Updated July 1, 2009    

Great Smoky Mountain Heritage Center’s Sunset Music Series, now in it’s fourth year, will premier on Friday, June 12. This year’s Sunset Music Series will have seven Friday concerts in the summer and three in the fall to be announced. All the concerts begin at 7:00 pm and are presented in the Heritage Center’s outdoor amphitheater which has new sound and lighting systems, an expanded stage, and a roof over the entire amphitheater so that concerts may be presented rain or shine.

            Four of the seven concerts this summer will feature artists making their Sunset Music Series debuts. The Series premiers on June 12 with a performance by the heralded Boston-based stringband, Hokum’s Heroes featuring vocalist Samoa Wilson. The other new bands are the John Myers Band and Y’uns from Knoxville, and three-time national guitar champion, Steve Kaufman, from Maryville, concludes the summer concerts on August 21.

            Another national touring act based in Maryville, Sparky & Rhonda Rucker, will be making their second appearance at the Heritage Center after making their debut at last year’s Sunset Music Series premier. Also back by popular demand are Blue Mother Tupelo, formerly from Knoxville and now based in Henderson, near Nashville, and Wild Blue Yonder, back for their fourth appearance and the only band to perform every year since the Sunset Music Series began.

            Admission to each concert is $4.00 per person at the door, with Heritage Center members admitted free. Tickets may be purchased at the door. For further information, call the Center at 865-448-0044.

Great Smoky Mountain Heritage Center

SUNSET MUSIC SERIES 2009

Friday, June 12             Hokum’s Heroes

                                    String-band music with elements of swing, folk and blues

Friday, June 19            Blue Mother Tupelo

                                    Blues-based Americana and southern soul

Friday, July 3                Sparky & Rhonda Rucker

                                    Toe-tapping songs and stories from American folklore

Friday, July 24              John Myers Band

                                    Soul, gospel and country

Friday, July 31             Wild Blue Yonder

                                    Bluegrass-based Americana

Friday, August 14         Y’uns

                                    Jug-band music with elements of country, swing and blues

Friday, August 21         Steve Kaufman

                                    Three-time national guitar champion

Due to overwhelming response, Animal Encounters at Knoxville Zoo are back for the summer! Beginning Saturday, May 23, Knoxville Zoo visitors can have a close encounter with some of the zoo’s most exciting animals. Animal Encounters allows visitors to go behind-the-scenes to meet elephants, giraffes, penguins, rhinos or tortoises and even have the opportunity to touch or feed the animal, too. These special encounters also feature a chance to meet the animal’s keeper and take a souvenir photo of you and your new animal friend. This year’s Animal Encounter line-up promises to be more exciting than ever. Take an Elephant Excursion on Tuesdays and Wednesdays to meet the zoo’s resident African elephant females Jana and Edie, or attend a Giraffe Gathering on Saturdays or Sundays to feed these graceful creatures a leafy treat. The Penguin Party is a “black tie” affair, hosted each Saturday by Gypsy penguin, and at Rhino Rendezvous on Thursdays visitors can find out where gentle giant Mondo loves to be scratched. New this year is Tortoise Time, an encounter held on Saturdays with beloved Aldabra tortoises Al and Tex, two lively giants at 550 and 350 pounds each. A complete Animal Encounter schedule can be found on the zoo’s website at www.knoxville-zoo.org.

Animal Encounters take place May 23 through September 6. Each Animal Encounter session is $20 per person and sessions are limited to 10 people. A special Saturday package that includes 3 animal encounters is offered for $50 per person. Reservations are highly recommended and can be scheduled by contacting Val Doyle at (865) 637-5331, extension 384 or by emailing her at vdoyle@knoxville-zoo.org. (General admission to Knoxville Zoo is not included in the price of each Animal Encounter ticket.) Proceeds from the Animal Encounters program help support Knoxville Zoo’s animals and conservation projects in the countries where featured animals can be found.

Additionally, the museum shop is moving to the third floor from the first floor and is scheduled to open in its new location July 7.  The museum shop will be closed June 29 through July 6 for inventory and relocation. 

