Art Market Gallery’s Annual Members’ Silent Auction

Now in its 31st year, the Art Market Gallery is among the oldest artists’ cooperatives in the southeast.

The gallery’s Annual Members’ Silent Auction is a Dogwood Arts Festival Featured Event. A popular silent auction, offering original fine art and crafts by the gallery’s professional regional artists and artisans, gives art lovers a chance to purchase works at a fraction of their value. This year there will be a longer bidding period, to run April 5-28, with up to 60 works, ranging from jewelry and pottery to paintings and fiber.

The Art Market Gallery also will present an exhibit of recent works by two of its member artists: painter and printmaker Gay Davis Bryant and wood-turner Janis Proffitt, both of Knoxville.

A recently retired community college professor, Gay has also worked as a studio artist for the last 20 years and teaches regionally. While celebrating traditional skills and craftsmanship, Gay brings the viewer into familiar scenes of East Tennessee’s rich landscape with her watercolors and acrylic paintings and through use of relief-printmaking techniques such as woodcuts, linoleum blocks, and composite materials. The featured body of work for this show is called “Gatherings.”

Woodworking has been in Janis’ family for generations, dating back to Sevier County’s first settlers. She grew up helping her father in his woodshop in the mountains of Pittman-Center, later teaching herself pyrography (wood burning), which she incorporated into her wood-turnings. Janis works as a full-time craft artist with her sister in that same woodshop. Her artisanship, which was featured on WBIR’s “The Heartland Series,” blends traditional Appalachia turning with contemporary design.

A First Friday opening reception for the exhibit is planned for 5:30 to 9 pm on Friday, April 5, with complimentary refreshments and live folk and “new grass” music by Molly Rochelson. The reception also opens bidding for the Annual Members’ Silent Auction, and many member artists will be on hand to meet and mingle with visitors.

Owned and operated by more than 60 regional artists, the Art Market Gallery is located at 422 South Gay Street, next to the Downtown Grill & Brewery. Hours are 11 am to 6 pm Monday through Saturday and 1 to 5 pm Sunday.

Art Market Gallery
422 South Gay Street
Downtown Knoxville
865.525.5265
www.artmarketgallery.net
facebook.com/Art.Market.Gallery

2013 Dogwood Arts Festival Calendar of Events

For more than half a century, the Dogwood Arts Festival has celebrated the natural and cultural beauty of East Tennessee. For the entire month of April, Dogwood Arts Festival will feature a vibrant mix of blooming gardens and trails, visual arts, crafts, theater, dance, music, film, and literary arts.

NEXUS 2013
Through April 6: A beautiful exhibition of smaller-scale sculptures from all genres and materials. U.T. Downtown Gallery – 106 South Gay Street.

A Very Special Arts Festival
April 3: An inspiring celebration where children with mental and physical challenges celebrate the arts. West High School.

Student Art Exhibition
April 4-26: Knoxville’s next generation of artists is on display, featuring the work of gifted art students from area schools. Clayton Center for the Arts – 502 E. Lamar Alexander Pkwy in Maryville.

Rhythm N’ Blooms
April 5-7: Experience East Tennessee’s historical and present role in American Roots music with performances by a who’s who of locally and nationally-renowned musicians. Pass required.

Regional Fine Art Exhibition
April 5-26: Progressive emerging and professional regional artists exhibit their work in a variety of genres. Emporium Center for the Arts – 100 South Gay Street.

Art in Public Places Knoxville
April 5 – March 7, 2014: A world-class exhibition of large-scale outdoor sculptures enlivens downtown Knoxville and the McGhee Tyson Airport.

Chalk Walk
April 6: Downtown sidewalks become the canvas for professional and student artists during this street painting festival in Market Square and Krutch Park.

Dogwood Trails, Open Gardens, and Camera Sites
April 10-28: Explore more than 60 miles of trails, open gardens, camera sites, and historic homes as you enjoy a walk, bike ride, or drive. Farragut is the 2013 featured trail.

Market Square Art Fair
April 12-14: Downtown Knoxville is transformed into a lively street fair with high-quality arts and crafts booths, demonstrations, entertainment, and culinary arts.

