Calendar of Events

Friday, February 19, 2021

The Emporium Center: Conny Zhao: A Place to Land

Category: Exhibitions, visual art and Free event

A free reception with the artists will take place on Friday, February 5, from 5:00-8:00 PM. All visitors to the Emporium are asked to wear a mask and maintain physical distancing guidelines. Most of the works will be for sale and may be purchased through the close of the exhibition by visiting in person or the online shop at www.knoxalliance.store.

A Place to Land focuses on the relationships between indigenous peoples of China, Palestine, and Mongolia and their historic and cultural ties to land. I explore how marginalized groups, such as Southern or Inner Mongols, Kam (Dong), Buryats, Tibetans, and Palestinians can navigate and negotiate their identities through the passing down of cultural artifacts to younger generations, mundane daily rituals, and active acts of resistance. My series of photographs from 2018-2019 specifically concentrates on each group’s historical connection to land and the types of landscapes they inhabit, looking at how these various landscapes can impact and shape ethnic identity. I also examine what oppressive government policies, urbanization, or environmental damage might mean for the future of these groups.

Conny Zhao is a multimedia artist, musician, and ethnomusicologist from Knoxville. After graduating from the University of Tennessee with a degree in Music and Culture, she spent a year at Inner Mongolia Arts University in Hohhot, China as a Fulbright scholar learning, researching, and documenting Mongolian long-song (urtyn duu). Although Zhao started her work as a musician and researcher, she began to delve into multimedia during her senior year of college as she realized the importance of increasing visibility and representation for traditional Asian music in the United States. Her work as a multimedia artist focuses on underrepresented peoples, how they interact with and exist within their surroundings, and how they perform their identities through various mediums. She especially enjoys exploring musical communities throughout the world, and hopes to combine photography, videography, and audio to create accessible platforms for folk musicians to demonstrate their own traditions. For more information, visit www.connyzhao.com or Instagram @connyzphoto.

The exhibitions are on display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, in downtown Knoxville. The Emporium is open to the public Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM. For more information, please see www.knoxalliance.com or call (865) 523-7543.

The Emporium Center: Dana Moody: Havana: Behind the Façade

Category: Exhibitions, visual art and Free event

A free reception with the artists will take place on Friday, February 5, from 5:00-8:00 PM. All visitors to the Emporium are asked to wear a mask and maintain physical distancing guidelines. Most of the works will be for sale and may be purchased through the close of the exhibition by visiting in person or the online shop at www.knoxalliance.store.

Dana Moody’s obsession for architectural studies began at a young age and has formed both her career as a professor of interior architecture and her creative endeavors as a photographer. She explored different mediums and styles to translate how her eyes see historic architecture and interiors, including acrylic paintings and marker and pencil renderings on hand-drafted drawings. Eventually, she discovered that photography captures the integrity of architectural details that are often glossed over in paintings and drawings. Moody’s architectural photographs are windows into the past: a glimpse of hopes and dreams – some fulfilled – some not. They, too, tell a story about people, society, and culture. Through her photographs, she hopes to awaken the viewer’s soul and invite them to be transported to other cultures and times.

In 2017-18, Dr. Moody received residency with Unpack Studio in Havana, Cuba where she conducted a photographic documentary project entitled Havana: Behind the Façade resulting in four solo exhibitions, participation in twelve group exhibitions, two peer-reviewed journal articles, and two conference presentations. The documentary was recognized with two awards. She is a Full Professor in Interior Architecture & Design at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. She received a BS in Interior Design from the University of Southern Mississippi, a MS in Interior Design with a minor in Art (Museology) and a PhD in Education from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. For more information, visit www.dana-moody.com.

The exhibitions are on display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, in downtown Knoxville. The Emporium is open to the public Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM. For more information, please see www.knoxalliance.com or call (865) 523-7543.

The Emporium Center: National Juried Exhibition of 2021

Category: Exhibitions, visual art, Fine Crafts and Free event

A free reception with the artists will take place on Friday, February 5, from 5:00-8:00 PM. All visitors to the Emporium are asked to wear a mask and maintain physical distancing guidelines. Most of the works will be for sale and may be purchased through the close of the exhibition by visiting in person or the online shop at www.knoxalliance.store.

The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present its 15th annual National Juried Exhibition, a new exhibition featuring selected works from 45 artists throughout the region. The National Juried Exhibition was developed in 2006 to provide a forum for artists to compete on a regional scale and display their highest quality work. The exhibition encompasses all styles and genres from both emerging and established artists working in a variety of media such as photography, acrylic, pencil, fibers, oil, paper, and more. Over $1,000 in cash awards will be announced at an awards ceremony at 6:00 PM on February 5.

