This week in the Arts:
Special Events
The CSO Overture Luncheon Series hosted by Kayoko Dan featuring CSO Guest Artists will continue Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. at the Walden Club. Reservations are required by Friday, Jan. 27. For reservation information, visit www.gifttool.com/donations/Donate?ID=1344&AID=1592.
The Friends of African American Art will host a purchase party at the Hunter Museum of American Art on Saturday, Feb. 4, at 6:30 p.m. to help the Hunter choose a contemporary African American art work to become part of the collection. For more information, call 267-0968.
Dinner and the Arts, an event featuring a silent auction, dinner provided by The Outback Steakhouse and a showcase concert featuring students in vocal, instrumental, dance, acting, and musical theatre peformances as well as visual art and creative writing exhibitions, will take place on Thursday beginning at 5:30 p.m. at the Center for Creative Arts. Reservations may be made by calling 209-5942.
The application deadline for local school art programs to participate in Planet Altered's CAFE (Community Arts Funding Event) is Wednesday. The event will take place on Sunday, Feb. 12, from 6-8 p.m. Contact Jean Huddleston at 400-4100 or info@planetaltered.com for more information.
Theatre, Music & Dance
The Importance of Being Earnest opens at the Chattanooga Theatre Centre on Friday beginning with an opening night reception at 7 p.m. The production continues each weekend through Sunday, Feb. 12. For ticket information, visit www.theatrecentre.com.
Ballet Tennessee will present the high energy contemporary dance company Ailey II at the Tivoli Theatre on Saturday at 8 p.m. Call 757-5050 or visit www.chattanoogaonstage.com for ticket information. In addition, an after glow reception will be held after the performance. Tickets to the reception may be purchased by calling Ballet Tennessee at 821-2055.
As part of the Ailey II residency, a free community outreach class for children ages 8-teens will take place at the South Chattanooga Recreation Complex on Saturday from 12:15-1:15 p.m.; Ballet Master Class for intermediate and advanced dancers will be held at the Ballet Tennessee studios on Saturday from 12:15-1:45 p.m.; a Modern Master Class for intermediate and advanced dancers will take place at the Ballet Tennessee studios on Sunday from 1:30-3 p.m. Visit www.ballettennessee.org for more information.
The Bessie Smith Cultural Center and TheCreativeUnderground will host a tribute to singer/songwriter Stevie Wonder entitled "Song-book - Stevie Wonder" on Sunday at 6 p.m. in the Bessie Smith Performance Hall. Visit www.bessiesmithcc.org for more information.
The CSO continues their Masterworks Series with a performance featuring works by Russian composers Glinka, Shostakovich, and Tchaikovsky with special guest, violinist Jennifer Koh, at the Tivoli Theatre Thursday-Friday, Feb. 2-3, at 8 p.m. To purchase tickets, call 267-8583 or visit www.chattanoogasymphony.org.
Lee University continues its Presidential Concert Series with a performance by organist Burkard Schliessmann on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. For more information, call 614-8240.
The Covenant Arts Concert Series continues Friday at 8 p.m. at Covenant College with a performance of Ain't I a Woman! with actress Taylore Mahogany Scott and The Core Ensemble. Pre-concert gourmet dinners are offered in Covenant's Great Hall immediately preceding each performance. Visit www.covenant.edu/covenantarts or call 706.419-1153 for more information or to make reservations.
The Ensemble Theatre of Chattanooga's production of Falsettos will take place Friday-Sunday, at the St. Andrews Center. Visit www.ensembletheatreofchattanooga.com or call 987-5141 for ticket information.
The Chattanooga Choral Society in collaboration with the UTC Department of Music and UTC Theatre will present Treemonisha, an opera by famed ragtime composer Scott Joplin, Friday-Saturday, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. at the UTC Fine Arts Center. Call 425-4269 or visit www.tickettracks.com for more information.
Saturday Soup Sessions will be held at the Folk School of Chattanooga each Saturday at 11 a.m. through Feb. 25. The musical genre being explored this week is the Blues. Visit
www.chattanoogafolk.com for more information.
The Tennessee Valley Theatre will present Jason Coleman's The Legacy of Floyd Cramer on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. For reservations, call 365-PLAY or visit www.tennesseevalleytheatre.com.
A tribute to Miles Davis will be performed by The Vance Thompson Quintet on Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Barking Legs Theater. Visit www.barkinglegs.org for ticket information.
Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out, along with Bent Creek, will present a concert on Saturday at 7 p.m. (CST) at the Historic DeKalb Theatre in Fort Payne, Al. For more information, call the Big Wills Arts Council at 256.845-2224.
The Jericho Brass will perform on Sunday at 3 p.m. at St. Thaddaeus Episcopal Church. Visit www.jerichobrassband.org for more information.
Monty Python's Spamalot will be performed at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium on Thursday, Feb. 2, at 7:30 p.m. Visit www.chattanoogaonstage.com or call 642-TIXS for ticket information.
Second-year students from the Professional Actor Training Program at Chattanooga State will present "Friday Night Improv" on Feb. 3 at 7:30 p.m. at the Chattanooga State Humanities Theatre. Call 697-3246 for more information.
Shakespeare Chattanooga will present their production of The Merchant of Venice on Sunday, Feb. 5, at 2 p.m. and Monday, Feb. 6, at 7:30 p.m. at the Jewish Cultural Center. To purchase tickets, call 493-0270 ext. 10 or visit www.jewishchattanooga.com.
Visual Art & Film
The AVA Media Lab will host a free Mac 101 tutorial on Friday from 12-1 p.m., and a Beginning Digital Photography course will take place Thursdays, Feb. 2-23, from 6-8 p.m. at AVA. Visit www.avarts.org for more information.
A Watercolor Workshop with Alan Shuptrine will be held Thursday from 5-8 p.m. and the opening reception for the "Color!" exhibit will take place Thursday, Feb. 2, from 5-7 p.m. at Shuptrine's Gold Leaf Designs. For more information, call 266-4453 or visit www.shuptrines.com.
Art Creations will offer six-week classes in Perspective Drawing and Painting on Canvas as well as a Children's Painting Discovery Class beginning Thursday. For more information on these and additional classes, visit
www.art-creations.com.
A Floral Painting Workshop with instructor Mia Bergeron will take place Saturday-Sunday, from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at Townsend Atelier. Visit www.townsendatelier.com to register.
An Open House will be held at Artifact on Saturday beginning at 5 p.m. Visit http://teamartifact.wordpress.com for more information.
The Art for Lunch lecture program at the Booth Western Art Museum in Cartersville, Ga. will feature artist Brett Weaver on Wednesday at 12:15 p.m. For more information, call Shuptrine's Gold Leaf Designs at 266-4453 or visit www.boothmuseum.org.
In-Town Gallery will host the opening reception for "Conversations," an exhibit featuring oil paintings by Janis Wilkey, on Friday, Feb. 3, from 5-8 p.m. For more information, call 267-9214 or visit www.intowngallery.com.
Writing, Literature & Poetry
Kindred Connections, a book club that aims to bring parents and their teens together through reading, will meet on Saturday at the Chattanooga Public Library for a discussion of The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke. Contact Della Phipps at phipps_d@lib.chattanooga.gov for more information.
Special guest Lorean C. Mays will read stories of inspirational African-Americans to children ages 12 and under on Saturday, Feb. 4, from 2:30-3:30 p.m. in the Downtown Library Story Room. Visit www.lib.chattanooga.gov for more information.