Bikes & Blooms
April 20-21: Experience the Dogwood trails the lean, green way – on a bicycle by way of an organized or self-guided ride.

Dogwood Art DeTour
April 20-21: Local artists open their studios and take you behind the scenes of their creative processes.

Most of the Festival’s wide range of arts events, performances, and exhibitions are offered to the public free of charge. For more information, including a complete Festival Calendar of Events and ticket information, call 865-637-4561 or visit www.dogwoodarts.com.

Dogwood Arts is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization whose mission is to promote and celebrate our region’s arts, culture, and natural beauty.

Photo credit: Chalk Walk by Phil Savage

“A Christmas Carol” at the Clarence Brown Theatre

Join us as we celebrate the holiday and recapture the spirit of an old-fashioned Christmas with the timeless Dickens classic, “A Christmas Carol,” now through December 23 at the Clarence Brown Theatre. This year’s production features new costumes, a new set, musicians on stage, a cast of 30… and lots and lots of SNOW! Tickets for children 12 and under are $10!

“A Christmas Carol” is the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, whose ghostly journey and transformation through Christmas past, present, and future is among the most beloved stories in western literature. Described by Dickens as his “little Christmas Book,” “A Christmas Carol” was first published in December 1843. The story was instantly successful, selling more than 6,000 copies in one week. It has since been republished countless times and adapted into scores of stage and screen adaptations. It remains one of literature’s most enduring and often-quoted stories of hope, triumph, and communal spirit.

Director Casey Sams is an Associate Professor at UT, where she works in both the Graduate and Undergraduate programs teaching Movement and Acting. In addition to this production, Casey’s Clarence Brown Theatre projects this year include choreography for “Sweeney Todd” and “On the Razzle.”

“What excites me about ‘A Christmas Carol’ and one of the areas we will be focusing on is the real sense that Scrooge is going on an individual journey… that it’s his trip from being closed off and isolated from the world around him to a place where he can see and share in the beauty, generosity, and joy that is around him,” said Casey.

The production features UT Theatre faculty professional actors, UT graduate and undergraduate student actors, and actors from the community.

“A Christmas Carol” runs through December 23. UT faculty/staff, senior citizens, children, and students receive discounts. For tickets, call the Clarence Brown Theatre box office at 865-974-5161, Tickets Unlimited at 865-656-4444, or visit www.clarencebrowntheatre.com.

Shakespeare on the Square features two of the magnificent plays of Williams Shakespeare, comedies, tragedies, and histories, rotated nightly with no admission charge outdoors on Market Square in the heart of downtown Knoxville. From mid-July to mid-August, an old blanket or a lawn chair is all you need to view these free performances. Enjoy an evening on Market Square where the restaurants and shops offer a wide variety of options to complement the plays.

While we perform with no admission charge, we do appreciate your donations. We’ll pass a basket nightly and we offer a suggestion of a $5.00 donation. Please help up keep Shakespeare on the Square going.

As You Like It

July 12, 14, 20, 22, 26, 28 & Aug. 3, 5, 9, 11
7:00 pm nightly outdoors on Market Square

In addition to being one of Shakespeare’s funniest and most beloved comedies, As You Like It is his nod to the Robin Hood legends. An outlawed Duke lives with his fellows in the Forest of Arden; a banished younger son (Orlando) joins him, fleeing his murderous older brother. Soon Rosalind, who is in love with Orlando, disguises herself as a man and flees to the forest as well to seek her true love. Set in an enchanting forest with some of Shakespeare’s funniest clowns, sweetest songs, and an Elizabethan version of the World Wrestling Federation, As You Like It is a marvelous entertainment for the entire family. “All the world’s a stage…”

Julius Caesar

July 13, 15, 19, 21, 27, 29 & Aug. 2, 4, 10, 12
7:00 pm nightly outdoors on Market Square

Shakespeare’s great political tragedy about power, assassination, and civil war is as current as the headlines from the Middle East. To save Caesar from himself, and to save Rome from Caesar, a group of politicians and leading citizens plot to assassinate him – some from the most altruistic of motives, some from the most base. In the vacuum that follows the assassination, a civil war breaks out with different factions warring to end up in control of the vast Roman Empire. “Friends, Romans, countrymen. Lend me your ears!”

