Calendar of Events

East Tennessee Baskets, 1880-1940

Imagine doing away with plastic shopping bags, buckets, and storage tubs and depending instead upon wood baskets. The essential role these hand-woven containers played in bygone days would soon be realized. During the past year, ETHS has worked to document the traditional baskets of our region, including family stories and photographs when the maker's identity is known. Woven of Wood highlights selected examples from this survey and illustrates how East TN baskets were some of the most functional and creative possessions in everyday life.

East Tennessee Historical Society, 601 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Museum hours: Monday-Friday: 9AM-4PM; Saturday: 10AM-4PM; Sunday: 1-5PM. Information: 865-215-8824, www.easttnhistory.org

March 17: TBA

Tennessee Shines is a weekly radio show performed live for an in-studio audience at the Knoxville Visitor Center Mondays at 7pm and broadcast live on WDVX FM and WDVX.com. Hosts are Bob Deck and Paige Travis. Tickets are $10, free for students with valid ID and children ages 14 and under. Tickets are available in advance at the WDVX Blue Plate Special, noon weekdays and Saturdays at the Knoxville Visitor Center, or at the door beginning at 6 p.m. on the night of the show. For more information, visit WDVX.com.
Information: 865-544-1029, www.wdvx.com, http://www.tennesseeshines.com

Every AMSE visitor Saves $1.00 Off Regular AMSE Admission. Visitors to AMSE can explore the WWII Manhattan Project history creating the 1940's secret city of Oak Ridge and the science that evolved. Do experiments and discover more about basic science and energy sources. Enjoy the live demonstrations with audience participation. Extend history and science with the purchase of an educational souvenir from the Discovery Shop. Family fun.

American Museum of Science & Energy, 300 S. Tulane Avenue, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. Hours: Monday-Saturday 9AM-5PM, Sunday 1-5PM. Information: 865-576-3200, www.amse.org

As part of the 15th Annual NEW PLAY FESTIVAL - Staged Readings of two new scripts Birds On The Bat by Craig Smith, and I Am The Way by Scott Strahan. All staged readings are free to the public.

I Am The Way Saturday, March 15, 2:00 pm
Birds On The Bat Saturday, March. 22, 2:00 pm at Theatre Knoxville Downtown

I AM THE WAY - By Scott Strahan
When does belief become obsession? And can we survive the transition?

BIRDS ON THE BAT - By Craig Smith
Carolyn Corley directs this moving play that asks the question, "Is small town life really smaller than life in the big city?" Meet the playwright and give him your thoughts about Birds On The Bat.

At Theatre Knoxville Downtown 319 N. Gay Street. Info: Tennessee Stage Company: 865-546-4280, www.tennesseestage.com

The Appalachian Arts Craft Center in Norris will hold its Spring Porch Sale starting Thursday, March 13, and running for about two weeks. The Porch Sale, held each Spring and Fall, features marked down stock, seconds, student crafts and unjuried work by members of the Craft Center. It’s an excellent time to get great deals. Baked goods will also be available for purchase.

The Appalachian Arts Craft Center is a nonprofit center that has been fulfilling its mission by promoting traditional artists and crafts in the East Tennessee area for over 40 years. The center is located at 2716 Andersonville Highway 61 in Norris, Tenn., one mile east of I-75 north at Exit 122. For more information, call 865-494-9854, or visit our web site, www.appalachianarts.net.

Historic Ramsey House and the Knoxville Holston’s Vintage Baseball team will be hosting an exhibit of Vintage Baseball items from the collection of Tracy Martin. Tracy is a lifelong collector of vintage items and has been playing in a vintage league in Ohio for 20 years. Come and visit this unique display and help us celebrate the opening of Tennessee’s Vintage Baseball League on April 12. The exhibit will be located in the Visitor Center at Ramsey House during regular business hours.

