“The 8 Great” is presented monthly in partnership with Hellmouth Magazine, a nonprofit arts organization dedicated to publishing quality cultural commentary. Vol. 2 just dropped! Check it out: Website | Instagram
With the overflowing of events from this past weekend with Big Ears and its adjacent local celebrations, you may be exhausted from outings. But spring is in full swing and you don’t want to miss the few beautiful days of wildflowers and gentle weather before the summer sweat arrives. This April, new groups blossom and familiar Knoxville traditions come again. Here’s eight events we recommend you check out. —Hellmouth Magazine
April 3
Connections: SoKno Sculpt Member Show
Art Exhibition @ Mighty Mud
6 – 8 p.m.
FREE
Developing as an art collective to support local sculptors, SoKno Sculpt is “a community-driven initiative dedicated to bringing beautiful sculptures to South Knoxville, blending art with the urban wilderness right in our neighborhood.”
This First Friday, we recommend you stop by the collective’s first exhibition, CONNECTIONS. This show brings together the work of SoKno Sculpt members — and the bigger idea of connecting artists, neighbors and the spaces we share. Good vibes and live music provided by Knoxville’s own DJ, Captain Ed.
April 6
S.W.I.M. or Someone Who Isn’t Me with Timothy Arment
Lecture @ UTK Art and Architecture Building
5:30 – 7 p.m.
FREE
AI as a topic is on everyone’s tongue. For some it feels like a takeover and others it’s a tech revolution.
Though it may seem like a foreign entity existing in the world of binary code, the art and words generated from these Large Language Models is really a reflection of ourselves.
Join UTK’s College of Architecture and Design’s Digital Futures Fellow, Timothy Arment, for discussion and interactive installations on how “we are all the authors of artificial intelligence. We contributed, often unknowingly, our ideas, opinions, knowledge, and experience with every post and interaction we shared with our network.”
Open to all, this UTK event “explores the absurdity of reverse-engineering the human mind and how contemporary online technology melds the minds of its users, and the nature of the ‘being’ that results from this amalgamation.”
April 9
Arts In Movement Session: Self-Care for Creatives
Workshop @ The Bottom x Moods of Majesty
6 – 7:30 p.m.
Pay what you can
Arts In Movement Sessions are part of a quarterly workshop series rooted in the national Artists Thrive framework, a set of tools and values designed to help artists, administrators and communities reimagine what it means to truly thrive in the arts. Come ready for honest conversation, some gentle reflection, and useful tools you can take with you. Bring a notebook and whatever questions or roadblocks you’ve been carrying lately.
April 11
Chalk Walk
Public Art Competition @ Market Square x Dogwood Arts
8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
FREE
Market Square gets artsy with its annual Chalk Walk. Thousands of art lovers head downtown each year to experience this live art competition, which features over 300 artists and collaborative teams working on-site. Take a stroll downtown to check it out.
April 11
Giant Puppet Workshop Inspired by the Art of Wayne White
Workshop @ Knoxville Museum of Art
1 – 3:30 p.m.
Free with preregistration, age 13+ requirement
The exhibition Wayne White: Revenge of the Knoxville Girl celebrates the art of giant puppetry and storytelling. Learn how to create your own stories through giant puppets with the help of Knoxville’s Cattywampus Puppet Council workshop. Visit the exhibition for inspiration, learn the basics of designing giant puppets, then take your knowledge home to create a puppet to use in the local Cattywampus Parade & Block Party in May. Please register by Friday, April 10th.
April 18 & 19
Rossini Festival
Music & Performance Art Festival @ Downtown Knoxville x Knoxville Opera
Saturday 10 a.m. – 10 p.m., Sunday 12 – 7 p.m.
FREE
Rossini Festival is a free International Street Fair that celebrates the global impact on the music, food, and culture of East Tennessee. This annual event includes all-day entertainment on four outdoor stages, showcasing opera, classical, jazz, gospel, ballet, modern dance, and much more. Attendees can also browse food vendors and more than 75 artisans throughout the market, along with the Kids & Family Fun Zone for activities children will enjoy. Think: classic Appalachian street fair with an added blend of the performing arts.
April 22
Improv in the Wild
Improv Show @ Ijams Nature Center x Manatee Vanity Improv
7 – 9 p.m.
$10 (including parking pass)
Cackle under the canopy with a night of completely unscripted comedy by Manatee Vanity Improv on April 22nd at Ijams. “No scripts, no safety nets—just pure in-the-moment fun.” Knoxville’s longest running improv troupe – over 32 years – Einstein Simplified headlines, debuting new team Donkey Ho-Tay, and featuring the students from Manatee Vanity Improv, accompanied by Michael Ray.”
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Show begins at 7 p.m. Content for this show is PG/PG-13 and parental discretion is advised.
April 24 – 26
Dogwood Arts Festival
Festival @ World’s Fair Park
Friday & Saturday: 10 a.m. – 7 p.m., Sunday: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
FREE
Dogwood Arts’ signature festival kicks off spring again with a glut of fine art, live music, hands-on activities, and family activities. This year’s event will showcase 100 juried artists, live performances across two stages, a local Maker Market, interactive workshops and demos, and more. Wander through the artist pop-up exhibitions and see what you may find.
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