Calendar of Events

Come to the Thursday, Nov. 2 program of Knoxville Writers’ Guild, when veteran novelist, Julia Watts, will share her methods for creating story beginnings that invite the reader to keep reading. Watts will also discuss how she handles both negative and positive feedback during her writing process. The event will be at Central United Methodist Church, 201 Third Avenue, in the Fellowship Hall. Plenty of well lit, free parking. Admission is a suggested donation of $2. The area is wheelchair accessible, with complementary hot coffee and snacks.

Ms. Watts is the author of over a dozen novels, including the Lambda Literary Award-winning “Finding H.F.”, the Lambda Literary and Golden Crown Literary Society Award finalist, “The Kind of Girl I Am,” and the Lambda Literary Award finalist and Golden Crown Literary Award-winning “Secret City.”

She holds a B.A. in English from The University of Tennessee, an M.A. in English from the University of Louisville, and an MFA in Writing from Spalding University. She lives in Knoxville and teaches at South College and in Murray State University's low-residency MFA in Writing program. Her latest two projects have been collaborative, the novel “Rufus + Syd,” co-written with Robin Lippincott, and “Unbroken Circle: Stories of Cultural Diversity in the South.”

The Knoxville Writers Guild welcomes your participation! Visit www.knoxvillewritersguild.org.

Celebrate Halloween like the Vikings. Take part in the 4 day and 3 night carnival of ceremonial costumes, fire and dance. Behold: Samhain, the Norse/Celtic celebration of the coming of winter. *(Sunday is the family friendly day with traditional crafts, singalongs, games and delicious fall treats with a trick or treat at sunset.) You won't be afraid, (as long as you can remember it is just illusion). What you see, hear, taste and smell is all a recreation of a deep cultural tradition in honor of the Old Norse gods and goddesses.

Program of events: https://www.facebook.com/events/613073292206287/

All festival long (vendors and performers): Body painting, Henna tattoo, Herbal (legal) spritual psychedelic tonics, Ancient-inspired clothing, Leatherwork, Smithwork and coins, Jewelry, Dance, Tarot Readings, Fire performers, Hoop artists, Fire breathers, And much more

Online: $20, https://holdmyticket.com/tickets/259243
At the door (unless sold out): $22

Art is happening in downtown Sevierville, TN. Artist Dasha Jamison will exhibit her paintings and pastels in her first solo show at Courthouse Donuts/Dyers Downtown through December 31st. A reception for the artist will take place Thursday, November 16th from 5:30 until 8:00 and is free to the public. This exhibition is part of an on-going series sponsored by the Sevierville Commons Arts Council and Sevierville Commons Association.

Born and raised in Russia, Dasha Jamison creates her paintings and drawings with the hope that the work will transport you to “ …a place you want to be.” Her appreciation for art was instilled by her mother and Dasha had the privilege to attend art classes as a child. As an exchange student, she moved to the United States and received her Master’s Degree in IT Engineering. Her journey as an artist began again in recent years, drawing inspiration from the landscapes of her travels. She utilizes a variety of media for her paintings, though drawing with pastels is her favorite form in which to be expressive. Dasha Jamison is a member of the Chicago Pastel Painters Association.

The Sevierville Commons Arts Council is a neighborhood revitalization organization of individuals, artists, studios, galleries and businesses dedicated to the promotion and awareness of the arts & culture through education, entertainment, community interaction and trade in Sevierville and Sevier County, TN. For more information, visit www.SeviervilleCommonsArtsCouncil.org.

White Oak Gallery {inside Magpies} Presents the work of Lesley Eaton
Please visit White Oak Gallery inside Magpies TONIGHT November 3 at 846 Central St from 5-8 pm for First Friday and view work from featured artist & illustrator Lesley Eaton. Artwork by gallery manager Beth Meadows will also be on display. Refreshments provided by Magpies Bakery and With Bear Hands. Work will be on display through December.

ABOUT EATON
"My recent collage work incorporates my peppered paper, large sheets of paper that originally provided a surface to catch all of the spills, splatters, and brush strokes as I painted. The result is a collection of beautiful papers filled with vibrant color and energetic texture. Learn more about Eaton at http://pepperedpaper.wordpress.com.

White Oak Gallery, located inside Magpies Bakery, is generously made available by owner Peg Hambright and managed by Knoxville artist Beth Meadows of With Bear Hands. Meadows' artwork is always on display, and a different Knoxville artist is featured every other month. The public is invited to visit the gallery any time during Magpies' business hours and to consider buying artwork and/or cupcakes while there. For more information, visit withbearhands.com/gallery or contact beth@bethmeadows.com.

"Don't get so busy earning your salt that you forget the sugar."

