September 2005
ABC Panel Reviews
[updated 09/28/05]
Left to right: Dr. Jeff Chapman (Board President), Liza Zenni (Executive Director), Cheryl Jenkins (Deputy Director), Suzanne Cada (Website Management & Publicity). Limestone sculpture by Lisa Ruttan Wolff.
Arts & Culture Alliance Offers Access to Insurance for its Members
The Arts & Culture Alliance of Greater Knoxville is pleased to announce that beginning this fall, members will have access to several low-cost healthcare plans through its groundbreaking partnership with Fractured Atlas, a NY-based arts service organization. Participating members will also have access to a host of other resources and services for artists and organizations.
Like the Alliance, Fractured Atlas recognizes the lack of affordable healthcare for independent artists and has taken a “strength in numbers” tactic toward solving the problem. Fractured Atlas approaches insurance companies by using a collective bargaining power. Therefore, they offer free Associate Memberships to current members of the Arts & Culture Alliance in good standing. Member organizations with five or fewer full-time, paid employees are also eligible. As an Associate Member of Fractured Atlas, Alliance members are eligible to enroll in any of several low-cost healthcare plans that Fractured Atlas has available.
Membership in the Arts & Culture Alliance is only $35 per year, and benefits include:
- Access to healthcare plans
- ArtsFlash! newsletter: The Alliance e-mails this newsletter with information on commission opportunities, events, classes, workshops, grants, and more to individual artists each month. Last-minute opportunities and special announcements are often sent on a bi-weekly basis.
- Jerry’s Club Membership: Individual members receive a complimentary membership ($25 value) in Jerry’s Club from Jerry’s Artarama, the region’s largest resource for art supplies and discount framing, entitling members to 10% of all non-sale purchases.
- Exhibition opportunities: The Alliance rotates member artwork in the Emporium Center gallery and in four satellite galleries: East Tennessee Foundation, Knoxville Area Chamber Partnership, the City Mayor's Office, and the County Mayor's office.
- Website promotion: Membership directory is listed on the website as well as special announcements and images from Alliance events (which often feature individual artists!).
[updated 09/12/05]
Photos from Chrysalis Opening Reception!
 
Lisa Ruttan Wolff and Kathy Slocum (left image); Sheri Treadwell and Jessica Gregory (right image)
Terri Cadman
Enjoying the show!
 
[updated 09/09/05]
Elvis Visits the Emporium Center for Knox County Schools' Art Education
Art lovers and artists joined together for two auctions to benefit Knox County Schools' Art Department, held at the Emporium Center for Arts & Culture, 100 South Gay Street on Friday, September 23, and Saturday, September 24. The auctions netted more than $2,700.
All proceeds from the two auctions go toward purchasing supplies and replacing equipment for Knox County Schools' Art Department. "The art department took a 48% budget cut last year, leaving them less than $1 per art student for the entire year," says auction organizer and www.tennesseeartists.com founder Mac Bartine. "To help make up the art department budget shortfall, many of the best artists in East Tennessee have stepped forward with donations of art."
The live auction on September 23 featured the artwork of more than 40 local artists, including Debra Belvin, Robin Contreras, Flowerree Galetovic, Carl Gombert, Dr. Fred Patterson, and prints from Yee-Haw Industries. Also included in the live auction were fantastic gift packages from area businesses such as Blackberry Farm, HGTV, Saturn of Knoxville, and Three Rivers Rambler. The evening auctioneer, William "Bear" Stephenson, was joined by Elvis impersonator Chris Baratta (www.chrisbaratta.com), and the two kept their blue suede shoes moving as they introduced selected auction pieces. Appetizers included fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches and sweet potato pies from caterer Rex Bradford Jones as well as a selection of wines served by High Spirits Bartending.
The silent auction on September 24 included the work of more than 100 Knox County Schools' art students, ranging from elementary to high school level.
Both the live and silent auction took place at the Emporium Center for Arts & Culture, 100 South Gay Street, downtown Knoxville.
For more information, visit www.tennesseeartists.com, a web community supporting the development of local artists.
[updated 09/26/05]
Photos from the new Courthouse mural!
 
The Judges of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee and the Arts & Culture Alliance of Greater Knoxville hosted a reception for the unveiling of the historical mural by artist Bobbie Crews on Friday, September 16. The mural is located on the fourth floor of the Howard H. Baker Jr. United States Courthouse at 800 Market Street in downtown Knoxville.
[updated 09/19/05]
Arts & Culture Alliance Places Artwork in City Mayor’s Office
The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to announce the placement of a new exhibit in the reception area of the City Mayor’s office. This most recent exhibit features work by the Knoxville Arts and Fine Crafts Center and showcases more than 30 two- and three-dimensional pieces from both instructors and students who have taken classes at KAFCC. Works include woven items, jewelry, clay, oil painting, and more.
 
