Calendar of Events

Southern Appalachia is rich in history and natural beauty, so the Blount County Public Library is hosting a series of four programs that will emphasize the natural history, indigenous peoples, European immigration, and the resultant culture and social history of our area.

May 23 - The fourth lecture will concentrate on the resulting culture of the Southern Appalachians which some folks call “hillbilly”.

Free and open to the public. Blount County Public Library, 508 N. Cusick Street, Maryville, TN. Information: 865-982-0981, www.blountlibrary.org

Join us for a morning out as our museum educator leads engaging gallery tours for parents and caregivers and their young ones. Crying and wiggly babies welcome! This month we explore Geology in our Geology and Fossil History of Tennessee Gallery.

The event is free, but limited, and all attendees must register to attend online. Registration opens a month in advance and closes the day before the tour. http://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu/events/stroller-tour-05-23-2016/

McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture, 1327 Circle Park Dr on the UT campus, Knoxville, TN 37996. Hours: Monday-Saturday, 9AM-5PM, Sunday, 1-5PM. Information: 865-974-2144, http://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu

In the Sandra J. Blain Gallery. A group exhibit showcasing work from over 100 skilled and talented instructors teaching at Arrowmont in 2016.

Gallery hours are Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm and Saturday 10am - 4pm. Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, 556 Parkway, Gatlinburg, TN 37738. Information: 865-436-5860, www.arrowmont.org

Westminster Presbyterian Church's Schilling Gallery: Mixed media paintings by Donna Conliff and pottery and paintings by Anne Dally.

Donna Conliffe, a mixed media artist, uses layers of collage and paint, image transfers, found objects, metal, and words to create themes of growth and change. Anne Dally's ceramic work and paintings reflect her interest in outer space and the natural environment.

Westminister Presbyterian Church, 6500 S Northshore Dr, Knoxville, TN 37919. Info: (865) 584-3957 or www.wpcknox.org
Hours: Monday thru Friday, 9 AM to 4 PM

Darkhorse Entertainment, LLC, invites you to go back to the early Middle Ages (c. 500) and celebrate King Arthur and Camelot at the second annual Tennessee Medieval Faire, situated in Harriman just 30 miles west of Turkey Creek. This rugged outdoor festival opens on May 14 and runs the last three weekends in May, including Memorial Day.

Leading the charge is The Royal Joust performed three times a day by the Hanlon-Lees Action Theatre. There will also be sword fighting at the Warriors’ Chess Matches, performed twice daily. Between arena shows, Unicorn and Warhorse Rides will be offered. Rotating on three stages will be professional, interactive, family-friendly shows. Acts returning this year include Aaron Bonk’s “ridiculously dangerous” Fire * Whip * Sword Show; The Jackdaws, previously named Banish Misfortune; Professor DeWitt’s Punch and Judy Puppet Show; Albi Belly Dance; and Aristotle Simplified, aka Einstein Simplified. New acts this year include Topsy Turvy, an acrobatic duo; Feckless Fear Dearg, a Kentucky Celtic band; Tom Smiter--Bizarre Feats of Rhythm and Melody; and Dendarah Middle Eastern Dance with Raks el Anwar. There will be other musicians, interactive folk dancers, fairy tale shows and medieval games. The Royal Players, who roam the Faire and interact with patrons, include the characters of King Arthur, Queen Guinevere and Merlin. Performance schedules will be posted on the festival website by May 11 and will be available at the Faire.

Enjoy nearly 50 medieval village merchants: Artisans will sell their handcrafted wares made of leather, wood, clay, metal, glass, cloth, etc. Hungry patrons can enjoy delicious medieval fare including turkey legs, gyros, hearty soups, scotch eggs, dragon jerky, fresh fruits and desserts. Hot and cold beverages including beer will also be available.

The Tennessee Medieval Faire will be open on May 14-15, 21-22, 28-29-30; rain or shine. Hours are 10-5 EDT. Ticket prices are $16.95 for ages 13 and up, $8.95 for ages 5 to 12, and will be free for ages 4 and under. Parking is free, and tickets will be available for purchase at the gate with cash or credit. Onsite camping for patrons is not included, but public campgrounds and hotels are nearby. The festival is located at 550 Fiske Road, Harriman, TN. For Faire rules, guidelines and more information, please visit www.TMFaire.com or like them on Facebook.

