Open Studio Night in Fort Sanders

Tomorrow evening, you are invited to 17th Street Studios' Open Studio Night. Come and see the spaces where local artists (designers, movie producers, sculptors, painters, ceramicists) work.



There will be food and drinks to enjoy, whether you quietly peruse artwork or intensely interrogate each artist. Some work will also be for sale.



This is a great opportunity to support the work of 13 Knoxville artists. We'd love for you to stop by.



17th Street Studios OPEN STUDIO NIGHT
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
7-9pm
1642 Highland Avenue in Fort Sanders
on the corner of 17th and Highland in Redeemer Church

Bazan tonight

David Bazan (formerly of Pedro the Lion, Headphones) is playing the pilot light tonight. Here is what I said after I saw him last summer. And here is to hoping he covers more Vic Chesnutt.

Pilot Light, 9 p.m., $10

A. A. Bondy Tonight at the Pilot Light!

Ok, so in 2007 I came to college and one of my friends showed me A.A. Bondy's first album American Hearts. It blew me away and was will forever remind me of my first year in Knoxville. He plays minimalist folk/country and is a fantastic songwriter. Tonight he is going to crush the pilot light. Seriously, this (unlike most of the shows I post about) will not be that rowdy, which means if you feel that you are getting "old" and can't hang with "those damn kids" then you need to come out tonight. It is going to be awesome. Here is the regular interweb link, but if you have Spotify (you should because it is the best music player out there) look him up.

Tonight, 10 p.m., 18+, $10 (worth every penny)

w/Gold Leaves

Time to take a stand

Ok so I will expand upon this note tonight but want everybody to pencil in the design review board meeting tomorrow at 4 pm. I will be there and so will ck, right ck? We need to let the board know that demolition of structures for a parking lot in downtown is not acceptable.

Once again tomorrow 4 o'clock at the small assembly room in the city county building we fight to save our urban spaces.

Time to pull the lever... again

It's the second Tuesday in November, ELECTION DAY!!!!

Typical details, go here http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.giffohttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifr voting locations and info.

Go here for a sample ballot.

Now for what you have all been waiting for with baited breath.

The Pol's Endorsements:

Council Seats

A - John Stancil

B - Marshall Stair

C- No endorsement (don't have a dog in the hunt)

Mayor

Ok I've had a change of heart. I met Rogero a few weeks ago at an event with Lo at the cornelia house and she impressed me. A guy I was with told her he met her one night when she was doing karaoke... at Maries Olde Towne Tavern. She has also done karaoke at Toots.

That, and the negative campaign Padgett is running, was enough to convince me that Rogero best reflects the Knoxville that I love.

So go, vote early, vote often and when in doubt Write in Spellings!!!

Tour de Plants

I had an art opening Saturday evening at the Birdhouse. On Sunday, while cleaning up over there, I ran into Katie Ries, founder of the Urban Land Scouts.



She was there for Tour de Plants, a guided jaunt through the Fourth and Gill neighborhood. I typically become rather hermitish after art openings but decided a calm walk on such a beautiful day with mostly strangers would be better than lazing away on my couch eating leftover cupcakes all day. I was right.






















You know those real life moments that are so perfect, it makes you say something dumb like, "This is just like the movies." Well, walking around with the Urban Land Scouts felt like that, only it was more like being on a PBS special. (I mean that as a compliment, so you know.)



I don't know a lot about plants, and as I sit here looking at the photos I took, I all ready realize I've forgotten most of the names I heard yesterday, but I appreciate the knowledge that was being passed around yesterday afternoon between the ten or so people that showed up.



Young, not as young, and canine walked the urban landscape to talk about foliage. We touched, we smelled, we tasted. Someone even kept throwing around Latin names in the most unpretentious way. Information, experience, and questions were being passed around, and there was not a smart phone in sight.




I can't say that I am much closer to being an expert on the subject of edible plants in Knoxville, but I showed up, I observed, I said the pledge, and now- I'm an Urban Land Scout!























You can be one, too.

Downtown Vision: Padgett

In our continuing pursuit of the best mayor for downtown we have a little video for you on Mark Padgett's take on our burgeoning urban center.



Election Day is Tuesday!! Get excited for the Wigshops endorsements. Also, I want to say thank you to both candidates for taking the time to lay out their ideas about downtown to those of us who love it and want to see it thrive.

Madeline Rogero's Downtown Platform

Here at the Wigshop we occasionally do some real legwork when it comes to our fair city. In the spirit of finding out as much as possible about the candidates for mayor and their opinions on the future of downtown we reached out and offered some space to air their thoughts. First up is Madeline Rogero, the following are her words, unedited and scruffy-city real.


Downtown Knoxville is the economic and cultural center of our city. It has also become “everyone’s neighborhood” and a great place to live, work, play, and visit. I live just over the river in South Knoxville. Downtown is where we go for music, movies, restaurants, shopping, to visit with friends, and to just hang out.

I will continue to ensure that downtown works for its residents, those who go to work there every day, and those who visit. In order to continue the development of difficult properties in the core of Downtown as well as the Old City I will continue the incentive programs such as Tax Increment Financing (TIF) and Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT). These programs have worked so well in large part because they have been administered in such a way as to earn public trust. That will not change. They have helped us maintain our wonderful stock of historic buildings.

I will continue to work with CBID to recruit retail and will make the recruitment of businesses to downtown a priority. The TVA East Tower is an excellent site for a major employer and I will work closely with the Chamber to attract a headquarters company for that space.

My vision of downtown includes the Old City, which is undergoing somewhat of a renaissance. The present administration has made this a priority and I will continue that approach. My administration will continue to stress expanding downtown through connectivity in all directions. I was proud to have played a part in the creation of the Downtown North Redevelopment Area. I will continue that approach toward Cumberland to the West, Magnolia corridor to the east, and to the South Waterfront.

Events are a very important element of downtown, and my administration will work to find the optimal mix of large and small events and to find the best place to hold events. The recent success of the HoLa festival on Depot near the Old City demonstrates the value of working with Old City merchants and extending the vitality of Market Square to the east and north. The extension of Christmas in the City decorations and the parade into the Old City has helped bring more people to the great new businesses on Central and Jackson.

Downtown is the heart of our city. It cannot be viewed in a vacuum. The arteries extending to the core neighborhoods that surround downtown are critical both to the neighborhoods and for Downtown. I will continue working to have the arteries pedestrian and bicycle friendly. The Cumberland project and the Magnolia corridor redevelopment area both will benefit from this vision.

Best wishes,

Madeline

Another Knoxville Halloween down

I hope everyone had a Happy Halloween yesterday and this past weekend. I love how when the holiday falls near the weekend, Knoxville spends night upon night in festive attire. This city has taught me a lot about Halloween, and I know if I ever move from here, it will most likely be on Halloween that I'll miss it most. Many thanks to all those who dressed up and made it a good one this year.

I noticed a strong Dia de Los Muertos presence this year. Also, lots of nerds and bloody people, even bloody nerds. I like, too, how lots of people wore normal stylish attire but had dark makeup around their eyes- Halloween's fashion models.

Here are some photos taken before the TVB Halloween Alley Cat Race last night. These crazy people rode about eight miles around town in their costumes. Pretty awesome.

All I have to say is: girl on right with unibrow.

I assume the guy on the left is dead somewhere in a ditch. How he rode on a bike in that thing, I don't know.

Can you guess what Wild Bill and I are? Btw, I think he just wanted an excuse to bare his chest.

In other news, they started decorating for Christmas today in Krutch Park