Pioneer House, home of the original Knoxville Girl t-shirt and letterpress printmaking studio and gallery, will throw open the doors Nov. 3 to welcome five local artists. The Knoxville Girls show and sale brings together five fine women with ties to Knoxville and a flair for fiber, ceramics, letterpress printmaking, encaustic painting and mixed media. You'll love them better than biscuits.

Reception for Artists: 5 p.m.-9 p.m., First Friday, Nov. 3

The artists:
Knoxville native Amanda Humphreys occupies her time teaching pottery classes and making functional, whimsical pottery. Her work is inspired by her love of textures and colors borrowed from old, historic buildings, vintage maps and the 80s and 90s in general. She also revels in classic country music.

Peg Hambright is a former graphic designer and illustrator who has neglected her creative side for the past 25 years while nurturing her little bakery, Magpies. In an attempt to find balance in her life, she's found herself transitioning from food into art by making art that is food. It's a start.

A mixed media artist from Knoxville, Cara Pfennigwerth loves to draw, crochet, garden and try just about anything hands-on. Another favorite art form is relief block print. She draws most of her inspiration from the flora and fauna of East Tennessee and creates as a way to preserve and appreciate the beauty of local wildlife.

Laura Baisden runs a custom letterpress shop called Camp Nevernice in the same historical building that is home to Pioneer House. She crafts custom posters and invitations for clients and hand-carves linoleum illustrations. She has a labor of love in the works: writing and illustrating a children's book.

Julie Belcher is the proprietor of Pioneer House. An Appalachian artist, dedicated handmade advocate and restorer of vintage printing presses from way back, she adds bits of her Southern and mountain heritage to all her works. Letterpress monoprints and small encaustic mixed media are among the new works she has created for this show.

Pioneer House of Letterpress & Vintage, 413 South Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Info: 865-200-8084, julie@pioneer-house.com, http://www.pioneer-house.com

Recent works by Marie Merritt and Nelson Ziegler will be on display at the Art Market Gallery. An opening reception for the featured artists will begin at 5:30 p.m., Nov 3rd, during Downtown Knoxville’s monthly First Friday Art Walk, with complimentary refreshments.

Marie Merritt shares her experience from hiking all the trails in the Great Smoky Mountains through her art. Interpreting the scenic vistas, babbling streams, lovely flora, and majestic animals she has encountered in her signature style of oil painting, she strives to give the viewer the feeling of awe that she has enjoyed. She develops a quality of depth and dimension in her paintings that is sensitive and expressive by using traditional time honored techniques of multiple layers of oil paints and glazes. Marie, a native of East Tennessee, has received numerous awards, designations and recognitions with her art, including Certified Decorative Artist and Teacher of Decorative Arts. Her original works hang in private and corporate collections throughout the region and her art has been featured on book covers and in magazines. She is represented by the Art Market Gallery in Knoxville, TN and her work can be seen at www.mariemerritt.com

Nelson Ziegler, of Sevierville, Tennessee in the Smoky Mountains, is a graduate of The Art Institute of Boston and Northwestern Academy of Watercolor. He has won many awards for both his painting and woodturning, both regionally and nationally. Among them, Gold Medal for watercolor at the American Artists Professional League, Honorable Mention-The Artist’s Magazine annual competition. He was chosen the Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage artist of the year in 2016. He has participated in numerous juried exhibitions in New York including Allied Artists, American Artists Professional League, Salmagundi Club, Knickerbocker Artists, National Arts Club, Hudson Valley Arts Association, as well as Adirondack National Watercolor Exhibition, Faces of America (a national watercolor portrait show), Academic Artists Association, Springfield Arts League, Springfield, MA, Guild of Boston Artists, Copley Society, Boston, MA, North Shore Arts Association, Gloucester, MA, Tennessee Watercolor Society and Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts. A member of the National Watercolor Society, New England Watercolor Society, The Oil Painters of America and the Northshore Art Association and the American Association of Woodturners. Nelson’s works are in many private and corporate collections throughout the country. www.nelsonzieglerstudio.com

Art Market Gallery, 422 S. Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: Tu-Th & Sa 11-6, Fri 11-9, Su 1-5. Information: 865-525-5265, www.artmarketgallery.net

The District Gallery is pleased to present Joe Parrott: Recent Works, opening Friday, November 3 from 5-8PM.

Sunny sidewalks, a shifting forest shadow, the daylight as it recedes into evening. Scenes of passerby, the twilit facade of a building- what could have gone unnoticed can be transformed by renewed attention to light and shadow, and what was one happenstance begins to feel like home. Recent Works gives a chance to revel in the present moment, caught in sparkling reflections and deep shadows, and offered to us through the attentive eyes of a longtime Knoxville native.

Please join us Friday, November 3 from 5-8 PM for an opening reception and to meet the artist. The show will be on display through November 25.

