Calendar of Events

Thursday, July 29, 2021

WDVX: The Swerve

  • July 29, 2021 — December 31, 2021

Category: Music

WDVX is happy to announce the return of “The Swerve” with host Wayne Bledsoe on Thursdays at 6 PM at Barley's in the Old City.

You can also tune in to WDVX on Saturday nights at 11pm, right before Wayne's live radio show "All Over The Road" to hear the recorded "Swerve" show on the air.

200 East Jackson Avenue, http://barleysknoxville.com/

Info: 865-544-1029, http://www.wdvx.com

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley: Variety Show: Follow the Blue Brick Road

  • July 29, 2021

Category: Dance, movement, Exhibitions, visual art, Free event, Kids, family and Music

We invite you to Follow the Blue Brick Road for a special presentation of The Wizard of Oz
July 29th
Doors open: 5:30pm | Show starts: 6:30pm
Tennessee Theatre

Hosted by Kaden Robinson, our 2021 Youth of the Year & Tennessee Youth of the Year. In addition to the Wizard of Oz, attendees will see dance and choral performances along with the Ukulele band. In the lobby of the theatre, there will be art displays as well for guests to enjoy.

The show is free and open to the public thanks to the support of the Tennessee Theatre. Please RSVP below by July 27th. https://bgctnv.org/events/varietyshow/

City Council Candidate Forum at Phyllis Wheatley Center

  • July 29, 2021

Category: Festivals, special events and Free event

Thursday, July 29 at 6:30 PM

This in-person City Council Candidate Forum is an opportunity for our community to hear directly from candidates in each district. Thank you to the League of Women Voters Knoxville/Knox County for organizing this event! **Masks will be required for entry into this event.**

https://my.lwv.org/tennessee/knoxvilleknox-county

East Tennessee Community Design Center: Online Art Auction

Category: Exhibitions, visual art and Fundraisers

Our Art Auction goes live online! From July 28th through the start of the Celebration at Lakeshore Park, you can bid on over forty (!) items from local artists.

https://communitydc.org/lakeshore/

Nief-Norf presents: Composer :: Performer :: Improviser Summit

Category: Classes, workshops, Festivals, special events and Music

Realize your complete musicianship and achieve the demands of a 21st-century artist
Online collaborative summit
July 26–August 01, 2021

Presented by Nief-Norf, this online summit focuses on hybrid musicianship: working across disciplines as a composer, performer, and improviser. This inspiration comes from several sources, including the increased demand for the Performer–Composer track at our annual Nief-Norf Summer Festival, as well as the College Music Society’s 2013 Manifesto, which "takes the position that improvisation and composition provide a stronger basis for educating musicians today than the prevailing model of training performers in the interpretation of older works." Multidisciplinary approaches to music making has always been at the core of Nief-Norf and its programs, and our recent nnSF guest artist Wadada Leo Smith and his beautiful music only further inspired those efforts.

Summit participants will collaborate with one another in the creation of new imaginative works, guided by individualized coaching and mentoring from faculty including Kendall Williams, Carolyn Chen, Jordan Munson, and Andy Bliss. Participants will also have the opportunity to attend keynote presentations from guest artists as well as present their original work through online Norf Space events and the virtual marathon concert on Sunday, August 01, 2021.

This summit is a confluence of a wide range of skills and perspectives—all ages and levels of experience are welcome.
https://www.niefnorf.org/cpi

Tri-Star Arts: Mondegreen by Pete Hoffecker Mejía

  • July 16, 2021 — September 25, 2021

Category: Exhibitions, visual art and Free event

Tri-Star Arts announces the next exhibition at their gallery in the historic Candoro Marble Building. A solo show, Mondegreen, features new work by artist Pete Hoffecker Mejía (Salem, Oregon).

Public receptions will be held on Friday, July 16 from 5:00- 8:00 pm (artist in attendance) and Friday, September 3 from 5:00- 8:00 pm. An in-person artist talk will be held on Friday, July 16 at 3:30 pm.

Pete Hoffecker Mejía states: “This work is engaged with the negotiation of multiform cultural identities. I am expressly concerned with exploring the intersection of contrasting cultural information, hierarchies of representation, and conflation in the expression of otherness.