For more information, visit http://tennesseestagecompany.com/events/shakespeare-on-the-square.

Clarence Brown Theatre Announces 2012-2013 Season

From the Demon Barber of Fleet Street to the Little Prince, the Clarence Brown Theatre at UT Knoxville 2012-2013 season offers something for everyone. The lineup includes:

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

August 30-September 16, 2012

Starring Dale Dickey, directed by Calvin MacLean with musical direction provide by maestro Lucas Richman, the Sondheim musical tells the story of Benjamin Barker, a London barber wrongly transported to an overseas penal colony so a corrupt judge could seduce his young wife. Returning to London after 15 years, he changes his name to Sweeney Todd and joins forces with Mrs. Lovett, the proprietress of the meat pie shop underneath his former tonsorial parlor.

As Sweeney prepares for the moment he can exact his revenge on the judge, Mrs. Lovett puts his murderous rehearsals to good culinary use. Soon the customers begin lining up in droves for Mrs. Lovett’s new, wondrously tasty meat pies while the dregs of London line up for a close shave, compliments of Sweeney Todd.

This production is available as an add-on to season ticket packages.

The Little Prince

October 4-21, 2012

A crash-landed aviator meets a curious little Prince from a house-sized asteroid while stranded in the desert. As the open-hearted little Prince recounts tales of characters he has met in his intergalactic travels, the aviator is reminded of the simple truths people seem to forget as they grow older.

A parable celebrating the wisdom of the innocent, the play is based on one of the most beloved children’s stories of all time.

Will Power!

October 25-November 11, 2012

Bringing the beauty, humor, and drama of his words to life, Will Power! takes you on a journey of discovering (or rediscovering) Shakespeare through scenes, monologues, and songs from his most famous plays.

A Christmas Carol

November 29-December 16, 2012

A new version of the old classic. The Clarence Brown holiday tradition returns – this time with new costumes, a new set, and a new adaptation of the timeless tale of Scrooge’s redemption!

Red

January 31-February 17, 2013

Red takes you into the mind of abstract expressionist, Mark Rothko, and chronicles his two-year struggle to complete the largest and most lucrative commission in the history of modern art – a set of dark red murals for Manhattan’s exclusive Four Seasons restaurant. As Rothko’s young assistant gains the confidence to challenge him, Rothko faces the possibility that his crowning achievement as an artist might also be his artistic undoing.

Set during the changing cultural landscape of the early 1960s, John Logan’s Tony Award-winning play is a snapshot of a brilliant artist at the height of his fame.

A Raisin in the Sun

February 21-March 10, 2013

The first play to portray African American characters, themes, and conflicts in a natural and realistic manner on Broadway, A Raisin in the Sun received the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Play of the Year. Playwright Lorraine Hansberry was the youngest playwright, the fifth woman, and the first African American writer to win the award.

Recently widowed, Lena Younger receives a life insurance check and plans to buy a house, freeing her family from the cramped tenement she shares with her two children, daughter-in-law, and grandson in Chicago’s south side. Her son, Walter, has other ideas for the money. In the struggle that ensures one dream will be fulfilled, another deferred. Will the family collapse or will they seize this opportunity to create a better life?

Five Women Wearing the Same Dress

April 4-21, 2013

The perfect “gals night out” play by the Emmy and Oscar winning creator of True Blood, Six Feet Under, and American Beauty.

The nosy, pot-smoking sister. The “ugly” middle school sidekick. The religious cousin. The lesbian future sister-in-law. The friend with the bad reputation. Five reluctant bridesmaids hide out in an upstairs bedroom, trying to avoid the over-the-top reception taking place in the backyard of a Knoxville, Tennessee estate. As the day goes on, these very different women realize they have more in common than they think!

