Calendar of Events

The Clayton Center presents Mark O'Connor & Friends, "An Appalachian Christmas"
on Tuesday, December 16, 2014 in the Ronald And Lynda Nutt Theatre at 8:00PM.

Mark O’Connor says, “Appalachia is the original melting pot of our country featuring more diverse styles of American music than just about anywhere.”

A product of America's rich aural folk tradition as well as classical music, Mark O'Connor's creative journey began at the feet of a pair of musical giants. The first was the folk fiddler and innovator who created the modern era of American fiddling, Benny Thomasson; the second, French jazz violinist, considered one of the greatest improvisers in the history of the violin, Stephane Grappelli. Along the way, between these marvelous musical extremes, Mark O'Connor absorbed knowledge and influence from the multitude of musical styles and genres he studied. Now, at age 49, he has melded and shaped these influences into a new American Classical music, and a vision of an entirely American school of string playing. As The Los Angeles Times recently noted, he has "crossed over so many boundaries, that his style is purely personal."

Clayton Center for the Arts: 502 East Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville, TN 37804. Tickets are available at the Clayton Center Box Office M-F 10AM-6PM or by phone or online: 865-981-8590, www.ClaytonArtsCenter.com

Join us for musical merry-making at our for our Annual Holiday Concert in the gorgeous sanctuary of First Presbyterian Church in downtown Knoxville. Students of the teachers will perform a variety of holiday favorites and new compositions at this annual event. Admission is free and open to the public.

Community School of the Arts: 620 State Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-523-5684, www.csaknox.org

The hippest concert of the season. Holiday favorites in the style of Ellington, Basie, Miller and more! Clarinetist extraordinaire Ken Peplowski joins the KJO to help make your season bright. The New York Times proclaimed Ken’s style to be “(Benny) Goodman straight up, with a twist of lightning.” The evening’s program will include selections from Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker Suite, among others. Located at the Tennessee Theatre.

Knoxville Jazz Orchestra: 865-573-3226, www.knoxjazz.org

Handsome and the Humbles (Record Release Show)
Tuesday, December 16, 2014 at 7:30pm
Zack Miles

Doors open at 6:00pm and show time is 7:30pm. Shows at the Southern Station will be acoustic based and encourage freedom among the artists, but also create a sense of vulnerability in terms of how the room is setup. All shows will feature wine from Blue Slip Winery and food from Forks on the Road, with future sponsorship opportunities in the works. Admission for shows is currently $10.00, with advance purchases strongly suggested.

To purchase tickets to shows, visit southernstationtn.com/upcomingshows or blueslip.com/event-calendar.

Blue Slip Winery is Knoxville’s first winery and Tennessee’s first urban winery located in the Historic Southern Railway Station. Our wine is made from all locally grown fruit from Tennessee growers, which is made onsite at the railway station. Blue Slip prides itself on providing a unique urban, historical and truly Tennessee wine experience.

Metamorphosis: Angel-Phoenix Figures
Art By Theophilus
The Literacy Imperative Arts Reception:
December 11, 2014 4PM to 8PM
Exhibit: December 11, 2014 to January 31, 2015
Burlington Library, 4614 Asheville Hwy, Knoxville, TN 37914
(865) 525-5431

Grade-school students from the Stanford Eisenberg Knoxville Jewish Day School are building a canned food sculpture, featuring the school’s name and ram mascot, for a “STEAM Out Hunger”. The project is inspired by Knoxville’s Holiday Canstruction® event hosted by Messer Construction. ConAgra and Bush Beans donated the 1,440 canned-food building blocks for the sculpture. The Besmann Family Fund for Social Justice and Spiritual Enrichment of the Knoxville Jewish Community Family of Funds also provided support.

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

At the Museum of Appalachia, log cabins and barns nestle at the base of a hill. Smoke rises lazily from chimneys, signaling warmth from within on a chilly December day. Beginning on December 6th, the Museum will celebrate Christmas in Old Appalachia, a festive winter celebration that captures the beauty and simplicity of an old-fashioned Christmas. Inside the cabins, simple cedar Christmas trees are draped with paper chains, popcorn strings, sweet gum, and sycamore balls. In the Dan’l Boone Cabin, a dormant sapling wears cotton “snow” and scraps of cloth for bows. Pine clippings, magnolia leaves and holly berries line the mantels above the fireplaces. The Little Tater Valley School House is adorned with hand-made ornaments made by local students. Tattered or well-worn quilts are laid under the trees; topped with carved wooden animals, tin horns, rag dolls, wagons, and spinning tops—all of which were presents found early on Christmas morning. Children often opened their Christmas packages to find practical gifts, such as new shoes or books, purchased from a mail order catalog; and relished in the joy of receiving something as simple as an orange or a peppermint stick.

For December 6th-7th the Museum has planned a variety of charming holiday festivities to kick off its Christmas season. Such fun activities include: craftsmen demonstrating traditional arts, warm fires surrounded by traditional porch musicians playing seasonal music, local authors signing their books, and a delicious home-cooked dinner at the Museum’s restaurant. Continuing through December 24th, special holiday exhibits include the children’s display in the Hall of Fame, with toys and furniture made by loving parents and grandparents, and Granny Irwin’s traditional Christmas Crazy Quilt—brought out only on special or festive occasions.