The Knoxville Museum of Art presents Made in Hollywood: Photographs from the John Kobal Foundation, May 8 – September 9, 2009. 

The Knoxville Museum of Art presents Arms, Legs, Feet, Heart & Soul: The Cumberland Furniture Guild from April 21 through August 9, 2009.

This unique exhibition, featuring 34 painstakingly-crafted creations by some of Tennessee’s most talented artists, blurs the distinctions between functional object and fine art.  All the artists included in the exhibition are members of the Cumberland Furniture Guild, a select group of Tennessee artists who combine the best of contemporary and traditional furniture design with some surprising sources of inspiration.  Their work is defined by variety rather than an identifiable regional characteristic, ranging from Greg Pennington’s traditional Windsor settees to Scott Thompson’s carved references to Craig Nutt’s whimsical vegetable furniture. Other Cumberland Furniture Guild artists represented in the exhibition include Chris Barber, Allen Brooks, Graham Campbell, Stephen Crump, Scott De Waard, Mark Dillon, Miles Fields, Peter D. Fleming, J. Michael Floyd, Tom Fuhrman, James Hopper, James L. Horne, Al Hudson, David Knudtson, Bob Marsh, Dale McLoud, DiAnne Patrick, Mitch Roberson, Brad Sells, Alf Sharp, Christopher Somerville, Worth Squire, Michael Summers, Matthew Teague, Scott Thompson, and Kimberly Winkle.

The Knoxville Museum of Arts presents Art from the Ashes in its Community Gallery through June 28, 2009.

The Knoxville Museum of Art announces the summer series of Alive After Five. Premiering June 19 with a performance by the Carib Sounds Steel Band, the summer series will have eight consecutive Friday evening shows through August 14, skipping July 3. All shows begin at 5:30 pm.

Now in its sixteenth year, Alive After Five presents a variety of quality musical entertainment from local, regional, national and sometimes international performers. This year’s summer series will feature performers from Atlanta, Nashville, New York City, and Columbus, OH, as well as the East Tennessee area.

Alive After Five is an early evening program presented on 35 Fridays per year in four seasonal series. The performances are from 5:30-8:00 pm and take place in the casually elegant atmosphere of the museum’s Great Hall with one of the most diverse audiences in Knoxville. Different area restaurants and caterers serve food each week, and there are two cash bars and free freshly popped popcorn.

Admission to Alive After Five performances range from $8 - $9 for non-members, museum members and college students with ID receiving a $4 discount. Ages 17 and under are admitted free. Alive After Five is sponsored by Cherokee Distributing Company, Knoxville News Sentinel, WVLT-TV8 and WDVX-89.9FM. For more information about the Alive After Five series, please contact Michael Gill at (865) 934-2039.        

The 2009 Summer Series Schedule for “Alive After Five”:
June 19 – Carib Sounds Steel Band  Steel drum Caribbean music
June 26 – Y’uns  Swingin’ good time string/jugband music
July 10 – Jenna & The Joneses  Rhythm & blues and funk
July 17 – Johnson Swingtet  Swingin’ acoustic jazz
July 24 – Sammy Blue Band  Blues
July 31 – Rolando Matias & The Afro-Rican Ensemble  Latin jazz
August 7 – Efrat & Friends  Jazz & pop
August 14 – Blue Mother Tupelo  Bluesy Americana

For more information contact Angela Thomas at (865) 934-2034 or visit www.knoxart.org.

The Blount Mansion Visitors Center will have  the Third Annual Art Exhibit by Girl Scouts of Tanasi Council from May 1 - 30. This event is free and open to the public. Blount Mansion Visitors Center, 200 W. Hill Ave. Info: 865-525-2375 or www.blountmansion.org

History Detective Camp!

July 13-17, 9am-12 noon

Ages 10-13

Blount Mansion Visitors Center

200 W. Hill Ave.

Call 865-525-2375 or www.blountmansion.org for more information

At Blount Mansion’s History Detective Camp students will use the resources of Blount Mansion to learn about and experience life in the 1790s. Detectives will learn first-hand how to use historical materials to bring history to life in new and meaningful ways.

Activities will include: Tours of the Mansion, group games and activities, special guest speakers, exploring the past through maps and diaries, internet activities and more!