2614 Thorngrove Pike, Knoxville, TN 37914. Information: 865-546-0745, www.ramseyhouse.org

March 11, 2014 HIKE-A-THON: Mature Oak-Hickory Forest Tour
March 11, 2014 SCIENCE CAFÉ: Subglacial Lakes of Antarctica
March 11, 2014 HIKE-A-THON: River Sports Outfitters Group Run
March 12, 2014 HIKE-A-THON: Homesite History Hike
March 12, 2014 HIKE-A-THON: Increase Your Mileage (~2 miles)
March 12, 2014 SPECIAL EVENT: Yoga with Leslie Wagner
March 13, 2014 HIKE-A-THON: Little Tykes Hike
March 14, 2014 SPECIAL EVENT: Luck O’ the Ijams
March 15, 2014 PUBLIC PROGRAM: Wagging Walk
March 15, 2014 PEG’S KITCHEN: Breakfast is Served
March 15, 2014 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
March 15, 2014 TN Naturalist Program
March 15, 2014 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
March 15, 2014 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
March 15, 2014 SPECIAL EVENT: Family Drum Circle
March 16, 2014 HIKE-A-THON: Celebrity Hike with Red Hickey
March 16, 2014 HIKE-A-THON: Woodland Creature Dress-up Hike
March 16, 2014 HIKE-A-THON: Celebrity Hike with Ed McAlister
March 17, 2014 - March 21, 2014 NATURE DAY CAMP: Spring Break Camp
March 17, 2014 HIKE-A-THON: Discovery Hike
March 18, 2014 HIKE-A-THON: Stroller Stroll
March 18, 2014 HIKE-A-THON: Fun Run with River Sports Outfitters
March 19, 2014 HIKE-A-THON: Increase Your Mileage (~3 miles)
March 19, 2014 SPECIAL EVENT: Yoga with Leslie Wagner
March 20, 2014 HIKE-A-THON: Ijams Wildflower Hike
March 20, 2014 HIKE-A-THON: Little Tykes Hike
March 21, 2014 HIKE-A-THON: Bouldering Hike
March 22, 2014 IJAMS BIRDING SERIES: Spring Birding Hike
March 22, 2014 CHILDREN'S PROGRAM: Ijams Superhero Academy
March 22, 2014 PEG’S KITCHEN: Breakfast is Served
March 22, 2014 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
March 22, 2014 HIKE-A-THON: Mountain Bike Meet-up
March 22, 2014 HIKE-A-THON: Relax with a Massage
March 22, 2014 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
March 22, 2014 HIKE-A-THON: Celebrity Hike with Sam Venable
March 22, 2014 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
March 24, 2014 HIKE-A-THON: Discovery Hike
March 25, 2014 HIKE-A-THON: Chaos in Nature Hike
March 25, 2014 HIKE-A-THON: River Sports Outfitters Group Run
March 26, 2014 PUBLIC PROGRAM: Wagging Walk
March 26, 2014 HIKE-A-THON: Increase Your Mileage (~4 miles)
March 27, 2014 HIKE-A-THON: Little Tykes Hike
March 27, 2014 HIKE-A-THON: Tharp Trace Trek
March 28, 2014 IJAMS FAMILY WILDLIFE SERIES: Night Sounds
March 29, 2014 PEG’S KITCHEN: Breakfast is Served
March 29, 2014 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
March 29, 2014 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
March 29, 2014 HIKE-A-THON: Cedar Barrens Hike
March 29, 2014 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
March 29, 2014 IJAMS GARDENING SERIES: Wildflower Hike
March 29, 2014 HIKE-A-THON: Hiker's Ball!

Ijams Nature Center, 2915 Island Home Ave, Knoxville, TN 37920. Hours: Grounds and trails open during daylight hours. Call for Visitor Center hours. Information: 865-577-4717, www.ijams.org

The Athens Area Council for the Arts announces the annual High School Art Show showcasing art from McMinn county high school students. The work can be viewed at The Arts Center, 320 North White Street, Athens, Tennessee. The goal of this show is to promote art by local high school students and to provide them with an opportunity to participate in an open art exhibit. The Visual Arts Committee of AACA will sponsor a gift certificate for art supplies as a “Best in Show” prize. The show features over forty pieces in a variety of media from pencil to printmaking and papier mâché. The opening reception is Friday, March 14 from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. The reception will include light refreshments and is free and open to the public. Evening with the Stars, AACA’s annual event featuring local performing talent, starts immediately after at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students.

For more information, go to www.athensartscouncil.org, call 423-745-8781, or stop by The Arts Center at 320 North White Street in Athens, TN.

Monday, March 10, 2014 – 12:05 p.m. Noonday Vocal Recital by Steve Boyce, tenor, assisted by Anna Thomas, flute, and John Purifoy, piano

Monday, March 17, 2014 – 12:05 p.m. Noonday Piano (St. Patrick’s) Recital by pianists Cynthia and Danny Brian

Monday, March 24, 2014 – 12:05 p.m. Noonday Woodwind Recital

Monday, April 14, 2014 – 12:05-12:30 p.m. Noonday Handbell Recital by St. John’s Cathedral Bellringers. The recital will include handbell arrangements of familiar hymns, including How Great Thou Art and His Eye Is on the Sparrow. Several members of the group will be directing.

Monday, April 28, 2014 – 12:05 p.m. Noonday Piano Trio Recital in the Cathedral. Performing will be Karen Yarbro, piano; Carol Harden, violin; and Kathy Bohstedt, cello. They will play Piano Trio No. 7 for piano, violin and cello by Beethoven.