The Tennessee Watercolor Society (TnWS), founded in 1972, has represented the finest artists in the state for 44 years and hosts yearly juried exhibitions and biennial exhibitions. The biennial exhibition showcases 55 watermedia paintings chosen from nearly 200 entries. Juror John T. Salminen is a signature member of numerous art societies such as the American Watercolor Society, the National Watercolor Society, and the Transparent Watercolor Society of America and recipient of more than 220 national and international awards. Prizes for the TnWS Biennial Exhibition total $10,000. A juried collection of 30 paintings from the exhibition will later travel across Tennessee into January 2017 to six locations for public and visual arts outreach, including Memphis, Humboldt, Columbia, Chattanooga, Elizabethton, and Clarksville.

The following artists’ works will be shown:
+ From Region I (Memphis, Clarksville and points far west): Bill Bailey, Angela Broyles, Sandra Carpenter, Ronda K. Coop, Judy Duke, Robert Eoff, Tim Hacker, Larry Hughes, Susan Hyback, Floyd Speck, Mary Spellings, and Tuva Stephens
+ From Region II (Nashville, Franklin, and surrounding areas): Glenna Cook, Abby Eblen, Pam Francis, Vinci Kolodziejski, Frank Lott, Pam Pate, Patricia Patrick, Noriko Register, and John Wilkison
+ From Region III (Chattanooga, Cleveland, Signal Mountain, and surrounding areas): Sandy Boone, Sandy Brown, Phyllis Burkhart-Wilson, Helen Burton, Harriet Chipley, Joan Clark, Leslie Dulin, Marie Spaeder Haas, Jennie Kirkpatrick, Mary Britten Lynch, Effton Mitchell, Denton Ridge, Ann Rutledge, Alan Shuptrine, Sandra Washburn, Lana Wilson, and Patricia Wilson
+ From Region IV (Knoxville, Maryville, Oak Ridge, Tellico Plains, Tellico Village, Rarity Bay): Kate Aubrey, Claudia Balthrop, Lil Clinard, Thomas Eckert, Loretta Lee Edge, Linda Johnson, Judy Lavoie, Kate McCullough, Susan Miller, Brenda Mills, Max Robinson, Laurie Szilvagyi ,Mary Ann Valvoda, and Ulla Veiro
+ From Region V (Johnson City, Tri-Cities, Bristol): Barbara Wilson Carter, Jim Stagner, and Thomas White
For more information on the Tennessee Watercolor Society, visit http://tnws.org/.

A public reception will take place on Friday, June 3, from 5:00-9:00 PM to which the public is invited to meet the artists and view the artwork. Most of the works are for sale and may be purchased through the close of the exhibition.

This exhibition and others are on display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, in downtown Knoxville. Exhibition hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM; Sundays, May 15, June 5 & 19, 3:30-6:30 PM; Friday, May 20, 5-7 PM; and Saturday, May 21, 11 AM - 3 PM. Info: 865-523-7543 or www.knoxalliance.com.

The Town of Farragut Arts Council presents watercolor artist Joe Trout as the featured artist for May and June. Located at the Farragut Town Hall, the exhibit highlights Trout's paintings of nature and wildlife. An East Tennessee native and Lenoir City resident, Trout has been creating watercolor paintings for more than 40 years. His work masterfully depicts the incredible beauty of the area's landscapes - specifically the Great Smoky Mountains National Park - including its abundant wildflowers, lush greenery, gentle streams and tumbling waterfalls. Many of his watercolors are also inspired by the quiet beaches and low country of South Carolina and North Carolina's Outer Banks. Trout has participated in numerous one-man art shows, and his work is housed in collectors' homes in several states and countries.

Each month, the work of an artist or group of artists is featured in specially designed cases on the second floor of the rotunda in the Farragut Town Hall. For more information about this exhibit or to access a Featured Artist of the Month application, please contact Lauren Cox at lcox@townoffarragut.org or 966-7057 or visit www.townoffarragut.org/artsandculture. The Farragut Town Hall is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is located at 11408 Municipal Center Drive directly across from the Farragut Branch Post Office.