Museum Center at 5ive Points Announces Kid’s Summer Art Camp

CLEVELAND, TN: The Museum Center at 5ive Points will host a Kid’s Summer Art Camp from June 22-25 for students entering grades 4th – 8th  grades. Attendees will spend four days having fun and learning new art techniques with area areas both at the Museum and on various nearby field trips. The camp is limited to 20 students and will be from 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. each day. The cost is $100 for museum members’ children and $125 for non-members’ children. Pre-payment and reservations are required by June 15^th.
Among the highlights of the art camp will be learning pottery from Michael Lalone, Resident Potter of the John C. Campbell Folk School in Murphy, NC, a demo of the Lee University Art Department’s pottery kiln with Dr. John Simmons, making Manga Graphic Art Novels with Jennifer White, a tour the historic Cleveland Railroad Depot, a visit to local sculptor Josh Coleman’s working art studio in the Old Woolen Mill, and learning to make sculpture and architectural models. Other artists and historians the kids will learn from include Doug Caywood, a practicing architect in Cleveland and Dr. Bryan Reed from Cleveland State Community College.
This is a wonderful way to expose your child to a variety of art during this fun camp at the Museum Center at 5ive Points! For further information or to sign up your child, please call Julie Vance, Curator of Education or Tracy O’Connell, Membership Coordinator at 339-5745.

Dads Receive Free Admission to Lane Motor Museum on Father’s Day!

Sunday, June 21, 2009 from 10am-5pm

Lane Motor Museum will offer FREE admission for Dads on Father’s Day, Sunday, June 21, 2009.  In addition to free admission for Dad, several activities are planned for the date including tours of the museum’s basement collection, rides in vehicles from the museum collection, and demonstrations of several of the more unusual vehicles.   Admission for other adults is $7, seniors (65+) are $5, youth (6-17) are $2 and kids age 5 & under are free.  (Please note that these are new prices.)

More information including a full schedule of activities is available online at www.lanemotormuseum.org/nashville-fathers-day or by calling the museum at 615-742-7445

Family Night Out schedule:

June 4           Dennis Scott, songwriter & performer, presents: Imagine That! – In Search of Songs & Silliness, www.dennisscott.net

June 11         NPL Puppet Truck presents The Frog Prince

June 18         Conductor Jack in Concert, www.jacknorton.net

June 25         Adam & the Couch Potatoes, http://www.adamandthecouchpotatoes.com

July 2            Celebrate Summer with Rachel Sumner, http://www.rachelsumner.com

July 9            NPL Puppet Truck presents Anansi

July 16          Conductor Jack in Concert, www.jacknorton.net

July 23          Zoom through the Solar System with Janet Ivey, www.janetsplanet.com

July 30          Dennis Scott, songwriter & performer, presents: Imagine That! – In Search of Songs & Silliness, www.dennisscott.net

Admission to Family Night Out is free for Cheekwood members, normal gate fees apply to non-members. Cheekwood’s Museum of Art and Frist Learning Center will remain open until 8:00 p.m.

Starting May 30 and continuing through September 5 Cheekwood will admit visitors 17 and under free to Cheekwood every Saturday. Regular gate fees apply to adults, and there is a limit of six children per accompanying adult.

Guests can enjoy the following exhibitions during the summer:

• The Matilda Geddings Gray Foundation Collection of Fabergé
  Ongoing
  Among the world’s most significant compilation of Fabergé pieces, the Collection includes 57 rare pieces highlighted by three Russian Imperial Easter eggs, and a number of important functional items, fantasy items and floral works.
• Passing Time: The Art of William Christenberry

Through June 14, 2009
William Christenberry looks for the spirit of Southern culture in the landscape and architecture of rural Alabama.  Drawing from his formal training, family traditions and a lasting relationship with his boyhood home in Alabama, Christenberry has spent the past 50 years creating a remarkable body of work that explores all aspects of life and experience. This exhibition, organized by the Smithsonian American Art Musuem, is a survey of past and present work and  features more than 60 of Christenberry’s photographs, drawings, paintings, sculptures and building constructions.

