The isolation brought on by the need for safety during the pandemic battle has made it all too easy to break normal routines. However, it is possible to get an infusion of art and still stay safe by adhering to a few simple guidelines.
The September exhibitions at the Arts & Culture Alliance’s Emporium Center open this Friday, September 4. While First Friday events have taken serious blows to their routine, the new shows at the Emporium Center will be in place, but with a few restrictions. The opening reception for these shows will be open on Friday from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM, for 75 people at any one time. Of course, masks are required. Otherwise, the Emporium is open to visitors on Wednesdays, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and by appointment by telephoning ahead to 865-523-7543 or by scheduling online. (The Emporium will be closed on Monday, September 7, for the Labor Day holiday.
The September shows are—
• Robert Felker and Allen Monsarrat: Magic in Everyday Life
Robert Felker and Allen Monsarrat paint recognizable subjects, drawn from the world around them, often featuring scenes of Knoxville or other travels.
• Photographs by David A. Johnson & Christopher Mitchell
David A. Johnson, a former photojournalist, lives just two blocks from Standard Knitting Mill and spent 3.5 years documenting the abandoned factory, producing over 1400 images. This exhibition explores the tarnished beauty of the Standard Knitting Mill.
Brought up in the era of film photography, Christopher Mitchell naturally gravitates to film, and loves spending time in the darkroom developing and printing. This love of photography has moved him in the past 10 years to directing and cinematography for hundreds of television episodes – earning an Emmy nomination in 2016.
• Ryan-Ashley Anderson: Linked
Mixed media jewelry incorporating pre-fabricated textiles, textile strips created by stitching beads together, leather, cord, rope, and metal.
• Tracye Sowders: Sheltered Wanderlust
Paintings — prolific painter in various media including watercolor, oils, pen and ink, alcohol inks, and oil pastels. She is also a calligrapher, hand quilter and needleworker, illustrator, and pianist.
• Birds of Seven Islands, Photographs by Ken Jenkins, Ron McConathy, and Clay Thurston
Photography — To promote the awareness of Seven Islands State Birding Park as a premier birding destination, this exhibition features a selection of images from among the more than 200 species of birds that have been sighted at the Park. The photographers, Ken Jenkins, Ron McConathy, and Clay Thurston represent the finest nature/wildlife photographers in the Knoxville region, and their art is a reflection of the beauty that is on display at Seven Islands Park on a daily basis.