On the Razzle

April 25-May 12, 2013

“If only I could look back on a day when I was fancy free, a real razzle of a day packed with adventure and high jinks, a day to remember…”

When their boss goes out of town for the day, two country grocery store clerks close up shop and “escape” to the big city of Vienna for an adventure they won’t soon forget!

Based on the play that also inspired Hello Dolly, the production is a fast-paced farce complete with slapstick shenanigans, mistaken identities, misdirected orders, and romantic complications all combined with trademark Tom Stoppard wit and wordplay!

For tickets, call 865-974-5161 or visit www.clarencebrowntheatre.com.

Join us for a night of vaudeville fun under the stars

By Kelley Walters

At the Bijou Theatre’s annual fundraiser, Jubilee!, you never know what the magician will have up his sleeve.

The event promises vaudeville charm mixed with southern style and will be held at Krutch Park in downtown Knoxville on Saturday, May 12, beginning at 7 pm. The event, sponsored by Pilot Flying J, offers ticketholders a one-of-a-kind mobile pep-rally by the Big Orange Banditos and a menu by Holly’s Eventful Dining, including a deliciously seasonal green tomato tart. Come and enjoy the free beverage offerings, paired specifically to the menu, served in the Bearden Beer Market Beer Garden and at the Ashe’s Wine and Spirits Wine Bar.

Later in the evening truly one-of-a-kind pieces will be up for grabs in an exciting live auction. Some of the offerings include signed memorabilia from Loretta Lynn and Widespread Panic as well as signed musical instruments Huey Lewis, Gillian Welch, My Morning Jacket, and other popular artists.

“We had so much positive response from last year’s Jubilee!, we knew we had a winning formula,” said Michele Purcell, president, Bijou Theatre board of directors. “This year we are kicking it up a notch with the food, the beer and wine pairings, and the amazing auction items. What I love is that it all relates back to great eras in the history of the Bijou.”

At 7 pm the park, located on Gay Street in the heart of downtown, will be transformed into an open-air vaudeville theater under a big-top tent. It will come alive with the music of the Big Orange Banditos, who will grab the crowd’s attention throughout the evening, directing them to 12 distinctive silent auction packages for everyone from spa lovers to wine enthusiasts to concertgoers. Ticketholders are also sure to be delighted by the buskers, wandering tarot-card reader, and a magician.

Laura Sohn, owner of Mockingbird Events, said, “You know you’re in for a good time as an event producer when the party is so much fun to plan. With beer and food pairings, belly dancers, and the crazy brass band stylings of the Big Orange Banditos, I can’t wait for the party under the big top. The Jubilee! is quickly becoming the party of the year!”

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.knoxbijou.com/jubilee.


A Special Invitation

Have your kids ever expressed an interest in veterinary medicine or animal rescue? Or would you, a family member or a friend like to discover just what it’s like behind the scenes at a veterinary medical center? Then you’re invited to visit the Village Veterinary Medical Center’s Annual Spring Pet Fair on Saturday, May 5th from 11 am to 2 pm. The event is completely free!

Experience a behind-the-scenes medical center tour and enjoy paws-on educational stations designed to help you better understand our family pets and how they interact with their owners. Meet volunteers from animal rescue groups as well as family-friendly organizations and area artists. Kids will enjoy our other activities, too, including face painting, a bounce house, and snacks.

This Annual Spring Pet Fair is brought to you by the veterinary medical team at Village Veterinary Medical Center in Farragut. A full-service companion animal veterinary hospital that has been serving the Knoxville community since 1981, Village Veterinary Medical Center has an over three decade long reputation for providing high quality and compassionate veterinary care throughout the life of your pet.

In 2010, Village Veterinary Medical Center understood its commitment to the community when it moved into its new 10,000 square foot, state-of-the-art medical center. This new facility features a large reception, six large examination rooms, expansive dog suites and cat condos for boarding, new diagnostic laboratory, and expanded surgery suite.

Only 11% of all small animal hospitals are accredited by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA). Village Veterinary Medical Center is AAHA accredited to provide routine preventative care for healthy pets, early detection and treatment of disease, and complete medical and surgical veterinary care for the life of your pet. And because we understand the special role your pet plays in your family, our team of compassionate and caring health professionals is totally dedicated to becoming your family’s partner in your pet’s health care.