Browse the regional, ‘American made’, hand-crafted gifts and books in the Shop at the Museum for a special Christmas gift. Enjoy hot, southern country-style lunches, served daily from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Museum restaurant. Home-made cakes, pies, cookies, and other holiday treats are available all day, or can be made special to order for Christmas gatherings.

December hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily (8:30 a.m.-3pm on Christmas Eve and closed Christmas Day). The Museum, a Smithsonian Affiliate and a not-for-profit organization, is located 16 miles North of Knoxville, one mile East of I-75, Exit 122. Information: 865-494-7680, www.museumofappalachia.org

This vintage steam engine train takes guests on a 90-minute excursion through some of Knoxville’s most historic and beautiful countryside.

Our Christmas Lantern Express trains feature holiday decorations, holiday refreshments, story time with celebrity readers and a visit with Santa.

DECEMBER
Saturday, December 6 at 9:45 am (sold out), 1 pm, & 4:15 pm (sold out)
Sunday, December 7 at 1 pm & 4:15 pm
Saturday, December 13 at 9:45 am, 1 pm (sold out), & 4:15 pm (sold out)
Sunday, December 14 at 1 pm & 4:15 pm
Saturday, December 20 at 9:45 am, 1 pm, & 4:15 pm
Sunday, December 21 at 1 pm & 4:15 pm

FARES
Adults: $26.50
Senior (55+): $25.50
Child (3-12): $15:50
Toddler (1-2): $7.50
Infant (under 1): Free

400 Neyland Drive, Knoxville, TN 37902, 865-524-9411, http://www.threeriversrambler.com

Presented by HoLa Hora Latina
First Friday at the Emporium Center-Casa HoLa • December 5, 5:00 - 9:00 PM
A series of paintings by Argentine native Susana Esrequis. Selected by UNICEF to design their Christmas cards and postcards, Susana has also contributed her work to other non-profit organizations including the Argentinean Children Patronage, Argentinean Association of University Women, Knoxville Opera Guild, and HoLa Hora Latina.

Susana Esrequis through her clear-green eyes sees the world with the confidence of a person who does not despair, even when everything leads to uneasiness. She sees with the eyes poorly called “the child”, but it is the glance of a person who did not forget the depth of the nature message, this unique gift always affronted, than now more than ever a lot of us are trying to protect for the man, that mistreated son of God. - Albino Dieguez Videla, Internatinoal Asociation of Art Critics

HoLa Hora Latina, 100 S. Gay Street, Suite 112, Knoxville, TN 37902. Gallery hours: Monday to Friday 10 am to 5 pm. Information: 865-335-3358, www.holaknoxville.org, www.holafestival.org

Artists throughout history have found inspiration in the form of birds. Man imbued birds with mystical and religious meaning due to their fascinating ability to exist in two worlds – the earthly world, and the sky, or heavenly realm. Drawn primarily from the Ewing Gallery’s permanent collection, Of a Feather features works from historic and contemporary artists who represent birds in a diverse assortment of styles. While some artists approach the bird as studies of simplified form others utilize strategies of space and distance to take a more poetic or analytical look at the economic and social issues attached to birds. Works range from hyperrealism to whimsical to abstract. This exhibition incorporates a number of artists of artists from New York and Chicago including Keith Haring, Michael Kirk, Keith Long, Diane Churchill, and Laurie Hogin; regional artists, Howard Finster, Todd Johnson, Kelly Hider, Heather Middlebrooks, Gary Monroe, and Richard Jolley, as well as distinguished faculty from the University of Tennessee – Jered Sprecher, Diane Fox, Beauvais Lyons, Marcia Goldenstein, Don Kurka, Bill Kennedy, Clark Stewart, and Byron McKeeby. The artworks on display consider themes of scientific inquiry, symbolism, environmental consciousness, and the rituals of birding, among others. The exhibition is organized by Sam Yates, Director and Curator of the Ewing Gallery, in tribute to the late artist, Ellen Lanyon, who often used images of birds in her art. Two of her works will be on display. Of a Feather will be on view at UT’s Downtown Gallery December 5, 2014 through January 15, 2015.

UT Downtown Gallery, 106 S. Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: Wednesday-Friday: 11AM - 6PM, Saturday: 10AM - 3PM. Information: 865-673-0802, http://web.utk.edu/~downtown

New narrative sculpture & paintings ("Every Picture Tells a Story") by Marga McBride, and new paintings by Charlotte Terrell. Opening reception & Holiday Open House Dec 7, 5-8 PM.

Bennett Galleries & Company, 5308 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919. Info: 865-584-6791; www.bennettgalleries.com

The Knoxville Watercolor Society will exhibit recent works from its members at the Rose Center, 442 W. Second North St., Morristown, TN 37814.

Opening reception will be Friday, December 5th from 6:00 pm. to 8:00 pm, in conjunction with the Rose Center's Holiday Open House. Regular hours for the Rose Center are M-F, 9 am. to 5 pm., and Thursday until 7:30 pm.

For more information about the Knoxville Watercolor Society, membership requirements and to view members' art work go to www.knxvillewatercolorsociety.com.