Thank you for visiting KnoxvilleFirstFriday.com

A note from your host- If you don’t see a listing, I couldn’t find it when I updated this for this month. Check here sometime on First Friday, a lot of places don’t bother sending me updates until the last minute, so pop in here before you head out for the latest. You’ll find links to their web site in the listing below, so you can check to see if they’ve got more recent info on their own site.

Changes

• Artist Raven Toney was on display at The Walnut Building, however he’s pulled up stakes and has headed to Charleston, South Carolina. He’ll still be popping into town on occasion to do custom furniture for clients, so keep your eyes peeled, he’ll still be popping up from time to time.

• Deka Bakari gallery has closed their doors, however Thaddeus will still be showing around town. And there’s a new venue opening in this space this month, details directly below.

There’s new venues in town

• There’s a brand new venue that’s opening their doors this first Friday, Organized Play, located in the former space of the Deka Bakari gallery.  Morgan Hardy has opened Organized Play as a new shop for comics as well as board, card and role-playing games, and will be hosting futuristic horror-themed digital art and fantasy collage works by two local artists this first Friday. Stop in and say hi.

• Knox ivi is holding their grand opening this First Friday. See their listing below, I’m thinking this is going to be a hot venue in short time. Hit the listing, then follow the link to their web site to see what it’s all about.

NEW- First Friday Venue Map

I’ve finally had a chance to create a map of First Friday venues- there’s a link in the sidebar, and will pop up a new browser window. If there’s any corrections or additions, please let me know. Thanks! LINK

On with this month’s Gallery Openings!

501 Arthur

501 Arthur St., Knoxville (865) 951- 2523

A1 Lab Arts

201 Randolph Street (Old City) Knoxville Web Site

Artist Heather Harrison’s work will be on display, and for sale.

Abode

15 Market Square Knoxville (865) 523-5090 Web Site

Uncase: Recent Paintings on wood panel by Jason Amos Oaks

“Fall is wonderful. I am moved by it’s beauty and it’s ability to make me dwell on all things temporary. In these paintings I explore the idea of layers in direct relation to my experience in historic home restoration. This metaphor applies to the peeling away of wallpaper, plaster, paneling, and the general history of a home. To uncase is haunted and holy. There is a richness and elegance in what was, what is, and what is to come. It becomes a cliche yet seasonally appropriate mirror of renewal and the passing of life.”

Art Gallery of Knoxville / Copy Shop

317 Gay Street Knoxville (865) 595- 4401 Web Site

Art Market Gallery

422 S. Gay Street Knoxville (865) 525-5265 Web Site

Featured Artists, Nelson Ziegler (paintings in oil and watercolors) and Bob Conliffe (horsehair pottery); plus “Mountain Majesty,” special exhibition of works by the AMG regional artists’ cooperative honoring the 75th anniversary of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Opening reception during First Friday art walk Oct. 2, 5:30 to 9 pm. Music by Alexia Pantanizopolos, cellist, and guest performer.

Belleza Salon and Spa

6209 Kingston Pike Knoxville (865) 558-8424 Web Site

Birdhouse Laboratories

800 N. 4th Ave Knoxville Web Site

Bliss

24 Market Square, Knoxville (865) 329 8868 Web Site

Bliss Home and Art

29 Market Square Knoxville (865) 673-6711 Web Site

Works by Ryan Blair will be on view at Bliss Home during the month of October.  There will be a reception for the artist during October’s First Friday from 5-9pm.

Blount Mansion

200 W Hill Ave Knoxville (865) 525-2375 Web Site

Coffee and Chocolate

327 Union Avenue Knoxville (865) 688-9244

Community Television of Knoxville

808 State Street Knoxville (865) 215-8848  Website

Open house at Community Television of Knoxville, 5-7 pm.

The video for October is Vintage Footage of the Sidewalk Dance Theatre from the 1982 World’s Fair. The Sidewalk Dance Theatre was Knoxville’s own professional dance company from 1976 until 1987. With an extensive repertoire of dances by some of America’s top choreographers, and their own acclaimed artistic director, they performed hundreds of performances throughout the Eastern U.S. and at the prestigious Riverside Dance Festival in New York City. This recording is of one of their shows at the Elm Tree Theater at the 1982 World’s Fair, where they had a special 2 month engagement.