Exhibiting artists include:
+ Dave Edens of Madison, AL
+ Erica Doggett of Lawrenceville, GA
+ Virginia Taylor Derryberry of Asheville, NC
+ Ann Harwell of Wendell, NC
+ Sheila Chesanow of Athens, TN
+ Clay Hardwick and Carrie Pendergrass of Chattanooga, TN
+ Samantha Steadman of Johnson City, TN
+ Linda Blair, Larry Cole, Aleex Conner, Jurgen Dopatka, Vincent Drake, Laurie Drake, Robert Felker, Brian Horais, Shannon Deana Johnson, Merry Koschan, Kenneth Moffett, Allen Monsarrat, Tom Owens, Mera Ragsdale, Alex Rifwald, Annie Rochelle, Esther Sitver, Benjamin Smith, Richard Stulorow, William Timm, Marilyn Avery Turner, and Brandon Woods of Knoxville, TN
+ Barb McLean, Jack Retterer, and Marcia M. Shelly of Lenoir City, TN
+ Lil Clinard of Loudon, TN
+ Amber Patty of Madisonville, TN
+ Carl Gombert of Maryville, TN
+ Bill Long and Mike E. Sandlock of Morristown, TN
+ Elaine Marcel Culbert, Yvonne Dalschen, and Sylvia Milanez of Oak Ridge, TN
+ Jane Newman of Ooltewah, TN
+ Charlotte Rollman of Sevierville, TN
+ Marty McConnaughey of Sharps Chapel, TN
+ Amanda Long of Signal Mountain, TN

About the juror: American-born, Chickasaw & Choctaw Artist, Addison Karl has garnered experiences over a journey that has lasted more than a decade and still goes on to this day. Addison’s works are closely attributed to prepress printing and color theory and have evolved from blank slates to paper, canvas, installations and integration into public spaces. With a signature style that employs hatch drawing, Addison’s work uses fine lines and details that create diminutive creations that unfold into large-scale expressive murals. Each stroke of color breathes life and vibrancy to his work. With his work, his aim is to expand the viewer’s understanding of the context, structures and surfaces they occupy, thus adding life. For more information, please visit his website at www.addisonkarl.com.

The exhibitions are on display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, in downtown Knoxville. The Emporium is open to the public Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM. For more information, please see www.knoxalliance.com or call (865) 523-7543.

HoLa Hora Latina: Valentine's Celebration featuring Héctor Saldivar

Category: Exhibitions, visual art, Festivals, special events, Fine Crafts, Free event and Kids, family

Join us in safely celebrating Valentine’s Day during the upcoming First Friday event on Friday, February 5th, 5PM-8PM, featuring clay sculptures by local artist Héctor Saldivar. The Casa HoLa Store will be open for shopping, we will be selling tamales TO-GO and offering a free, take-home children’s art activity.

The exhibit will be made available on our website, www.HoLaHoraLatina.org, Monday, February 8th, and will remain in our gallery until Wednesday, February 24th.

Guests are required to wear masks and are asked to practice ample social distancing between households.

https://holahoralatina.org/events/
https://www.facebook.com/HoLaHoraLatina
https://www.instagram.com/holahoralatina/
https://twitter.com/CasaHoLa

HoLa Hora Latina is located inside of the Emporium for the Arts at 100 S. Gay St. Suite 112, Knoxville, TN 37902. Info: (865)335-3358 or casahola@holafestival.org

Ijams Hallway Gallery: Work by Sonia J. Summers

  • February 1, 2021 — February 28, 2021

Category: Exhibitions, visual art and Free event

The Ijams Visitor Center’s Hallway Gallery features Sonia J. Summers, a Knoxville-based artist who creates incredibly detailed, beautiful paintings of landscapes and portraits. She frequently can be seen in the community as she works en plein air (outdoor painting). See her work through February in the Ijams Hallway Gallery!

http://soniajacksonsummers.weebly.com/

Ijams Nature Center, 2915 Island Home Ave, Knoxville, TN 37920. www.ijams.org

YWCA Knoxville and the Tennessee Valley: Great Race Against Racism

  • February 1, 2021 — February 28, 2021

Category: Festivals, special events, Free event and History, heritage

Join us the entire month of February! Celebrate Black History Month by Joining YWCA for the Great Race Against Racism! Participants in this year's Great Race Against Racism will download the interactive "GooseChase" app on their mobile device and will race to collect points by physically visiting over twenty sites of cultural and historical significance in Knox and Anderson Counties. For more information and a list of the Great Race Against Racism locations, please visit YWCA's website at https://ywcaknox.com/great-race/.

Watch Karlyn Reel, YWCA Director of Communications and Events, explain a few questions about the event that we have received recently.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYw1T4Dkm88&feature=youtu.be

If you have further questions, please contact Karlyn at kreel@ywcaknox.com.
How to Join the Great Race Against Racism -- Participation is FREE!