Born in Bogotá, Colombia, of indigenous ancestry, adopted by a multiracial family, and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee, I have created a studio practice that serves as a space for mediation of the resulting geographic and cultural estrangement. Cut and reassembled serape blankets, mochila pattern, molas, and other fragments of a whole speak to cultural and geographic discontinuity. Interrogating the themes of European geometric abstraction and Indigenous art forms allows me to create a sculptural narrative of contemporary Latin-American and Indigenous cultural hybridity, with acknowledgment of the postcolonial landscape.

High art and low, the historical and the ahistorical, the found and the fabricated, caricature and the sincere, all collide and collude. In this way, I explore the blurred points of contact resulting from estrangement, while touching on the obstacles in mediating self through distorted representations of the other in mass culture.”

This exhibition will be open to the public, alongside iconic spaces within the Candoro Marble Building, regularly from Tuesday through Saturday, 11:00 am until 5:00 pm. Social distancing is encouraged.

Tri-Star Arts at Candoro Marble Building, 4450 Candora Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37920. Hours: Tue-Sat 11 AM - 5 PM. Information: https://tristararts.org/

Flying Anvil Theatre: Venus in Fur

  • July 15, 2021 — August 1, 2021

Category: Literature, spoken word, writing and Theatre

Wed-Sat @ 7:30, Sun @ 2:00

Venus in Fur opens with a cynical playwright lamenting the lack of talent in the actresses he has auditioned for his new play based on a 19th century erotic novel. When ditzy actress Vanda arrives two hours late, sparks and punch lines fly. But underneath the humor, something wicked and dangerous bubbles to surface, building to a punch-in-the-gut ending you'll never see coming.

“Venus in Fur is a play about the battle of the sexes, with nuclear weapons. .” says director Jayne Morgan. “The action is physical, raw and intense – is is funny and sexy, and audiences love the twists and turns the story takes! This play is also such an incredible showcase for the actors” Local actors Carolyn Corley and Michael Marks are cast as Vanda and playwright Thomas. Randy Thompson is stage managing.

Flying Anvil Theatre, locally known for producing newer, provocative productions, is currently selling season passes and single tickets for their upcoming season which features five mainstage shows and a special performance by comedian/singer Minton Sparks.

Venus will open with a 'pay-what-you-want' preview on July 15. The show runs Thursday-Sunday, July 15-August 1. Evening shows are at 7:30 pm, Sunday matinee at 2:00 pm, $25 for adults and $13 for students. For mature audiences. Tickets are also available at the door.

Flying Anvil Theatre, 1300 Rocky Hill Road, Knoxville. Information: 865-357-1309, www.flyinganviltheatre.com. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram, @flyinganviltheatre

Oak Ridge Art Center: Hugh Bailey Retrospective

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

They say, "into every life, rain must fall," and while that is true, some individuals defy that logic and always deal with a light hand and a joy that defies the trials and tribulations of life. Hugh Bailey was one of those rare individuals. He experienced the sorrows of life as we all do, but chose a brighter side. Hugh saw, painted, sculpted, printed, and related stories of joy. He created objects that were "joy filled" and shared them with those lucky enough to cross his path. This show will be an echo of that joy and his legacy to all who knew him.

Hugh was an ambassador for the clay arts especially. A founding member of Foothills Craft Guild and an active member of Southern Highlands Craft Guild, an instructor in our program and others for many years, and an active demonstrator of clay arts throughout the region, Hugh was gracious with his time and talents sharing both with curious individuals of all ages. All of his work was imbued with his quick wit, amazing sense of humor and delightful sense of whimsy. In fact, Hugh was an advocate of playful experimentation in all media. These aspects to his work are readily apparent and will bring many memories to those who knew him and inspire those who did not have that privilege. The objects displayed in this exhibition will be shared with the Art Center from his many collectors in homage.

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

Pellissippi State: Painting: Methods and Materials exhibition

  • July 9, 2021 — August 6, 2021

Category: Exhibitions, visual art and Free event

Pellissippi State Community College is ushering back art exhibits with the work of students who took Painting: Methods and Materials in June.