The Knoxville Arts and Fine Crafts Center is a hidden treasure and specialty program of the City of Knoxville Department of Community and Neighborhood Services, Parks and Recreation Division. KAFCC offers a wide range of classes for children and adults, including pottery, weaving, drawing, painting, jewelry making, and more. Classes are open to all; please contact Director Cathy Maples or Art Specialist Fran Pyle at 865-523-1401 for more information. www.ci.knoxville.tn.us/recreation/arts
The Arts & Culture Alliance places artwork in a number of off-site locations, including the City and County Mayor's offices. The KAFCC show is the fourth exhibit the Alliance has placed in the City Mayor's office.
[updated 09/02/05]
Chrysalis and Friends: New Works for a New Season, opening September 9
The Arts & Culture Alliance presents “Chrysalis and Friends: New Works for a New Season”, a new exhibition featuring the works of fourteen women artists from throughout the East Tennessee region. The show runs during the month of September at the Emporium Center and encompasses a variety of media, including: woodworking, stone sculpture, figurative sculpture, leather sculpture, pottery, tile making, watercolor, and oil painting.
 
Seven women artists hailing from Knoxville and Asheville formed the group, Chrysalis, and meet once a month to share ideas, problem-solve, and network with each other. Amber Bewernitz, Barbara Bewernitz, Terri Cadman, Martha Cummins, Lisa Ruttan Wolff, Kathy Slocum, and Sheri Treadwell founded Chrysalis to increase camaraderie among studio artists. The September exhibit is titled “Chrysalis and Friends: New Works for a New Season” because the core members of Chrysalis each invited other artists to participate in the show. Other artists include: Cindy Day, Jessica Gregory, Susan Link, Karen Noggle, Kathy Ottolini, Linda Peterson, Barbara Rheingrover, and Liz Spear.
The opening reception on Friday, September 9, from 5:30-7:30pm, is free and open to the public, and light hors d’oeuvres are served. “Chrysalis and Friends: New Works for a New Season” is on exhibit from September 9-28 at the Emporium Center for Arts & Culture, 100 S. Gay Street, downtown Knoxville. Gallery hours are Mon-Fri, 9-5pm. For more information, please contact the Arts & Culture Alliance, (865) 523-7543, or visit our website at www.knoxalliance.com.
[updated 08/22/05]
Arts & Culture Alliance Hosts Legislative Reception
The Arts & Culture Alliance of Greater Knoxville, in partnership with Tennesseans for the Arts (TFTA), honored Knoxville area legislators at a special reception on Wednesday, August 31, from 5-6:30pm at the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville.
More than 150 people attended the reception!
Liza Zenni and Nkechi Ajanaku of African American Appalachian Arts
Molly Pratt, Carolyn Jensen, and Senator Randy McNally
Rich Boyd and Nicole Pietrantoni of TAC
Representative Bill Dunn
Senator Jamie Woodson
More than 150 artists and representatives of arts organizations in Knoxville, Oak Ridge, Gatlinburg, and other cities in the region gathered to thank state legislators for their support of the arts in the General Assembly. For fiscal year 2005-2006, the Tennessee Arts Commission recently awarded over $5.7 million in 850 grants throughout the state. “Grantees have an opportunity to thank their state senators and representatives personally for their support of the Tennessee Arts Commission and have their photographs taken with their legislators,” said Liza Zenni, Executive Director of the Arts & Culture Alliance and board member of TFTA. “The cultural programs presented by arts and cultural organizations improve the quality of life of all Tennesseans. In schools, the arts add value to the curriculum, inspire creativity, and enrich the educational experience,” Zenni added.
The Tennessee Arts Commission staff and commissioners also attended the event joined by members of TFTA, the statewide association of arts advocates sponsoring the Knoxville reception and similar gatherings in Memphis, Brownsville, Murfreesboro, Chattanooga, and Kingsport. TFTA is a nonprofit association of arts organizations and individuals that promotes, encourages, and assists all of the arts in Tennessee. As the leading state association in advocacy efforts to strengthen the arts, TFTA provides educational and information services to Tennessee artistic and cultural organizations and presents Arts Advocacy Day annually in Nashville. The Tennessee Arts Commission is a state agency than funds and supports quality arts experiences to ensure the citizens of Tennessee have access to and participate in the arts.
[updated 09/02/05]
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