Calendar of Events

The Amadeus Chamber Ensemble continues its unique, free-admission concert series with ¡FIESTA ESPAÑOLA! at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus on Sunday, May 26, 2024 at 5:30 p.m. The festive one-hour program under the baton of Maestro Brian Salesky features soprano Maria Brea and is devoted to beloved favorites and intriguing rarities by Spanish composers Falla, Obradors, Torroba, Turina, and Chapí, along with riveting zarzuela arias. Concertmaster Miroslav Hristov will be spotlighted in the bravura “A Night in Seville” by Albéniz. Free parking surrounds the Cathedral at 711 S. Northshore Drive in Knoxville. Complimentary required online reservations are available at www.shcathedral.org in May. Further information is available at bachdouble56@gmail.com

5/24 • Movies Under the Stars: Pee-Wee's Big Adventure
5/24 • Full Moon Paddle
5/25 • Early Morning Paddle
5/25 • Pond Exploration
5/25 • Evening Paddle
5/26 • Self Care Sunday Yoga

And more!

Ijams Nature Center, 2915 Island Home Ave, Knoxville, TN 37920. Visitor Center open daily 10-6; grounds and trails open daily from 8 AM - dusk. Information: 865-577-4717, www.ijams.org

The eighth annual Tennessee Pirate Fest invites you to go back in time to the Age of Piracy. This outdoor daytime family entertainment-oriented festival will be held the last two weekends in May including Memorial Day at the Tennessee Medieval Faire site in Harriman--just 30 miles west of Turkey Creek.

“Get Yer Pirate On! with famous British privateer, Sir Captain Henry Morgan, in Port Royal, Jamaica, circa 1679. Now as Governor of Jamaica, Captain Morgan is throwing a festival in his honor, and all are invited – especially YOU. Drama awaits as Lord Carbery, of British high society, has come to Port Royal, waving his papers of nobility, demanding HE should be governor not a PIRATE! Will sparks and swords fly? Come and See!” said Barrie Paulson, President/GM.

Rotating on several stages will be professional touring and local talent. New this year will be comedy duo, The Washer Well Wenches; Disney Cruise headliner, Magic of E.C. Hannah; interactive circus trick artist, Tony the Tosser; and award-winning author, Robert Jacob (May 18-19). Back by popular demand will be slapstick Punch and Judy puppet shows by Professor Brent DeWitt, Middle Eastern dance by Tanasi Fusion (May 18-19), and comedy improv by Einstein Simplified (May 25-26-27). Pirate and Celtic acoustic music will be brought to you by The CrossJacks, Kris Colt the Black Rose, Bravura Music Academy (May 18-19), and Timothy Russell (May 25-26-27). The interactive costumed street character ensemble—the Royal Players--will seek to entertain in Kombat Kroquet (sword-fighting), Tales of Port Royal (show premise), Royal Follies (talent show), and Throw Me A Line (comedy improv). For those who like slightly spooky entertainment, Captain Davy Jones and Calypso will guide those willing on the Trail of Doom (G-PG light). The tour is a pirate version of A Christmas Carol, based on Captain Morgan’s heroic adventures.

Patrons are encouraged to dress in pirate costume and enter the Costume Contest to win a prize. All can learn to be a pirate in Pirate School or join a pirate crew by performing a talent on stage in the Gong Show. Other free games and activities will include Pirate Olympics, the mid-day parade, folk dancing, speed courting, corn hole, giant chess, and steel drum. There will also be pay-to-play activities, including axe-throwing, goat cuddles, and taking photos with a Captain Redbeard and his pyRAT. More information about the entertainment can be found at https://tmfaire.com/pirate-fest-entertainment/ and is subject to change as needed. Schedules will be available online and at the entrance.

The merchants of Port Royal will be selling their custom wares such as period costumes, leather goods, chainmaille, drinking horns, bath and body items, gaming accessories, wooden wares, face-painting, and unique jewelry. A variety of food will be available, including Turkey legs, BBQ, loaded baked potatoes, grilled wraps and salads, sandwiches, shaved ice, snacks, and desserts. Beverages will also be available, including water, soda, sweet tea, fresh lemonade, and beer.