• Temporary Contemporary: Michael Baggarly: Reverberant Measures

Through June 14, 2009

Sculptor and Middle Tennessee State University faculty member Michael Baggarly examines biological structures and machines to comment on the connection between concept and process.  Students will learn how this artist searches for a sense of order and understanding as well as how contemporary artists can use physical and psychological means to inspire dialog.

• Summertime at Cheekwood

May 23 – August 30, 2009

Experience summertime at Cheekwood.  Take a garden scavenger hunt.  Count frogs by the pond.  Discover the sculpture trail. Or just run with your children throughout the grounds, following the stream and chasing butterflies.  And, your little adventurers can get more out of their visit with Cheekwood’s Backpack Adventure. Pick up a backpack when you visit, and inside you will find interactive and fun activities to use as you explore Cheekwood’s nature neighborhood! You can create a customized Color Garden, play the Cheekwood Challenge card game, and discover patterns in the Japanese Garden!   Fire their imaginations and awaken them to the marvels of the natural world.

• Tennessee Abstract Painters

Through September 20, 2009

Despite abstraction and modernism falling out of favor in the late twentieth century, many artists continued to practice this style in their painting.  Today, abstraction is experiencing resurgence on an international level.  This exhibition presents works by Tennessee artists who participate in an international dialogue about what abstract painting can communicate and why it is still relevant.

• Temporary Contemporary: Easton Selby: Root Work

July 11 – September 20

For photographer Easton Selby, the word “roots” brings to mind a number of deeper meanings: the roots of giant live oaks lining Southern boulevards, the roots of family heritage going deep in Southern soil, the roots of religion giving stability and nourishment to believers.  Root Work consists of wax-covered photographs that focus primarily on Southern archetypal imagery, folklore, and the creation of the artist’s own religion and the deconstruction of self through the conjuring of “roots.”

• Video Installation Galleries: A Lens with a Conscience

Through September 28, 2009

In the midst of omnipresent video images—many of them disturbing—what is happening to our psyches, both individually and collectively? In the era of Youtube, of video screens in restaurant restrooms, how does media shape and filter our vision of the larger world?  A Lens with a Conscience addresses the ubiquity of video imagery. The works selected for this exhibition don’t merely address issues of significant social and political concern; they present their subjects in new ways. 

• From Washington to Warhol: Americana Redefined

July 11, 2009 – January 3, 2010

From early portraiture to Pop art, American artists have always borrowed from the broad reservoir of imagery that is broadly defined as Americana.  Drawing on Cheekwood’s collection as well as some loans, Americana Redefined presents images of America as revealed through the eyes of artists.   Highlights include portraits of Washington, a view of nineteenth-century Belmont Mansion, realist works by The Eight, American Scene painting, and many artists from the post-World War II generation.

• William Edmondson: The Hand and the Spirit

Ongoing
This outstanding exhibition features selections from Cheekwood's collection, the largest public collection of William Edmondson's work. Born to former slaves on a plantation south of Nashville, Edmondson (1874-1951) taught himself to carve tombstones and became one of the most celebrated African-American sculptors of the 20th Century.  
Cheekwood is located at 1200 Forrest Park Drive in Nashville, 8 miles southwest of downtown Nashville.  Open Tuesday – Saturday 9:30 am – 4:30 pm and Sunday 11:00 am – 4:30 pm   For further information call 615-356-8000 or visit www.cheekwood.org .

Tulip Grove mansion is now open for interior tours. Built as the home of Andrew Jackson’s protégé, Andrew Jackson Donelson, and a part of the historic Hermitage property since 1963, Tulip Grove is recognized as one of the finest examples of Greek Revival architecture in the southeast.  Tours will be offered Monday-Friday from 11am – 3pm with tickets available at the Andrew Jackson Visitor Center ticket office.  Rates are $5.00 for adults and $3.00 for children.  A ticket to The Hermitage is not necessary to purchase tickets to Tulip Grove.
The Hermitage, Home of President Andrew Jackson has announced new specialized tours for visitors to learn more about this 1,120-acre National Historic Landmark, led by experienced and knowledgeable staff members. These themed tours include the "Changing Landscape Tour" led by historical interpreters, "Historic Garden Tour" led by their Head Gardener, "Children's Tour with the President," led by a historical interpreter dressed as Andrew Jackson, and "Restoring an American Landmark Tour" led by their Director of Preservation. Times and dates vary; check for daily listings. The best news is all these tours are FREE with admission or for members!

