Calendar of Events

Awaken Coffee will host artist Kimberlee Rose Smith for First Friday, Aug. 2 from 6-9 pm.

Kimberlee Rose Smith is a local artist who seeks to bring hope, joy, and peace by reflecting the beauty around us.

She explains her inspiration, “Anytime I go outside, I see a consistent yet ever-changing work of art- the sky. I’m also inspired by the natural beauty of water. My paintings reflect the majestic, mysterious, and vast open sky and open water. I hope my paintings encourage the viewer to appreciate the beauty of creation always surrounding us.”

Awaken Coffee is a live music venue, espresso bar, craft beer & wine bar and organic restaurant in the heart of downtown. Awaken Coffee, 125 W Jackson Ave, Knoxville, Tennessee 37902

Opening August 2nd 5:00-9:00

Join us for First Friday and our Grand Reopening! Featuring paintings by plein air artists The Tuesday Painters and photography by Katharine Emlen.

Broadway Studios and Gallery, 1127 Broadway St, Knoxville, TN 37917. Hours: Fri-Sat, 10-6, by appointment, or when the "open" sign is illuminated. Information: 865-556-8676, www.BroadwayStudiosAndGallery.com

ARTIST OF THE MONTH : TYTY NKONGOLO

Join us Friday, August 2 from 6pm-8pm for our official First Friday Gallery Opening featuring artist is Tyty Nkongolo. His work will feature painting on canvas, along with African hand-made crafts.

Tyty Nkongolo has painted all of his life. He was born April 05, 1978 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in Central Africa. He went to the Academy of Arts for 6 years, graduating in Arts and Crafts, Paintings option. He left Africa in January of 2017 and is happily married and the father of 2 children. He is an acrylic artist whose paintings are inspired by the women of Africa, and the African landscape. He also paints some abstract work, along with various cartoons.

This event is free and open to the public, and from 6pm-8pm!

His work will up for the whole month of August - it’s available to view during shows.

Bijou Theatre, 803 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-522-0832, www.knoxbijou.com

Opens Fri Aug 2, 6-9
Come enjoy and unique prospective of window reflection images with us!
On display throughout the month during salon hours.

Culture Hair Studio
115 S Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902
https://www.culturehairstudioknox.com/

By Jones, Hope & Wooten and directed by Joseph Johnson

The inhabitants of one of the smallest trailer parks in Texas – four doublewides and a shed – are thrown for a loop when they realize the nearby town of Tugaloo is determined to annex them. But odd assortment of friends, enemies and neighbors realize they’ll have to work together to defeat the encroaching annexation if they – and their way of life – have a snowball’s chance to survive being swallowed up by ‘the big guys.’ The rollicking mayhem of this flat-out funny Jones Hope Wooten comedy escalates as the residents attempt to secede from Texas, discover a traitor in their midst and turn the tables in a surprising and side-splitting finale. So grab your Stetson and come on over to Doublewide, Texas, where life is double the fun, double the joy, and where audiences double over with laughter!

“This show has audiences laughing so hard, you can probably hear them outside the theatre!”
– Murry’s Dinner Playhouse

“You will howl with laughter at these characters. So leave your troubles at home. Because in Doublewide Texas, they’ve got enough for everybody!”
– Bay Review

Theatre Knoxville Downtown, 800 S. Central Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information & tickets: 865-544-1999, www.theatreknoxville.com

SIDE BY SIDE BY SONDHEIM

Get ready to laugh, cry and fall in love with lyrics that are heartbreakingly true and music that captures the soaring emotions of a new generation with Side by Side by Sondheim. Simple and unpretentious, this Tony Award-winning musical is a perfect introduction to the work of this contemporary master and a must for diehard fans.

Flying Anvil Theatre, 1300 Rocky Hill Road, Knoxville. Information: 865-357-1309, www.flyinganviltheatre.com

The exhibition is for artists who work in both two and three–dimensional mixed media from throughout the region. Any work produced with multiple media is eligible. The “seen and unseen” may refer to the subject matter or the layering of techniques.