The Tennessee Pirate Fest will be open rain or shine on May 18-19, 25-26-27, 2024 from 11am-6pm ET. The festival is located at 550 Fiske Road, Harriman, TN. Free parking is provided in rough-cut fields, and handicap parking is available. Entrance tickets can be purchased online now at https://darkhorsellc.ticketspice.com/tennessee-pirate-fest-2024 Tickets will also be available for purchase on festival days at the ticket house for cash or credit. Entrance ticket prices include all taxes and fees and are $20 for ages 13+, $10 for ages 5 to 12; and admission is free for ages 4 and under. Festival beverage tickets (in $1 increments) are available online, will be available at the gate, or patrons can use exact change. There will be no ATM onsite, so patrons are encouraged to bring cash for purchases, tips, and convenience.

A new solo exhibition of mixed-media, image-text artworks
www.underwoodartworks.com

Opening with a public reception, Saturday, May 11, 2024, 1pm to 5pm

Also showing work by Jennifer Simon in an adjacent gallery

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

The Frothy Monkey is currently exhibiting artworks from the Tennessee Artist’s Association’s show of “Take Care of One Another” from May through July at the Frothy Monkey, 419, S. Gay St. Knoxville, TN 37902.

The Frothy Monkey is the perfect stop for coffee, conversation and community. The restaurant serves breakfast through dinner, and loves it when a coffee chat turns into a lunch or dinner date. The Frothy Monkey seeks to provide a safe and welcoming environment that can nourish guests and build community relationships.

Tennessee Artists Association; A great place to learn and grow as an artist. Monthly programs of TAA include practical art demonstrations, discussions, and opportunities for individual artists to get involved in learning, community and shows. More on TAA can be found on the web at https://tnartists.org or on Instagram at @tn_artists, and on Facebook at TNArtistsAssociation.

Pen, Ink and Colored Pencil drawings of weathered barns throughout the Midwest, Kentucky and Tennessee by Curt Imerman

“Blessed are the Meek” and “Animal Spirits” : Wildlife drawings by Cheri Jorgensen

Westminster Presbyterian Church Schilling Gallery, 6500 S Northshore Dr, Knoxville, TN 37919. Hours: M-R 9-4, Fri 9-1. Information: (865) 584-3957 or www.wpcknox.org

Drawn from the remarkable collection of John Hechinger, a hardware store magnate, and art collector, the 68 featured works in the exhibition present images of the most familiar tools as extraordinary works of art. Encompassing photographs, paintings, works on paper, and sculptures, the exhibition celebrates the value of labor and honors the creativity of builders, artists, hobbyists, and self-reliant DIYers. Featured artists include Colleen Barry, Debbie Fleming Caffery, Jim Dine, Claes Oldenburg, Maria Porges, James Surls, and Wayne Thiebaud.

The renowned art collection of the late hardware magnate John Hechinger exemplifies this practical and artistic universality. Over his long career, Hechinger devoted much of his energy, playfulness, and passion to this collection, seeking out works from numerous genres and artists of many backgrounds, all of them bound by a common theme: the democracy of the tool. In Work and Play, curator Sarah Tanguy explores interlocking principles: tools as icons of labor; labor as a component of creativity; creativity as a form of play; and the art of tools as the most incisive expression of their interrelatedness. This exhibition celebrates the virtues inherent in the art of the tool and highlights the astounding breadth of the Hechinger Collection by illuminating this unique, but ubiquitous, idiom.

Knoxville Museum of Art, 1050 World's Fair Park, Knoxville, TN 37916. Hours: Tu-Sa 10-5, Su 1-5. Information: 865-525-6101, www.knoxart.org. Admission and parking are free.

Join us for the opening of “Pottery From Somewhere Else Entirely” by Michael Arpino on May 3rd from 6-8 pm.