1.) Download the "GooseChase" app on your Android or iPhone.
2.) Choose to play as a guest; or register for a personal account with email, username, and password of your choice.
3.) Tap the search icon at the top and type "YWCA Great Race Against Racism" or enter game code "YWCAGreatRace2021" to find the game.
4.) Create your team (even if you are participating as an individual) or select your team from the list if it has already been created.
5.) Once in the game, you will be presented with a screen that reads: "Waiting to Start." The YWCA Great Race Against Racism will start on February 1 and will conclude on February 28. Be sure to check back regularly during the month of February, as bonus locations will be added.

About the Great Race Against Racism: For 25 years, YWCA's Diversity Day and Race Against Racism 5K has been a favorite community event. Attended by nearly 500 participants annually, the event has traditionally taken place on the Saturday before Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year's event will be held virtually. While we will miss coming together as a community at the Phyllis Wheatley Center, we welcome this opportunity to celebrate our diverse community during the entire month of February.

28 Days of Beck Black History & Culture

  • February 1, 2021 — February 28, 2021

Category: Festivals, special events, Free event, History, heritage and Kids, family

At the Beck Cultural Exchange Center:

Make plans to join Beck for all our up coming Black History Events during February.
Black History Month is a time set aside during the month of February to commemorate history, and to celebrate the contributions of extraordinary people.

Stay Tuned For Information
https://www.beckcenter.net/black-history-month-events

Beck Cultural Exchange Center: 1927 Dandridge Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37915. Information: 865-524-8461, www.beckcenter.net

Muse Knoxville: Brush Battle lip sync competition

Category: Festivals, special events, Health, wellness, Kids, family and Music

Children’s museum celebrates Dental Health Month by holding a lip syncing competition
Muse Knoxville hosts an online lip syncing competition from February 1-28.

Brush Battle is a competition where families can post videos of themselves lip syncing to songs while brushing their teeth. Combining the arts and the science of dentistry, Muse Knoxville hopes that Brush Battle will encourage children to get excited about dental hygiene. Videos must be at least 30 seconds long. The top five videos will be chosen by Muse staff, and will each receive an Amusements Kit. These top 5 videos will be reposted onto Muse Knoxville’s Facebook page, where fans can vote on their favorite video. The video with the most likes on February 28 at 11:59pm will win a VIP Experience at Muse Knoxville, valued at $125.

The museum partners with Delta Dental of Tennessee each February to host teeth-themed activities, programs and play sessions to celebrate Dental Health Month. Due to the limited number of people that can gather together currently, the two organizations decided to create free, virtual options that would still delight families. In addition to Brush Battle, Muse Knoxville will be sharing dental themed fun facts on social media.

Throughout the month, visitors can also enjoy teeth-centered programs and story times at the museum. Each patron that visits during February will also receive a toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, and a booklet of activities sponsored by Delta Dental of Tennessee, while supplies last. Admission must be booked online, in advance. To view the most updated list of hours, guests can visit www.themuseknoxville.org.

Muse Knoxville is a non-profit children’s science museum located in Chilhowee Park with a mission to inspire and empower all children through transformative learning experiences. We exist to serve East Tennessee by bringing hands-on, inquiry-based programming to children ages 6 months to 12 years old. In 2019, Muse Knoxville served over 200,000 individuals throughout 24 East Tennessee counties. www.themuseknoxville.org .
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Keep Knoxville Beautiful: Orchids Awards

  • February 1, 2021 — February 26, 2021

Category: Festivals, special events, Fundraisers, Health, wellness and Science, nature

Join us February 1 through February 26 on Facebook for the 2021 Orchids Awards
https://www.facebook.com/events/710918492933357

Since 1979, Keep Knoxville Beautiful has presented Orchid Awards to Knoxville and Knox County buildings, public art, and outdoor spaces that beautify and elevate the local landscape. This year, we will continue that tradition but in a new way. The Orchids Awards will take place over the 4 weeks in February with nominee highlights, awards announcements, silent auction, and gift packages supporting KKB!

Architects, artist, developers, community members, etc. have submitted their projects for the Orchids Awards. Each week in February we will focus on one or two categories. The nominees will be announced and on the last day of the category, we will share the winner on this event page. Winners will receive their award signs the following week.