All concerts are free and open to the public at St. John’s Cathedral, Cumberland and Walnut, in downtown Knoxville. Info: rsidey@stjohnscathedral.org

Blount Mansion is proud to host the works of East Tennessee’s own Richard LeFevre. He focuses on the history of the American Civil War (1861 – 1865) through 32 of its most significant battles. LeFevre combined his love of history and his skill as an illustrator, using inventive mixed-media techniques to create powerful images inspired by his personal investigation into that most terrible and definitive era. As part of the First Friday’s the opening reception will be from 5:00 to 7:30 on Friday March 7th here at the Blount Mansion Visitors Center at 200 West Hill Avenue in Knoxville. There will be drinks and light refreshments available. It is a free event and all are welcome. The exhibition is on loan from Ewing Gallery of Art and Architecture, University of Tennessee, and is supported through the Tennessee Arts Commission & Knox County Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission. www.knoxcivilwar.org and will run through the end of May 2014. More information is available at our Facebook page, facebook.com/blountmansion

Blount Mansion Visitors Center, 200 West Hill Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37902; 865-525-2375 or www.blountmansion.org

Free and open to the public. Opening reception March 7 from 6 to 7:30 p.m.; artists’ talks at 6:30 p.m. Exhibit runs March through April 2014.

Terri Swaggerty: Where Soul Meets Body (from the song “Soul Meets Body” by Death Cab for Cutie)
Where soul meets body . . . the first time I heard those words on the radio they resonated deep within my being. I realized those four words were the perfect articulation of where I exist when I am discovering or creating art. I can dwell there for hours, or just for a moment. The journey begins with looking and seeing. Sometimes I am actively looking for art but more often, not. I find art, or maybe it finds me, at any moment any day. Traversing a sidewalk in Apalachicola, or strolling through our city, I discover it. Driving down a country road I find it. Walking through the woods, looking at the beauty, the contrast, the compositions, textures and patterns around me, I am living there . . . where soul meets body. Often during my creative processes the tangible becomes abstract. Sometimes the colors begin to blaze and complement and breathe new life into old structures. And sometimes the magic is already there and the image is perfect for the beholding. Terri Swaggerty is a native of Knoxville, TN. She studied Fine Art at the University of Tennessee and has worked as a professional photographer for the past 16 years.

Christine Beard: The Nature of Graphite
I am a pencil artist. I have been drawing my whole life. During my school years and growing up I took every art class that was offered. As an adult I took several drawing courses at the local community colleges, but for the most part I would have to say I am a self-taught artist, always learning new and different things every time I create a new drawing. Graphite pencil is my medium of choice. It’s all about the detail for me; I create each piece with as much detail as possible. Graphite is such a versatile medium and can also be very forgiving. Various techniques can be executed with graphite, such as layering, shading, blending with blending stumps and lifting out areas with an eraser. In the art world I feel there can and should be more recognition for works done with graphite pencil. Hopefully I can change that with each and every graphite drawing I create.

Where: Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church Gallery
2931 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37918

Paulk + Co. presents a unique First Friday Event this March 7th, 6-10pm, featuring artisan food in addition to the Fine Art of Denise Stewart-Sanabria. The show Eat Me Two will be on exhibit in the newly renovated Paulk + Co Alternative Art Space. Sushi Academy of TN will be demonstrating the art of sushi making. Organic produce and artisan baked goods will be available from local vendors. Free, covered parking is available adjacent to Paulk + Co. in the City lot under the bridge.

Eat Me Two
An exhibit of Paintings of Culinary Drama, by Denise Stewart-Sanabria
Humans do things that amaze, entertain, and occasionally horrify Stewart-Sanabria. If she documented them literally, she would probably have constant censorship issues. As a solution to this dilemma, she uses food as a stand in for humans, figuring that not only would it be amusing, it could even be delicious! Over the years, she hasimpaled maraschino cherries on nails, had pears enact Inquisition scenes, and encouraged donuts to enact the seven deadly sins and various fertility rites. Still Lifes, or Vanitas, which is the genre these works most closely fit in with, were originally domestic images containing items symbolic of life and death. The items in Stewart-Sanabria’s act out dramatic narratives.She is also known for her life size charcoal figurative drawings on plywood, which are cut out, mounted on wood bases, and staged in installations. Several of these will also be on exhibit. Denise Stewart-Sanabria was born in Massachusetts and received her BFA in Painting from the University of Massachusetts/Amherst. She has lived in Knoxville, TN since 1986. Recent exhibits include: Continuāre: The Figurative Tradition in Contemporary Art at Ewing Gallery at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, the 55th Mid-States Art Exhibition, Evansville Museum of Art, Evansville, IN,In the Flesh, Target Gallery, Alexandria, VA, The 26th Tallahassee International, at theFlorida State Museum of Fine Arts, 2012 Red Clay Survey at the Huntsville Museum of Art, 2012: Contemporary RealismBiennial at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art, American Art Today:Figures, at The Bascom, Highlands, NC, and "From These Hills: Contemporary Art in the Southern Appalachian Highlands", at the William King Museum, Abingdon, VA, 2013. Denise Stewart-Sanabria: www.stewart-sanabria.com, www.denisestewart-sanabria.blogspot.com

After March 7, call for a viewing appointment: 865-414-8641.
510 Williams Street, Knoxville, TN 37917, events@paulkandco.com.