Arpino's unique pieces are each a statement of individuality!
https://www.instagram.com/arpinoceramics/

Rala: Regional and Local Artisans, 112 W. Jackson Ave, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: Mon-Thu & Sat 11-6, Fri 11-8, Sun 11-5. Information: 865-525-7888, https://shoprala.com or www.instagram.com/ShopRala

First Friday Reception: May 3rd, 5:30 - 9 pm

Vincent Drake was born in 1976 in Udon Thani, Thailand to a Thai mother and American father and spent his formative years in a working class neighborhood in southeast Los Angeles. He attended the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts and the San Francisco Art Institute where he studied Fine Art Painting. Drake's art can be seen as an exploration of society's struggle with the individual and our human nature. His work has been exhibited throughout the United States and Canada. He currently finds himself home in Knoxville, Tennessee. Drake is inspired by the absurdity of modern American society; the irrational ideals we're convinced to accept, the relentless marketing and propaganda, the tribalism, disgust, perverted romanticism and violence that has become characteristic of us. In his art, Drake is unconcerned with beauty or idealization. He is interested in investigating our culture's influence on our identities and the confusion, panic, and suffering that results. His subjects are people; sometimes we as individuals, sometimes us as a group. They are part mechanical construction, part hallucination; both comical and uncomfortable; suffering, confused, and trapped by their emptiness and proselytized ambitions.

Artist Julie Fawn Boisseau-Craig works in glass and porcelain, but also utilizes metals and wood as necessary to create her sculptural pieces. Julie designs and creates many functional and wearable works at Wild Pony Studio, her personal studio in Rockford, Tennessee, and does hot shop glass works at the Jackson County Green Energy Park in Dillsboro, North Carolina. Boisseau-Craig has shown nationally and participated in many workshops and demonstrations. Her work directly responds to the contradictions of life. Julie received her Master of Fine Arts degree in December of 2012, after which, she taught at Western Carolina University and still teaches at Southwestern Community College in North Carolina. Julie is currently the Chapter Representative of the East Chapter of Tennessee Craft as well as a board member. Julie is also the President on the board of the Art Market Gallery in Knoxville, in addition to being an exhibiting artist at the gallery. Julie also concentrates on her studio work, art shows across the country, and teaching workshops.

Art Market Gallery, 422 S. Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: Tu-Sa 11-6, Su 1-6. Information: 865-525-5265, www.artmarketgallery.net, www.Facebook.com/ArtMarketGallery

Friday, May 3, from 6-8 Awaken Coffee will host an opening reception for artist Amber Purdy.

Amber Purdy makes mixed media collages that blend vintage imagery, nature themes, and up-cycled materials into arresting new compositions. She usually begins with old books, papers, or photographs that she has spent years collecting. She enjoys the challenge of combining images both old and new in an unexpected way. Her pieces often reference nature, dreams, memories, and the ever-present link between the past and the present.

Please join us for some amazing art, light refreshments, and of course great coffee!

Awaken Coffee, 125 W Jackson Ave, Knoxville, TN 37902. Open daily. Information: 865-951-0427, www.instagram.com/awaken_coffee or www.facebook.com/awakencoffeeoldcity/

Dogwood Arts is proud to announce the 2024 Epiphone Guitar Design Contest. The contest is open to all high school and middle school students living in East Tennessee. Several guitar designs created by youth artists will be selected for implementation and exhibition. The art guitars will be displayed at the Dogwood Arts Gallery in Knoxville, TN. The guitars will be auctioned to benefit Dogwood Arts’ youth art programs.

Online auction will be live from May 3-31, 2024

Guitars will be displayed in the Dogwood Arts Gallery (Knoxville) May 3-31, 2024

An exhibition reception and awards ceremony will take place on Friday, May 3rd at the Dogwood Arts Gallery from 5-8 PM (Awards at 6 PM)

Select guitars will also be on display at the Southern Skies Music Festival (May 11, 2024)

Dogwood Arts, 123 W. Jackson Ave, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-637-4561, www.dogwoodarts.com

Reception on MAY 3, 5-9 PM

It is an attempt to compile abstract experiences and concepts in an encyclopedic approach to symbology. These prints emerge from a desire to pay attention and to emphasize observation of the world around us with the hope of establishing a connection with the spiritual form of the self.

https://holahoralatina.org/current-exhibit/
Info: 865.335.3358 or enrique.cruz@holafestival.org
HoLa Hora Latina’s Casa HoLa Art Gallery and Artisan Gift Shop
Bottom floor of the Emporium for the Arts (corner of Gay and Jackson streets in downtown Knoxville)
100 South Gay Street, Suite 112, Knoxville, TN 37902