Sprinkled with rhinestones and embroidered with roses, skulls, and other iconic symbols, the one-of-a-kind designs of couturier Manuel—and the stars who wear them—are the subject of Country Couture, an exhibit of portraits taken by award-winning British photographer Cambridge Jones bowing April 10 in the Country Music Hall of Fame^® and Museum’s West Gallery.  The exhibit will run through October 31, 2009.

Carrie Underwood: All-American Girl, a spotlight exhibit featuring the merlot silk taffeta gown worn by superstar Carrie Underwood at the 2009 Academy of Country Music Awards, will open June 11 at the Country Music Hall of Fame^® and Museum. Underwood won two awards at the ceremony: Entertainer of the Year and Top Female Vocalist. Carrie Underwood: All-American Girl, which is included with regular Museum admission, will remain open through December 31, 2009.

To see a listing of events at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum through
July 19, 2009 click on CMHOF.

Frist Center for the Visual Arts, 919 Broadway, www.fristcenter.org, 615-244-3340.

On August 14, Cheekwood Botanical Garden & Museum of Art will host the award-winning Highballs & Hydrangeas: gardens, music, and cocktails for the contemporary crowd. Highballs & Hydrangeas are chic, Friday night cocktail flings for Nashville’s young, hip, art-loving crowd, introducing them to a contemporary side of Cheekwood.

The second and final H&H party of the 2009 season will take place on Friday, August 14, from 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm.  It will be an indoor/outdoor, rain or shine event.  Featured music will be the acclaimed San Rafael Band; there will be a cash bar with high-end cocktails and lite bites from nine participating locally owned, independent Nashville Originals restaurants. Highballs & Hydrangeas is $15 in advance online and $20 at the door.  Tickets can be purchased online at www.highballsandhydrangeas.com through August 12. 

The Hermitage is “staging” their 2009 “Lights, Camera, Jackson” summer camp over two-week sessions in June and July. The performance-based camps will feature Mary McCallum of Sista Style Productions and McGavock High School’s drama department. This new summer camp will be offered Monday-Friday from June 15-26 and again July 13-24.

Students who have completed 4^th grade through 9^th grade are invited to participate in the camp, which will show campers what it takes to create a public performance – from script-writing and costume design to music and public speaking. The camp will culminate with a presentation of the performance at 6pm on June 26 and July 24, and is open to parents, family, and the general public

The camp will run from 9am-2:30pm, though parents can drop campers off as early as 8:30am, and pick them up by 3pm. Space is limited and registration is $250 for the two-week camp, and includes a family membership. Call 615-889-2941, ext 242 or e-mail education@thehermitage.com to register or for more information.

The Stax Museum’s admission prices and hours of operation changed on December 1, 2008.

These new changes are reflective of ongoing upgrades and improvements to the museum, which allow the museum to continue enhancing its experience for visitors and to provide financial support to the Stax Music Academy, which receives a portion of museum proceeds to help fund programs for primarily at-risk inner city children. Former hours and rates for groups who have already pre-scheduled tours of the museum through December 1st will be honored.

The museum’s new operating hours are:

Tuesday – Saturday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Sunday 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.

CLOSED  MONDAYS.

Gift Shop open during museum hours.

New Admission Prices are:

GENERAL  ADMISSION

$12       $11                                   $9

Adults   Seniors (62+)                    Children (9-12) with Adult Paid Admission

             Active Military

             Students with proper ID              

FREE            

Soulsville Saviors

Children 8 and under with Paid Adult or Senior Admission

15% Discount to AAA Members

GROUP ADMISSION  (15 or more)

$10.50     $9.50                             $7.50

Adults      Seniors (62+)                 Children (3-12)

               Active Military

               Students with proper ID

FREE            

Tour Bus Drivers with Paid Group Admission

Children under 3

One free admission for every 15 paid