Tour the facility,  studio demonstrations, video will be shown on large screen TVs, light refreshments.  This event is free and open to the public.

Downtown Grind

418 S. Gay Street , Knoxville (865) 524-4747

East Tennessee Community Design Center and the Knoxville Downtown Design Studio

500 S. Gay Street Knoxville Mobile (865) 603-3988 Office (865) 525-9945 Web Site

Emporium Center for Arts & Culture / Arts and Culture Alliance / The Balcony Gallery

100 S. Gay Street Knoxville (865) 523-7543 Web Site

The Tennessee Artists Association Annual Fall Juried Show is a new exhibition featuring original art by nearly 35 Tennessee artists including oils, watercolors, acrylics, pastels, photography, mixed-media and more. TAA encourages individuals to grow and develop through fellowship with other artists, educational programs, opportunities to exhibit and sell art, and to serve the community through classes.  Web Site

The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present a new exhibition by seven visual artists celebrating The Carpetbag Theater’s 40th Anniversary: Jeffrey Cody, Terry Collins, Eddie Davis, Walt Fieldsa, Alan Jones, Aisha K, Melody Reeves, and Sister Rakiah. The artists collaborated to create an installation in response to ways they have been moved and inspired by Carpetbag’s work over the past 40 years. The exhibition will be shown in the Balcony at the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville from October 2-30, 2009 with an opening reception as part of First Friday activities on October 2 from 5:00-9:00 PM. The reception will feature public performances by members of the Carpetbag ensemble of actors, musicians and spoken word artists using excerpts from their repertoire of dramatic, spoken word and musical works.

The Carpetbag Theater  is one of the few tenured African-American professional theatre companies in the South. “It is important for us, as visual artists, to honor Carpetbag’s vision and contribution to our regional and national cultural life,” says artist Melody Reeves. “They have created an impressive series of original dramas embodying essential stories from communities across the world. And they work constantly to train new artists and give back to their communities.”

In addition to the exhibition at the Emporium, a 40th Anniversary Homecoming Celebration on October 9-11 is designed to create awareness about the theatre’s success locally, nationally, and internationally, to reunite community partners and individuals who have benefited from CBT programs, and to showcase excerpts from CBT’s body of work. On October 9, CBT will host a 40th Anniversary reception in conjunction with “Alive after Five” at the Knoxville Museum of Art with food, music and examples of CBT’s works; on October 10, CBT hosts a free day of family fun at Knoxville Botanical Gardens and Arboretum with performances by local musicians, digital storytelling, and entertainment for children; and on October 11, CBT presents a jazz brunch at The East Tennessee History Center. For more information on the Homecoming Celebration events, call 865-544-0447 or visit www.carpetbagtheatre.org.

The 40th Anniversary Exhibition will be on display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM with additional hours on Saturday, October 3, from 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM. The exhibition and Anniversary activities are made possible in part through support from the Arts & Culture Alliance and The Cornerstone Foundation.

Ewing Gallery

1715 Volunteer Blvd. Knoxville (865) 974-3200 Web Site

Fluorescent Gallery

627 N. Central Knoxville (865) 522-1752 Web Site

Gallery 1010

113 South Gay Street Knoxville Web Site

Hanson Gallery

5607 Kingston Pike Knoxville p (865) 584-6097 Web Site

Hanson Gallery presents “The Artful Handbag,” the gallery’s 2nd Annual Artisan Purse & Handbag Show. Opening night is Friday, October 2, 2009 from 5-8 p.m., and the show continues through October 31.

The show will highlight one-of-a-kind pieces from Hanson’s dynamic gallery designers and also includes several guest artists. These functional works of art have been created exclusively for the show by both local and national artists.

According to Gallery owner Diane Hanson, the handbag is a mark of the woman’s outfit; the artisan handbag is a mark of a woman’s artful expression. The show offers a fun and whimsical artful experience outside of the traditional gallery show.