The show is on display until Aug. 6 in the Bagwell Center for Media and Art Gallery on the college’s Hardin Valley Campus, 10915 Hardin Valley Road. Everyone is invited to view the exhibit for free 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Painting: Methods and Materials focuses on oil and acrylic painting on canvas with an emphasis on personal content through expanded methods and mediums.

“This is a very creative and eclectic group, ranging from realist still-life to broken glass and gold leaf abstractions to strange and wonderful painting/sculptural explorations," said Associate Professor Herb Rieth, who taught the class.

For more information about Pellissippi State, visit www.pstcc.edu or call 865-694-6400.

Bennett: Annual Summer Sale

  • July 9, 2021 — July 31, 2021

Category: Exhibitions, visual art, Festivals, special events and Fine Crafts

Summer Sale! 50–75% Off Select Furniture, Accessories & Gifts
Starts July 9 and runs through the end of the month

Special Sale on Saturday, July 10in with parking lot vendors

Bennett Galleries & Company: 5308 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919. Hours: M-Th 10-6, F-Sa 10-5:30. Information: 865-584-6791, www.bennettgalleries.com

Tennessee Stage Company: Shakespeare Off the Square

Category: Free event, Kids, family and Theatre

7:30 PM Thursday-Sunday, July 8 - August 8
2 PM Matinees: Sunday, July 18th (Twelfth Night) & Sunday, July 25th (The Tempest)
ADMISSION: Reservations & in-person tickets will be $15, with a four-pack for families offered a 15% discount.

The Tennessee Stage Company presents its 31st Summer Shakespeare Festival, now performing at Ijams Nature Center! The natural hillside boasts the space for the audience to spread out & observe proper social distancing while enjoying the outdoor performances, which will feature two of Shakespeare’s most renowned plays: the comedy Twelfth Night & the romance of The Tempest. This season is being produced in cooperation with Ijams Nature Center. Twelfth Night opens the festival on Thursday, July 8th. It continues through August 7th, alternating performances with The Tempest, which opens on Friday, July 9th, & plays through August 8th. There is an indoor space at Ijams Nature Center where performances will move in case of rain. In order to be prepared for the ever-changing landscape of 2021, we will play this season in the open field in front of the Visitors Center of Ijams Nature Center, located at 2915 Island Home Ave, Knoxville, TN 37920, just a short drive from downtown. The Tennessee Stage Company encourages our audiences to spend an evening at Ijams Nature Center. Walk the splendor of the trails, check out the gift shop, have dinner at a food truck, see the show & enjoy the beverages from the Beer Garden. Come early & sample the many pleasures to be found at Ijams Nature Center.

July 8, 10, 16, 18, 22, 24, 30; August 1, 5, 7 at 7:30 pm; July 18 at 2:00 pm
TWELFTH NIGHT

July 9, 11, 15, 17, 23, 25 29, 31; August 6, 8 at 7:30 PM; July 25 at 2:00 pm
THE TEMPEST

For more information about the Tennessee Stage Company, Shakespeare 'Off' The Square, or its support guild, Buddies of the Bard
(BoB), call 865-546-4280 or e-mail TennesseeStage@Comcast.net. Tickets: www.Ijams.org/shakespeare. Up to three students (K-12) may attend for one penny with paying adult!

Dogwood Arts: Synergy Art Exhibition

Category: Exhibitions, visual art, Free event and Kids, family

The Dogwood Arts Synergy Exhibition showcasing gifted K-12 art students alongside their teachers from across East Tennessee at the Clayton Center for the Arts. See the results of the artistic student-teacher synergy that happens every day in our schools! All student artwork has been generously professionally framed by our friends at ExpressFrame.

• Gallery Hours: 9am-6pm (Monday - Friday)
• Address: 502 East Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville, TN 37804

A closing reception and awards ceremony will be held at the Clayton Center for the Arts on Thursday, August 5th from 5:30PM-7:30PM. Awards will be presented at 6:30pm.

www.dogwoodarts.com

Clayton Center for the Arts: 502 East Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville, TN 37804. Information: 865-981-8590, www.ClaytonArtsCenter.com

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