We encourage you to learn more about Village Veterinary Medical Center at our upcoming Annual Spring Pet Fair on Saturday, May 5th from 11 am to 2 pm, or stop by at any other time during our normal business hours for a guided tour. You can also visit us online at www.villagevetclinic.com to learn more about our staff, doctors, and facilities.

Village Veterinary Medical Center
11301 Kingston Pike in Farragut
865.966.8900
www.villagevetclinic.com

A Play about Songs, with Songs
Black Pearl Sings! on the Clarence Brown Mainstage

African-American folk songs and spirituals will fill the hall when the Clarence Brown Theatre performs Black Pearl Sings! The production is sponsored by Schaad Companies, the Rotary Club of Knoxville, the Arts and Heritage Fund, and the City of Knoxville. It is recommended for high school ages and up.

One of the top ten most-produced plays in America for 2009-2010, Frank Higgins’ Black Pearl Sings! follows the Depression-era journey of two extraordinary women, each of whom is dependent on the other to gain acceptance in society. In 1933, Susannah, a Caucasian academic and song collector for the Library of Congress, visits a Texas prison where she meets Pearl, an African-American woman incarcerated for murder. Hoping to record the treasure trove of spirituals and African folk songs that only Pearl knows, Susannah bargains for Pearl’s parole and arranges for several public performances. The two women soon find themselves walking a delicate line between exposure and exploitation.

“Featuring a cappella renditions of spirituals and folk songs like ‘This Little Light of Mine,’ ‘Troubles So Hard,’ ‘Kum Ba Yah,’ and ‘Pay Me My Money Down,’ the production is a play about discovering songs, with songs,” said Kate Buckley, director. “It touches upon issues of ambition, friendship, race, gender, class, civil rights, and the ownership of heritage.”

The play is partially based on John Lomax’s famous discovery of Huddie (Lead Belly) Ledbetter in a Louisiana prison farm, and on the documentary “The Language You Cry In” which traces a Georgia slave song to one still sung by the women of Sierra Leone, Africa.

The show runs through March 11th. Evening performances begin at 7:30 pm and matinees begin at 2 pm. Ticket prices vary. For tickets, call the Clarence Brown Theatre box office at 865-974-5161, Tickets Unlimited at 865-656-4444 or visit www.clarencebrowntheatre.com.

ArtXtravaganza Showcases Wide Range of Works by Top Artists

More than 2,000 pieces of art by 70-plus acclaimed artists, hailing from across the Southeast and beyond, will be available for purchase at this year’s ArtXtravaganza Art Show & Sale, March 9-11, at Webb School of Knoxville’s Lee Athletic Center. Featuring a wide variety of media, including oil painting, watercolor, sculpture, photography, metal works, printmaking, glass, metal, and jewelry, ArtXtravaganza promises something in everyone’s price range. The event is open to the public, and admission and on-site parking are free.

ArtXtravaganza is one of the premier art shows in the Southeast and has played a significant role in helping to establish Knoxville as a community aligned with the arts, and to further the careers of prominent artists. Reflecting Webb’s staunch commitment to excellence in the arts, ArtXtravaganza supports Webb’s Artist-In-Residence Program, an on-campus teaching and learning experience for students. The school hosted Chicago-based photographer/educator Cecil McDonald Jr. in fall 2011, and will welcome New York-based mixed media artist Michael Bramwell this spring.

New this year is the launch of an arts outreach initiative in which a portion of the proceeds from ArtXtravaganza will go to benefit the arts program of a local school. According to Danielle Nutt, chair of ArtXtravaganza 2012, the new effort expands on Webb’s tradition of fostering community by enhancing lives through art education and appreciation. “That tradition is not isolated to just our school community,” says Nutt. “We recognize that we are part of something bigger and with ArtXtravaganza, we have the opportunity as a school to support the arts in the community at large.”

