Calendar of Events

Born and raised in East Knoxville, Sheryl Sallie holds a bachelor’s in education from Knoxville College and a master’s in educational psychology from the University of Tennessee. She taught in the Knoxville City School System and the Knox County School System for 35 years. After retirement, she wanted to try something new, and after several tries at different art forms, she chose mixed media because it became a natural fit. Sallie is also a poet, honored in several poetry contests including winning first place in the Tennessee Writers Alliance Poetry Competition in which Nikki Giovanni served as final judge. Her artwork has exhibited at the Fountain City Art Center, the Oak Ridge Art Center and the Emporium. She lives in Karns with her husband, Reginald.

I picked this collection to highlight some of my favorite pieces as well as introduce new pieces. Mixed media is ideal because it allows me to express myself by using everyday objects in extraordinary ways. I use layers of collage, paint, image transfers, and found objects to create texture and substance in my art. Currently I am adding works to a group of paintings depicting Goddesses: strong, beautiful women, as I see them. Goddesses exist everywhere women gather. I hope the viewers will see something that brings joy and will touch something deep within.

Instagram @sheryl_j_sallie

The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present five new exhibitions at the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville opening on Friday, May 2, from 5:00-9:00 PM. A free gathering with the exhibiting artists will also feature live music by Robinella and friends. 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 (May 3 & 10), 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM; and additional hours TBA. Please note, the Emporium will be closed on Monday, May 24, 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 knoxalliance.store. For more information, please see knoxalliance.com or call (865) 523-7543.

Whispers from the Root and River explores the quiet space where nature and spirit meet. Through abstract landscapes and felted, mixed media figures made of wool, branches, and cloth inscribed with blessings, Laura McRae Hitchcock evokes the presence of the wild feminine and the sacred voice of the land. Her process is slow and meditative—felting wool with barbed needles until it becomes form, or painting layer upon layer—mirroring the journey back to self and ancestral memory. This collection is an invitation to remember that we, too, are part of the mystery that lives in root and river, body and breath.

Laura McRae Hitchcock is a painter and mixed media artist whose work is rooted in memory, nature, and the unseen forces that shape our inner landscapes. She holds a degree in art from Agnes Scott College. Hitchcock is the co-founder of Wild Hair Adventures Art Retreats, and her art has been exhibited in solo and juried shows nationwide and in Europe. She is a member of the National Association of Women Artists and its South Carolina chapter. Recently, she moved from the Lowcountry of South Carolina to the foothills of the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee where she finds great joy being surrounded by rolling mist, the hush of old trees, and the whispers of the mountains.

LauraMcRaeHitchcock.com | Instagram @lmcraehitchcock
wildhairartretreats.com | facebook.com/LauraMcRaeHitchcockFineArt

The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present five new exhibitions at the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville opening on Friday, May 2, from 5:00-9:00 PM. A free gathering with the exhibiting artists will also feature live music by Robinella and friends. 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 (May 3 & 10), 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM; and additional hours TBA. Please note, the Emporium will be closed on Monday, May 24, 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 knoxalliance.store. For more information, please see knoxalliance.com or call (865) 523-7543.

Husband and wife duo, Brian Miller and Iliyana Skrobanska, present a new exhibition of photography and fiber art/mixed media.

Brian Miller’s journey started with trips to the Everglades and multi-week family vacations that ignited his wanderlust. He purchased his first camera, a Minolta SRT 201, as a teenager and used it to document travels including the Canadian Rockies and the Arizona desert. He earned a Master’s in Wildlife Ecology studying moose in the North Woods of New Hampshire. After working as an environmental consultant in southern Louisiana, he turned his urge to travel into a full-time photography business. For more than 25 years, he has used photography to capture the aesthetic beauty of this world that hopefully resonates with the viewer on an emotional level. Miller’s first book, Birds of the Gulf Coast, was published by Louisiana State University Press in 2001. His photographs have appeared in numerous magazines, calendars, and books including National Wildlife magazine, National Geographic Traveler, Natural History, Wildlife Conservation, BrownTrout, and Audubon. National Geographic noted him one of “our finest…photographers,” and he was a featured photographer in their 2000 book Heart of a Nation: Writers and Photographers Inspired by the American Landscape.