National artists include Oovoo Design, Henderson Leather, Offhand Designs, L. O’Neill Design, Leaf Leather, Maruca Design, Sally Spicer and Lillie Mack. Local designers include Elaine Fronczek, Judi Gaston, Carolyn White, and former Knoxvillian, Jimmie Benedict.

Powell, TN designer Carolyn White creates knitted and felted bags in a variety of styles, colors and textures—some for fun, some practical and others are just plain whimsical.

Knoxville’s own Elaine Fronczek focuses on wool roving, yarn, fabric and found objects. The bags created from wool roving are felted to create a rich and dense fabric and are then accessorized with yarn and silk.

Also a Knoxville designer, Judi Gaston will be lending her inventive abilities through found objects hand woven with earthy colors and richly embellished fabrics. Her “Snap Man,” for instance, is a stylized primitive man with snaps all over his body – a cross between the industrial and another time and place.

Former Knoxvillian Jimmie Benedict will continue to explore her strip piecing technique she calls “What if I cut this up?” She strips pieces of hundreds of fabrics and colors, sews them together and combines them with ikat, batik, and hand printed fabrics in cotton and silk.

The event will be celebrated with Champagne and enjoyable spirits. Come and join us for an exclusive gallery event.

• Retrospective Show Slated for Knoxville Watercolorist Pauline Wallen

Pauline Wallen, a young 87-year-old Knoxville native, is a champion at watercolor, pastel, oil and drawing. She has garnered numerous awards both in the United States and in France for her creative spirit and insight that often portray East Tennessee life.

The artist will receive guests Friday, October 2, 2009, from 5-8 pm at a champagne reception being held at Hanson Gallery, 5607 Kingston Pike.

Gallery owners Doug and Diane Hanson state that part of the gallery’s mission is to include mature works from the community’s elders and honor those artists who have lived their lives in our region and portrayed its images to us through art. “We connect people to the artist, because that is where the story is. Pauline Wallen is a community treasure, and it is a rare treat to have her in the gallery on the evening of October 2.”

Work included in this Retrospective will reflect landscape, floral, figurative and architectural images.

Indigo

327 Union Avenue Knoxville (865) 525-8788 Web Site

Ironwood Studios

119 Jennings Avenue Knoxville (865) 405-0777 Web Site

On October’s First Friday, Rachel B. Travis is the featured artist at Ironwood Studios, off Central Ave. The event is a fundraiser for Brown Dog Foundation, which helps with vet bills for families with financial problems. Come for the love of animals and art, music and food, around 5:30. Come see Rachel’s selection of custom-painted pet portraits and order one of your critter(s) for Christmas!

Knoxville Museum of Art

1060 World’s Fair Park Knoxville (865) 525-6101 Web Site

Knox ivi

17 Market Square, Knoxville Web Site

(17 Market Square is located directly beneath The Chamber of Commerce. We have 3 large flat screens in the window, signage (Knox ivi and The Lunchbox On Market Square) and a sandwich board outside.)

Knox ivi Grand Opening

The Knoxville Chamber will cut a ribbon at 4:30 p.m. in the Knox ivi studios, located at 17 Market Square on the ground floor beneath the Chamber. The Wesley Lunsford Trio will perform live jazz after the ribbon-cutting, and Phil Savage’s fisheye photography of downtown will be on display. The Black Lilies will give the First Friday live performance of Knox ivi’s new “Eleven O’Clock Rock” show, which will be streamed live from 11 a.m.-noon each weekday on www.knoxivi.com.

Knox ivi will be a well-traveled location with many activities under way. The Lunchbox will offer lunch at Knox ivi each weekday starting Sept. 23. Coffee, muffins and snacks will be available from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. each weekday in addition to lunch.

Knoxville Visitor Center

301 Gay Street Knoxville (800) 727-8045 Web Site

Join the Knoxville Visitor Center in welcoming Boogertown Gap and Lost Mountain Sound for a great First Friday kick-off at 6:30 pm at 301 South Gay Street! Boogertown Gap is Ruth Barber and Keith Watson, a wife/husband duo and sometimes band, currently reside in Pittman Center, TN, where they perform Old-Time Mountain and Celtic Music throughout East Tennessee and the local “Great Smokies” area at a variety of events and functions. They share a love of the nature, culture, and history of the Great Smoky Mountains and of the music of their ancestors and descendants who lived here and helped shape mountain folk music.