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

Details TBA

Drown Wood Gallery
Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, 556 Parkway, Gatlinburg, TN 37738. Information: 865-436-5860, www.arrowmont.org

"It’ll Tickle Yore Innards!”: A (Hillbilly) History of Mountain Dew

Special Members Preview: Thursday, June 27, 2019, from 4:00-6:00 p.m.

The exhibition highlights the drink’s history, from the origins of the term “mountain dew” and the development of the marketable hillbilly image that influenced media and culture, to becoming the third most popular soft drink brand.

The exhibition includes more than 200 artifacts highlighting the drinks history, moonshining, and the hillbilly image. The exhibition begins with video footage of early moonshine busts and a visit to a moonshine still in Cocke County in 1938. A variety of liquor jugs, dating from as early as the 1890s are on display with other moonshine paraphernalia. There is an assortment of artifact reflecting the early color writers and their effects on the hillbilly image, as well as artifacts from Knoxville’s 1910 Appalachian Exposition. One case contains a variety of “hillbilly” memorabilia, including Beverly Hillbillies dolls, comic books, Lil’ Abner items, and a pair of Hee Haw overalls.

The exhibition features a 1900 carbonation machine from the Roddy Coca-Cola Bottling Company in Knoxville and a sizeable display of rare and highly collectable bottles, including a few dating to Knoxville in 1927, a progression of Mountain Dew bottles over the years, and a variety of other vintage soft drinks from around the region. Of special interest are the “Barney and Ally” bottles, which were the first Mountain Dew bottles ever produced. In 1951 and 1952, the Hartman Beverage Company produced 7 oz. green and clear bottles. The applied color label’s bare the name of the creators of Mountain Dew. In the early 1950s, green bottles were reserved for “colorless” flavors, while clear bottles were used for drinks where the color would reflect the actual flavor. Mountain Dew was originally bottled as a set of flavored drinks and not as a specific flavor like today. Also displayed are a variety of items relating to the Hartmann family.

East Tennessee Historical Society, 601 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Museum hours: M-F 9-4, Sa 10-4, Su 1-5. Information: 865-215-8824, www.easttnhistory.org

Debut: Recent Acquisitions features important acquisitions from the past four years in the McClung Museum’s eclectic arts and culture collection. Many of the objects have never been on display.

From ancient Peruvian ceramics and new additions to our extensive map collection, to Cherokee carving and modern and contemporary works on paper, they reflect the enormous diversity of the McClung’s holdings, and the generosity of donors who helped to add important objects to our collections.

The objects also illustrate the work of museum staff to fill cultural gaps needed to support the McClung’s educational mission. These treasures underscore the museum’s continued relevancy as a site for inspiration and pondering our world and its wonder.

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

Knoxville - Our Wings of Wonder Butterfly Exhibit has been installed throughout the Gardens. Twenty-five large scale butterflies decorated by area artists will be on display until September 8 (when they will be auctioned off to the public). Come enjoy their whimsical beauty!

This is the second year of this great collaboration of artists and the UT Gardens whereby the showcased art is auctioned to benefit the Gardens. This year's theme of butterflies hopes to showcase the importance of pollinators to our ecosystems and is in conjunction with pollinator research being conducted at the UT Gardens and elsewhere around the world.

UT Gardens, Chapman Drive, Knoxville, TN 37996. Information: 865-974-7151, http://utgardens.tennessee.edu

3:00 PM - 6:00 PM on the 1st & 3rd Sunday of each month

Blackhorse Brewery on Gay Street in Downtown Knoxville hosts the WDVX Downtown Jam. Banjos, fiddles, mandolins and guitars all welcome. This is a great opportunity to meet new musical friends, learn tunes and jam!

WDVX info: 865-544-1029, http://wdvx.com

Blackhorse Brewery Gay Street Pub, 430 S Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902: (865) 249-8511 or https://www.blackhorsebrews.com/pubs/knoxville