briankmiller.com

For many years, painting and creating art were Iliyana Skrobanska’s hobbies: a side activity to her main occupation as a fashion designer and business owner. Her favorite media has always been fiber art and painting with acrylic, and she gradually combined them into one. By stitching pieces of felt onto a painted canvas to create a 3-D effect, or by creating a surface from handmade felt and painting it with acrylic, she emphasizes texture and multidimensionality. Her artworks can look different from different angles, and abstract art is her chosen language because of its ability to trigger the imagination. Skrobanska loves traveling and hiking, drawing inspiration from natural beauty such as landscapes, sunsets, rock walls, and even flowers. She has lived in Knoxville since 2018 and is a full-time, award-winning artist, busy with many art festivals.

iliyana.art | Instagram @iliyanaskrobanska

The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present five new exhibitions at the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville opening on Friday, May 2, from 5:00-9:00 PM. A free gathering with the exhibiting artists will also feature live music by Robinella and friends. 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 (May 3 & 10), 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM; and additional hours TBA. Please note, the Emporium will be closed on Monday, May 24, 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 knoxalliance.store. For more information, please see knoxalliance.com or call (865) 523-7543.

This new exhibition features a curated collection of quilts from members of Knoxville Modern Quilt Guild and showcases modern elements such as bold colors and prints, high contrast and graphic areas of solid color, improvisational piecing, minimalism, expansive negative space, and alternate grid work. The collection of small quilts exhibited as a group stems from a challenge in which members all received the same fabric bundle and a prompt to interpret modern quilting elements in a mini quilt.

This Knoxville branch of the Modern Quilt Guild has a mission to support and encourage the growth and development of modern quilting through art, education, and community. The Knoxville Modern Quilt Guild is a nonprofit organization for residents in and around Knoxville who have an interest in modern design and quilting. Marking its 15th year of operation in 2025, the guild provides members with a community where modern quilters can meet, share ideas and create in an environment that encourages creativity and acceptance. The Knoxville Modern Quilt Guild meets monthly and welcomes new members.

Instagram @knoxmqg | knoxvilleMQG.com

The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present five new exhibitions at the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville opening on Friday, May 2, from 5:00-9:00 PM. A free gathering with the exhibiting artists will also feature live music by Robinella and friends. 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 (May 3 & 10), 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM; and additional hours TBA. Please note, the Emporium will be closed on Monday, May 24, 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 knoxalliance.store. For more information, please see knoxalliance.com or call (865) 523-7543.

“Once upon a time, a king had twelve beautiful daughters who danced in secret every night…” The king is mystified by their secret, and issues a challenge to the men of his kingdom – find out what his daughters are up to! Of course, one good-hearted young man succeeds – but at what cost?

Showtimes on Thursdays and Fridays at 7 PM, Saturdays at 1 PM and 5 PM, and Sundays at 3 PM.

https://knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com/tc-events/12-dancing-princesses/
Information: 865-208-3677, www.knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com

MAIN GALLERY
A solo show, Injury: Thirteen Studies, featuring recent work by artist Thenjiwe Niki Nkosi (Johannesburg, South Africa)

PROJECT SPACE
From Dark To Blue by Meg White (Milwaukee, WI)

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

Home Runs & Home Teams - A History of the National Pastime in Tennessee
Rogers-Claussen Feature Gallery

As Tennesseeans, baseball is in our DNA, and although the game is common to us, it has never remained the same during anyone’s lifetime. Who were among the first to play baseball in Tennessee? How did 31 Tennessee towns come to host a MiLB team? What makes a day at a Tennessee ballpark an iconic experience? Home Runs & Home Teams provides an overview of the national pastime as it has played out in the Volunteer State. For every story included in the exhibition, there are hundreds more–from players to pennants, from bat makers to bat boys–that could have been shared. So as you “round the bases,” think about your connections to the game, your ties to the past. What does baseball mean to you and to your community? What baseball stories should libraries and museums preserve to share with future Tennesseans? Let’s play ball!