Lost Mountain Sound is a group of guys who love Bluegrass and through that love have come together to form a Bluegrass band. Lost Mountain Sound was formed in 2004 by members Brad McNutt and Buford Watson. After meeting at a church function where they both attended growing up, they got to talking about their love of old Bluegrass and Bluegrass Gospel and decided to form a band-better known as Lost Mountain Sound.

Don’t forget to check out the art prints and photographs-they will be 10% off!

Midtown Arts Center

513 Cooper Street between downtown Knoxville and downtown north. (865) 406-7885

Old City Java

109 S. Central Avenue Knoxville (865) 523-9817 Web Site

Organized Play

221 Cumberland Avenue Knoxville (865) 521-0690 Website
(Organized play is in the former spot of the Deka Bakari gallery)

Organized Play, downtown’s source for comics as well as board, card and role-playing games, is pleased to announce its inaugural First Friday exhibition featuring two artists new to the downtown gallery scene: the futuristic horror-themed digital works of Logan Knight and the fantasy collage works of Shonna Nelson.

Organized Play is pleased to announce the addition of one more artist, Rebecca Claire.  She’s a well-known photographer in the Knoxville area, and recently, her company Rebecca Claire Photography has finished shooting stills for a locally produced short film centered around a zombie attack, which will be exhibited throughout the month of October.

During First Friday, Organized Play will also be serving complimentary milk and cookies, in support of sustainable producers in and near East Tennessee – Cruze Farms and Immaculate Bakery. The First Friday event will run between 6 and 9 p.m., though attendees are always welcome to participate in our weekly Magic: The Gathering weekly booster draft after the formal time!

These works will be on display between October 2 and October 31, and will be exhibited in the space formerly occupied by Deka Bakari Gallery (For those long in Knoxville, it’s also the former home of the bar made famous in Cormac McCarthy’s Suttree, The Huddle!)

Organized Play seeks to help Knoxville’s fantasy, science fiction, horror and comic artists receive as much exposure as possible – if you’re interested in future exhibitions, e-mail owner@organizedplay.org to set up an appointment to review your works.

Remedy Coffee

125 W. Jackson Ave. Knoxville Website

Square Room

4 Market Square, Knoxville  (865) 544-4199  Website

Sound Booth by Brian Wagner

An opening reception will take place from 5-9 p.m. Oct. 2 as part of the downtown First Friday events and will include complimentary wine and cheeses.

Sound booth creative is a progressive creative ongoing collective, working to interlace visuals and audibles into original art. This is merely the beginning of the series on musicians. All the images were photographed in a photo booth built by Brian Wagner and later transfered to canvas as oversized black and white original prints. This project is ongoing, so he is still seeking musicians to photograph!

The Gathering Place at Regas

318 North Gay Street, Knoxville (865)637-3427  Website

Shelby Gordon

Erika Gerber

Justin Acuff

George Allan

Alice Carroll

Julie Carroll

Angella Sexton

Katy Smith

Terrie Boruff Yeatts

Gayla Seale

The entertainment for Friday, October 2 (First Friday) is The Downtowners featuring Shelia Gordon

Unarmed Merchants

129 S. Gay Street Knoxville (865) 549-5769 Web Site

URBhana

115 S. Gay Street (865) 525-7381 Website

UT Downtown Gallery

106 S. Gay Street Knoxville (865) 673-0802 Web Site

From Sept. 25-Oct. 17, 2009, the UT Downtown Gallery has organized Beyond Surface, an invitational ceramics exhibition featuring the work of 8 nationally celebrated ceramicists. The exhibition features a wide range of ceramic forms with innovative surfaces from traditional vessels to figurative sculptures. A reception for the artists will be held on First Friday from 5-9pm.

Vagabondia

27 Market Square Knoxville (865) 525-4842 Web Site

World Grotto

Market Square, Knoxville Web Site

Yee-Haw Industries

413 S. Gay Street Knoxville (865) 522-1812 Web Site

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