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STUDIO WATERCOLOR
Intermediate/Advanced watercolorists! Explore and develop your painting expertise during this 5-week watercolor class! Emphasis will be placed on compositional elements and developing unity in a painting. Students will paint during class time and should be prepared with supplies weekly.
HANDBUILDING POTTERY
Learn the basics of handbuilding with clay. This 6 week course will include techniques such as pinch pots, slab rolling, coil pots, and using patterns for the form.
I am her and she is me
By sharing her vision through these works, Dominique Pruitt pushes back against what the world says by sharing all shapes, shades, and sizes of women loving themselves and authentically being themselves.
No Boundaries
Calvin Walton is an East Tennessee artist who creates 3-D wood carving art. Originally from Athens, Tennessee, he resides in Stone Mountain, Georgia with his family.
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This musical revue celebrates the distinct music of Harlem, specifically that of Fats Waller, and its influence on American music in a cabaret-style tour-de-force performance by five actors.
There are no performances February 14 and 20.
Join us for a table read of the musical Company led by Blake Chastain.
Company, Stephen Sondheim’s groundbreaking modern musical, is a mature, intelligent, and wildly funny look at relationships, vulnerability, and “being alive.”
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Get ready for a NEW era of our Annual Arts Gala, which is always in support of community arts and arts education! Cocktail hour is at 6:30 PM when the silent auction opens. Bid on curated items, enjoy a fancy dinner, and dance the night away with a live band! The annual Arts Gala is a black-tie optional dressy affair.
AUDITIONS
AUDITION FORM
This spin-off of the annual favorite is where tomorrow’s stars under 18 take the stage and ideas for House Blend Concert Series shows are born.
INTERMEDIATE DRAWING
In this 6‐week class, students improve drawing skills and develop their own projects with more advanced rendering and materials handling techniques, allowing students to create more sophisticated drawings. This class is for those who have completed Drawing 101 or have taken a drawing class before.
BEGINNING ACRYLIC PAINTING
In this 6‐week class, students will be introduced to the basics of Acrylic painting with new lessons each week in techniques to develop a set of skills. Those skills will lead to students creating their own unique acrylic paintings.
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This anthology of short plays features characters from Shakespeare’s canon outside the patriarchal context of their original works - and sometimes in another time and place.
TRY WHEEL THROWING
Get your hands dirty and learn how to throw your very own pottery! This one-day class is perfect for those who have never tried pottery wheel before, or are looking for a refresher.
BEGINNER POTTERY WHEEL
Learn to throw clay on a potter’s wheel! We’ll cover the foundations of wheel work, including wedging and centering clay, as well as forming cylinders, cups and bowls. Basic glazing information will help you finish your final forms. No prior clay experience necessary! Beginners and those looking for a refresher course in wheel-throwing are welcome!
Liminal Spaces
Linnea Moody is a Chattanooga, Tennessee photographic artist who uses photographic experimentation to illustrate her own emotions and experiences through her imagery.
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This version of an annual favorite auditioned variety show highlights our performers under the age of 18!
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This hilarious story of friendship–and revenge–in the Rolodex era is based on the movie of the same name with music & lyrics by Dolly Parton and book by Patricia Resnick.
BEGINNER POTTERY WHEEL
Learn to throw clay on a potter’s wheel! We’ll cover the foundations of wheel work, including wedging and centering clay, as well as forming cylinders, cups and bowls. Basic glazing information will help you finish your final forms. No prior clay experience necessary! Beginners and those looking for a refresher course in wheel-throwing are welcome!
PAPIER MACHE SCULPTURE
Learn to make people and animal sculptures that will impress your friends and family! You’ll learn to design and build an armature. Next you’ll apply structure building material and add papier maché for sculpting details. Sculptures will be finished with acrylic paint.
STUDIO WATERCOLOR
Explore and develop your painting expertise during this 5-week watercolor class for intermediate and advanced painters! Emphasis will be placed on compositional elements and developing unity in a painting. Students will paint during class time and should be prepared with supplies weekly. This class was originally led by Sandy Brown, but due to retirement, she has handed the torch to Chris Ingram.
Knoxville Symphony Orchestra: William Shaub & Friends
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Join KSO Concertmaster William Shaub and friends for an evening of light classics, including works by Mozart, Schubert, and more, plus the theme from HBO's "Game of Thrones."
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Part concert, part dance; all party. This evening is all that and a bag of chips with fun for wallflowers and dancing queens alike.
Upcoming Events
Athens Area Council for the Arts began in 1979 as an idea in a living room…
And quickly grew to an office in a closet on Tennessee Wesleyan College campus. As our organization expanded, we moved to an office in the historic Robert E. Lee Hotel in Downtown Athens and developed a strong arts in education program, children’s programming, the long-running “Arts in the Park,” and presented a touring performing arts series. In 2005, Athens Area Council for the Arts moved into “The Arts Center,” in the location of the former Harrod’s grocery store.
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Our mission is to enrich the quality of life and make a difference for our community by providing opportunities for the expression and appreciation of the arts.
Once we had a home in The Arts Center, AACA grew from an organization of big ideas and vision to a premiere visual, educational, and performing arts organization in our region.
By 2019, AACA was quickly outgrowing The Arts Center, so we purchased the three adjacent buildings.
The expanded Arts Center will celebrate its grand opening in September 2024 thanks to the generous support of our Capital Campaign donors.