601 S Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902
https://www.easttnhistory.org/exhibitions/home-runs-home-teams/

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/

The McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, announces a new exhibition, “Homelands: Connecting to Mounds Through Native Art,” opening to the public on January 25, 2025. The project sets a new standard for collaborative exhibition practices at the McClung and represents the museum's most significant renovation in more than 20 years.

"‘Homelands’ is a defining moment for the McClung Museum. It’s the largest project we’ve undertaken in over two decades, but its impact goes far beyond its scale,” said Claudio Gómez, Jefferson Chapman Executive Director of the museum. “This exhibition has challenged us to rethink how we collaborate, bringing in new perspectives and allowing us to honor Native voices in ways that are both respectful and forward-thinking.”

“Homelands” showcases contemporary art by 17 Native artists to emphasize the enduring ties between Native Nations and Knox County. As a result of the exhibition, the museum has acquired 22 new works for its permanent collection.

https://news.utk.edu/2025/01/07/mcclung-museum-to-open-exhibition-centering-native-voices-and-contemporary-art/

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/

The WDVX Blue Plate Special is a live performance radio show held at noon at Visit Knoxville (301 S. Gay Street) every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday with your host Red Hickey… and on Saturday with host Sean McCollough. On Fridays WDVX takes the Blue Plate Special to Barley’s Taproom & Pizzeria (200 E Jackson Ave) for “The Big Plate”. Make yourself at home as part of the WDVX family at this this daily free concert series. From blues to bluegrass, country to Celtic, folk to funk, rockabilly to hillbilly, local to international, it’s all part of the live music experience on The WDVX Blue Plate Special.

All seats are free, and visitors may come and go as they please.

Info: 865-544-1029, http://www.wdvx.com

Knoxville’s ONLY Salsa Party With 2 Instructors Teaching Lead & Follow—All for Just $10! Master your salsa and bachata basics before the party starts—get top-notch instruction from both lead and follow perspectives in a single class! No Partner Needed—Perfect for Beginners & Seasoned Dancers.

Friday Salsa Party Schedule inside Monday Night Proofing Co at Kern's Food Hall
9:00 PM–Salsa Class, 9:30 PM–Bachata Class, 10:00 PM–1:00 AM–Social Dancing
Price: $10 cover, Includes both dance lessons and the party—no hidden fees.

EVERY SATURDAY SALSA PARTY at Holiday Inn Cedar Bluff
Date: Every Saturday!, Time: 9:00 PM – 1:00 AM
Get ready for an unforgettable night of music, dance, and fun with this incredible dance experiences in one location! Whether you're a seasoned dancer or just starting, this event is designed for everyone to enjoy.

Information: info@salsaknox.com or (865) 455-3658. https://www.salsaknox.com/

Storyteller Laura Still helps you live the stories of pioneers, soldiers, outlaws, and even fictional characters who walked these streets before you.

Knoxville has a rich history full of colorful characters and famous, and infamous, figures whose lives have been the inspiration for books, movies, and works of art. Take a stroll through history in beautiful downtown Knoxville while listening to true tales of the heroes, heels, and hardened criminals that are part of the hidden lore of this unique East Tennessee town.

A portion of the proceeds for downtown tours go to help fund the work of the non-profit Knoxville History Project. Many stories are based on the books and stories of award-winning journalist and writer Jack Neely. Knoxville Walking Tours opens a window to Knoxville’s varied past and leads you on a journey through both hard times and high times of a city growing through over two centuries of history.

Tours include:
• Knoxville: The Early Years
• Misbehaving Women
• Civil War
• Gunslingers
• Musical History
• Literary Heritage
• Side Street Shadows Ghost Tours
• Knoxville Botanical Garden
• Old Gray Cemetery
• Side Street Shadows Ghost Tours

Tour on Your Schedule! Rather than posting a calendar, we’re letting you pick the tour and time — subject to availability. Call (865)309-4522 or visit https://knoxvillewalkingtours.com/