triennial. Her work has also been featured in Art Seen Magazine and several editions of the Hand Magazine, a publication dedicated to alternative photographic processes and printmaking techniques. Taylor is currently represented by the Grand Bohemian Gallery in Greenville, SC, and maintains a studio at Atelier 133 in downtown Johnson City. She holds an MFA from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art and a BS in Psychology from John Brown University. For more information, visit carlataylorart.com or Instagram @ctaylor.art

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.