The District Gallery, 5113 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919. Hours: M-F 10-5:30, Sa 10-4. Information: 865-200-4452, www.TheDistrictGallery.com

Hosted by Rala: Regional and Local Artisans

We are excited to announce our featured artists for the month of November! Please join us for a show opening with work by local artists, Cynthia Markert and Brian Scott Pittman

Opening reception November 3rd 6-9pm

Rala, 112 W. Jackson Ave, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-525-7888, https://shoprala.com/

This November, Broadway Studios and Gallery proudly presents one of Knoxville’s royalty of the arts, Eric Sublett. Eric Sublett will show a variety of work made during several decades in a show that is entitled: Portrayals.

As a child, Eric was the self-proclaimed mascot of the University of Tennessee Art Department where he helped his father Carl with his duties as a professor. Eric was unofficially mentored by his father by sitting with him after he had finished his paper route as his father sketched architectural structures around the area. Being given Carte Blanche to anything in his father’s studio, it turned out that Eric would become quite a talent in his own right. With connections made through Knoxville’s underground artistic culture, he witnessed the birth of fine art in Knoxville on the heels of the 1982 World’s Fair. It was at that moment that the “Scruffy Little City” could put a flag in the ground and declare that yes, like other cities, artists are here as well. With his good friend RB Morris, Eric helped contribute to this newfound celebration of the music and arts where he and his friends began to have art exhibits with parties in abandoned buildings in the Old City before there was an “Old City.” From there he opened a gallery in what would known as the Artist Colony, which was a group of Victorian houses across the street from the Candy Factory and the now Knoxville Museum of Art. With amazing stories, this colorful figure will present and eclectic grouping of artwork from over the decades.

The work will contain drawings, paintings, photography. There will also be time for old friends to come visit and for new friends to be made in a tiny re-celebration of birth of the arts in the town we all love. All are invited to participate: artists, enthusiasts, and the curious alike.

Opening is First Friday, November 3rd, in which the doors will open at 5pm.

This exhibit is free to the public. Broadway Studios and Gallery, 1127 Broadway St, Knoxville, TN 37917. Hours: Thurs-Sat, 10-6 (and whenever the open light is on throughout the week). Information: 865-556-8676, www.BroadwayStudiosAndGallery.com.

Mixed media sculpture and paintings by Marga McBride (ceramic sculpture and paintings) and Jay McBride (new works in wood)

Reception Fri Nov 3, 5-7 PM

Bennett Galleries, 5308 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919
(865) 584-6791 | www.bennettgalleries.com

Reception: November 3, 5:00-9:00 pm

Morehshin Allahyari is an artist, activist, educator, and occasional curator. She is the recipient of the leading global thinkers of 2016 award by Foreign Policy magazine.

Morehshin was born and raised in Iran and moved to the United States in 2007. Her work deals with the political, social, and cultural contradictions we face every day. She thinks about technology as a philosophical toolset to reflect on objects and as a poetic means to document our personal and collective lives struggles in the 21st century. Morehshin is the co-author of The 3D Additivist Cookbook in collaboration with writer/artist Daniel Rourke– (published on December 2016 online in 3DPDF format and in print by the Institute of Networked Cultures). Her modeled, 3D-printed sculptural reconstructions of ancient artifacts destroyed by ISIS, titled Material Speculation: ISIS, have received widespread curatorial and press attention and have been exhibited worldwide.

Free admission! UT Downtown Gallery, 106 S. Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: W-F 11-6, Sat 10-3. Information: 865-673-0802, http://web.utk.edu/~downtown

A reception will take place on Friday, November 3, from 4:00-9:00 PM as part of First Friday activities downtown to which the public is invited to meet the artists and view the artwork.

Live and Local: Recent Works of the Pellissippi Art Faculty in the Balcony gallery
"The essence of the beautiful is unity in variety." - William Somerset Maugham

Live and Local features a mix of ceramics, sculpture, installation, printmaking, drawing, painting, and mixed media. After a successful exhibition in 2012, the studio art faculty of Pellissippi State Community College return to the Emporium to exhibit their recent works. Among the faculty, exhibiting artists include: Randy Arnold, Jennifer Brickey, Caroline Covington, Marty Komorny, Elizabeth Kurtz, Jeff Lockett, Tatiana Potts, Herb Rieth, and Sarah Shebaro.

Pellissippi State offers a comprehensive range of studio courses in painting, drawing, design, printmaking, ceramics, and sculpture in a studio setting under the guidance of practicing professional artists. For more information on the Art program, visit http://www.pstcc.edu/liberalarts/art/.

On display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, in downtown Knoxville. Exhibition hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM. Information: (865) 523-7543 or www.knoxalliance.com.