ArtXtravaganza 2012’s featured artists are Ohio-based father and son painters Gary Stretar and Luke Stretar. Focusing on the American landscape, Gary describes many of his vivid paintings as simple, straightforward views of rural America, while others feature more textures, color or American themes. Luke’s richly pigmented pieces currently focus on rural industrial images and studies of cows and bulls.

Doors to ArtXtravaganza open at 1 pm on Friday, March 9. The art sale continues Saturday, March 10, from 10 am-5 pm and Sunday, March 11, from 11 am-5 pm. Many thanks to Rothchild Catering and Sodexo for providing the event’s hospitality. For more information, visit www.artxtravaganza.org or call 865-291-3846.

Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”

The Clarence Brown Theatre

Join us as we celebrate the holiday and recapture the spirit of an old-fashioned Christmas with the timeless Dickens classic, “A Christmas Carol,” now through December 18 at the Clarence Brown Theatre.  Featuring a cast of 30, beautiful music and a lavish set, this record-setting production will surely become a wonderful memory for you and your family. Hurry!  This is the last year for this adaptation of “A Christmas Carol.”

“A Christmas Carol” is the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, whose ghostly journey and transformation through Christmas past, present and future is among the most beloved stories in western literature.

Described by Dickens as his “little Christmas Book,” “A Christmas Carol” was first published in December 1843. The story was instantly successful, selling over 6,000 copies in one week. It has since been republished countless times and adapted into scores of stage and screen adaptations.  It remains one of literatures’ most enduring and often-quoted stories of hope, triumph and communal spirit.

Director and Co-Adaptor, Edward Morgan, is a freelance director, writer and teacher. In September, he directed the premiere of “A Rising Wind,” a play he co-authored with John Kishline on commission from the Wisconsin Humanities Council, Pier Wisconsin and the Irish Fest Foundation. He has been a Directing Fellow for The Drama League of New York and he and his work have been honored with Helen Hayes Awards and nominations for Outstanding Production, Directing and Sound Design. He is also a Casting Partner with Cirque du Soleil.

Musical Director, Gene Peterson, is the Associate Director of Choral activities for the UT School of Music and is the conductor of the UT Concert Choir, UT Men’s Chorale and teaches undergraduate courses in choral music education. He also serves as the Director of Choral Ministries at Cedar Springs Presbyterian Church in Knoxville. 

Guest artist, Jim Kronzer, designed the set. The lavish design recreates 1840s London, as well as scenes from Scrooge’s 18th century childhood and young adulthood. Kronzer lives and works predominantly in Washington D.C., but he also has worked on Broadway, Off-Broadway and at various regional theatres.

Visiting guest artist, Katherine Rohe, designed the costumes for the production.  Rohe lives in New York where she designs for the award–winning Off-Broadway company, Transport Group.

Beverly Emmons is the guest lighting designer.  Emmons has been nominated for numerous Tony Awards.  She has designed on Broadway, Off-Broadway, internationally and in regional theatres across the country. 

Mike Ponder is the production’s sound designer.  He has been the resident sound designer for the theatre program and its Clarence Brown Theatre professional company for more than 10 years.

Also contributing to the production is UT faculty member, Casey Sams, on choreography and Knoxville resident, Katie Norwood Alley, as dialect coach and youth performance director.

Performing the role of Scrooge is visiting guest actor David Kortemeier. Some CBT credits include “Moonlight & Magnolias,” “The Music Man,” “Man of La Mancha,” “Amadeus,” “Oedipus the King,” “Little Shop of Horrors” and “Love’s Labour’s Lost.” His work has also been seen at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, the Great Lakes Theatre Festival in Cleveland, Drury Lane Theatre and Noble Fool Theatricals in Chicago and thirteen seasons with the Illinois Shakespeare Festival in Bloomington.

The production features UT Theatre faculty professional actors, UT graduate and undergraduate student actors and actors from the community.

The show runs through December 18. UT faculty/staff, senior citizens, children and students receive discounts. For tickets, call the Clarence Brown Theatre box office at 865.974.5161, Tickets Unlimited at 865.656.4444 or visit at www.clarencebrowntheatre.com.