We are grateful to all the nominees for keeping Knoxville beautiful!
Week 1: New Architecture and Public Art
Week 2: Redesign/Reuse
Week 3: Outdoor Space and Community Space
Week 4: Creative Reinvention, Mary Lou Horner Award, and The Felicia Award

We are auctioning off the framed original painting of Winter Jewels by Sarah Moore. The auction will open on February 1 and close on February 26
Purchase a gift package and bid in the auction at: https://www.betterunite.com/kkb-2021orchidsawards

Knoxville Museum of Art: A Lasting Imprint: Rendering Rhythm and Motion in the Art of Black Mountain College

Category: Exhibitions, visual art, Fine Crafts and Free event

The Knoxville Museum of Art presents A Lasting Imprint: Rendering Rhythm and Motion in the Art of Black Mountain College now through May 2, 2021.

More than 50 prints, textiles, drawings, paintings and sculptures drawn from the extensive holdings of the Asheville Art Museum document a particularly rich and creative moment of radical experimentation with ways to integrate music, movement, and the visual arts. The exhibition includes work by the most adventurous and influential artists associated with Black Mountain College including Josef and Anni Albers, Ruth Asawa, Ilya Bolotowsky, John Cage, Buckminster Fuller, Lorna Blaine Halper, Kenneth Noland, Robert Rauschenberg, Marianne Preger-Simon, and Kenneth Snelson.

Black Mountain College, an experimental school in the North Carolina mountains near Asheville, was active from 1933 to 1957. The secluded environment fostered a strong sense of individuality, inter-disciplinary experimentation, and creative intensity, and served as a key setting in which artists revolutionized a broad range of modern art forms. Movement and music—both time-based activities—can be difficult to express in static media such as painting, drawing, and photography, yet many artists feel called to explore them. Movement serves as inspiration—either to capture it or to create it in entirely different media. Similarly, music is driven by rhythm, patterns, and variations that are enticing departures for visual artists. In few places did movement, music, visual arts, and myriad other disciplines intermingle with such impact as they did at Black Mountain College, which profoundly influenced the course of American modernism.

A Lasting Imprint is organized by the Asheville Art Museum (AAM), Asheville, North Carolina and features key works from the museum’s Black Mountain College Collection.

Open to the public Wednesday through Sunday 1-5pm. Admission and parking are free.

Knoxville Museum of Art, 1050 World's Fair Park Dr, Knoxville, TN 37916. Information: 865-525-6101, https://knoxart.org/exhibitions/a-lasting-imprint-rendering-rhythm-and-motion-in-the-art-of-black-mountain-college/

Morristown Art Association: 2021 Member's Art Show

  • January 25, 2021 — April 30, 2021

Category: Exhibitions, visual art, Fine Crafts and Free event

The Morristown Art Association is an organization dedicated to the support of visual artists and their work. Every year the MAA sponsors a Member’s Art Show that is usually displayed at the Morristown Public Library. This year, due to Covid-19, we are unable to display at the library and have decided to make our annual MAA Member’s Art Show virtual.

Those interested in becoming a member, or checking out our organization should go to our website at: www.morristownart.org

Participating artists in the Morristown Art Association Member’s Art Show are as follows: Lois Armstrong, Peggy Brewer, Betty Bullen, Dan Gibson, Susan Hurley, Frances Maynard, Jim Palmer, Janette Parrish, Mike Sandlock, Cathy Teller, Leona Toll, Cindy Trobaugh, Chizuru Warner.

https://www.rosecenter.org/exhibits

East Tennessee Foundation: Knoxville Local curated by Ashley Layendecker

  • October 1, 2020 — December 31, 2021

Category: Exhibitions, visual art, Fine Crafts and Free event

East Tennessee Foundation / 520 W. Summit Hill Drive, Suite 1101

Tri-Star Arts is pleased to present Knoxville Local at the East Tennessee Foundation (520 W. Summit Hill Drive, Suite 1101, Knoxville, Tennessee), the first in our new Local exhibition series highlighting TN Artists. The show’s curator is East-Tennessee native Ashley Layendecker.

Knoxville Local features the work of 23 Knoxville-area artists including Ashley Addair, Eleanor Aldrich, Nuveen Barwari, Brianna Bass, Joshua Bienko, Eric Cagley, Nick DeFord, Lynne Ghenov, Michael Giles, Spencer Grady, Daniel Hughes, Quynh Lam, Mary Laube, Marta Lee, Paul Lee, Nyasha Madamombe, Erica Mendoza, Althea Murphy-Price, Jing Qin, Kayla Rumpp, Jered Sprecher, Megan White, and David Wolff.

The exhibition will be on view virtually at its outset, with expected in-person viewing opportunities coming in late 2021 (more details and interactive media to come). Knoxville Local will run from October 1, 2020, through December 31, 2021. The show coincides with the 35th anniversary of the ETF in 2021.

For more information, visit www.easttennesseefoundation.org.

https://locatearts.org/exhibitions/knoxville/knoxville-local-curated-by-ashley-layendecker

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