Also featuring Selections from the Permanent Collection - featuring International Artists including Henri Matisse, Georges Rouault, Salvador Dali and many others.
And in the Foyer Gallery - A Summer Thing: Summer Class Instructors

Artists Reception: Friday Evening, May 13, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM with Gallery Talk at 5:30 PM
The event is free and open to the public. Bring your friends and family!

Oak Ridge Art Center, 201 Badger Avenue, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. Hours: Tu-F 9-5, Sa-M 1-4. Information: 865-482-1441, www.oakridgeartcenter.org

Rhenda Clevenger’s art is currently on Exhibit at Newport Printing & Office Supplies during the months of May & June. Address: 315 E Broadway St, Newport, TN 37821

A casual Artist reception will be held on June 22nd, 2016 from Noon-3PM. Come an experience beautiful art that will make your heart sing. Everyone is cordially invited to meet and greet with Miss Clevenger at this event which is Free & Open to the public. Stop by and ask questions or let her know how much you enjoy her creations.

Learn more about Rhenda Clevenger by visiting her online member Portfolio here: http://www.dnatn.com/rhenda-clevenger-meet-artist

“Spring into Art” is the title for the annual spring art show at the Plateau Creative Arts Center (PCAC). The “Spring into Art” Show will be filled with outstanding original art created by the members of the Art Guild at Fairfield Glade. Art Guild members will exhibit some of their best artwork, hoping to win one of the show’s coveted award ribbons. The art in the gallery will include paintings, photography, pottery and jewelry, and more. The “Spring into Art” Show’s opening reception will be on Friday, May 6, from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. The reception is free and open to the public.

New to this year’s show will be the member’s response to a “Winter Challenge”. Members were challenged to produce art in one, two, or three subject areas including: “Think Spring”, “Produce”, and “Something with a Barn”. The Winter Challenge artwork will be a special part of the show, exhibited in the North Gallery, and will be included in the voting along with all of the other show entries. Each visitor to the show will be given a ballot so they can vote by writing down the titles of their three favorite artworks.

The public will have until the end of May to do their voting. At that time, ribbons will be posted on the three artwork entries that received the most votes. The ribbons will remain on the paintings until June 15, so there will be time to come back and see if your choices were fortunate enough to receive ribbons.

Art Guild at Fairfield Glade at the Plateau Creative Arts Center, 451 Lakeview Drive, Fairfield Glade, TN 38558. Hours: M-Sa 9-4. Information: 931-707-7249, www.artguildfairfieldglade.net

Reception: May 6th from 3-5pm at the Ewing Gallery of Art and Architecture

Initiated by the Ewing's Director Sam Yates 26 years ago, this exhibition recognizes outstanding students graduating from The University of Tennessee with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the School of Art, College of Arts and Sciences; a Bachelor of Architecture or Bachelor of Science, Interior Design, a Master of Architecture, and a Master of Landscape Design from the College of Architecture and Design.

Selected by a School of Art Faculty Scholarship committee, seven art students from various art disciplines were chosen from the qualifying applicants for this year's exhibition. These students are Youn Lee, Brandon McBath, Ashley Layendecker, Mark Bender, Anna Weible, Santiago Ortiz-Piazuelo, Alex Rudd, and Alex Raykowitz.

The College of Architecture and Design participants were selected by the faculty-at-large, and by outside review teams. These exhibitors are to be announced.

Hours through May 15, 10am - 5pm M-F and Sundays 1-4pm.
Hours May 16 - June 5, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday 12-5pm.

Ewing Gallery, 1715 Volunteer Blvd on the UT campus, Knoxville, TN 37996. Information: 865-974-3200, www.ewing-gallery.utk.edu

Join us as we kick-off our Biscuit Art Exhibition. The exhibition will open May 6, 2016 at Coffee & Chocolate, Rala, and 30 Market Square in Downtown Knoxville and will last through May 30th, 2016.

Featuring artwork with a Biscuit theme, last year’s entries came from across the nation. http://www.biscuitfest.com/art-exhibition