Random Acts of Flowers

What Is a “Covid Dog?”

DUE TO COVID-19 “stay at home restrictions” this past year, pet owners were home for more hours than usual due to adults working remotely and kids being homeschooled while not attending extracurricular activities. The extra time with their family members was appreciated but, unfortunately, dogs have not been getting proper socialization, causing them to have a tough time being boarded or left in someone else’s care. At our kennel, we are seeing many dogs who are now scared of their own shadow! We term them “Covid Dogs.” It’s not any fault of the dog, but rather the circumstances of constant, full attention, “only dog” syndrome they have developed by being at home with family almost 100% of the time.

Socialization is an essential tool for your dog to understand that “new and different” doesn’t inevitably translate to “bad and scary.” Having positive interactions with a variety of people, places, and things can set the stage for your dog’s confidence and appropriate responses to new experiences. Allowing your dog to “be a dog” THE MONTH of February is the last month of winter, meaning that spring is on its way. Even with its wintery mix of cold weather, February has some very nice occasions that can make even the coldest day feel warm and happy! Valentine’s Day on the 14th is a wonderful day that gives us the opportunity to show our caring and affection for others by giving them flowers and a moment of kindness. National Random Acts of Kindness Week runs from the 15th through the 21st, and people are encouraged to do random acts of kindness to others to give them an emotional boost and make them feel included. At Random Acts of Flowers, these two wonderful occasions are blended into a weekly activity where we randomly deliver recycled and re-purposed flowers to individuals in healthcare facilities to provide them with an emotional boost, a moment of kindness, and a smile! Even during these challenging times, Random Acts of Flowers is delivering an average of 250 flower arrangements every week, which means that the 250 recipients, plus their families, and their healthcare providers all receive the uplifting, positive, emotional boost of randomly with proper, supervised play with other dogs (and people!) assists him in being well-rounded. Every dog doesn’t need to be a “social butterfly” and love everything or everybody - the goal is for them to be comfortable enough to feel safe, secure, and happy in new environments.

The dangers of under-socialization can be avoided with a well-constructed doggy daycare plan. At Ms. C’s, we design an individualized development plan for each dog based on their personality and circumstance. Doggy Daycare allows your dog to meet new friends (people and other canines) and learn the rules of friendly play. Ms. C’s Doggy Daycare runs Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday morning, afternoon, or all day. Call to discuss your dog’s situation and to begin developing his socialization.

Ms. C’s Bed & Biscuits

2145 Beals Chapel Road Lenoir City, TN 37772 865.986.6325

Doggy Daycare Helps

2145 BEALS CHAPEL RD LENOIR CITY, TN 37772 865-986-6325

MSCSBEDANDBISCUITS.COM

Random Acts of Kindness 2021

www.MsCsBedandBiscuits.com

National Random Acts of Kindness Week February 15-21 Do random acts of kindness to others to give them an emotional boost and make them feel included!

receiving flowers and an act of kindness.

Not only do our recipients, their families, and healthcare providers get an emotional boost from this effort, but the Random Acts of Flowers volunteers do, too! Whether it is picking up the donated flowers, prepping the donated flowers, or creating the arrangements, Random Acts of Flowers volunteers get to experience the warm feeling of helping others – even on the coldest days! If you want to make an impact with Random Acts of Flowers by volunteering or making a donation, call us at 865-6339082, email us at info@RAFKnoxville.org, or visit www.RAFKnoxville.org. A volunteer with the beautiful bouquet she created!

New Exhibitions Opening

Emporium Center February 5-26

THE ARTS & Culture Alliance is pleased to present five new exhibitions at the Emporium Center February 5-26. A free reception with the artists will take place on Friday, February 5, from 5 to 8 pm. All visitors to the Emporium are asked to wear a mask and maintain physical distancing guidelines. Most of the works will be for sale and may be purchased through the close of the exhibition.

National Juried Exhibition of 2021

Dark Harmony (acrylic) by Shannon Deana Johnson

The Arts & Culture Alliance presents its 15th annual National Juried Exhibition, a new exhibition featuring selected works from 45 artists throughout the region. The National Juried Exhibition was developed in 2006 to provide a forum for artists to compete on a regional scale and display their highest quality work. The exhibition encompasses all styles and genres from both emerging and established artists working in photography, acrylic, pencil, fibers, oil, paper, and a variety of other media. More than $1,000 in cash awards will be announced at a brief awards ceremony on February 5 at 6 pm. Dana Moody: Havana: Behind the Façade

Dana Moody’s obsession for architectural studies began at a young age and has formed both her career as a professor of interior architecture and her creative endeavors as a photographer. In an effort to translate how her eyes see historic architecture and interiors, Dana explored different mediums and styles of art, including acrylic paintings and marker and pencil renderings on hand-drafted drawings. Eventually, she discovered that photography captures the integrity of architectural details that are often glossed over in paintings and drawings. Moody’s architectural photographs are windows into the past: A glimpse of hopes and dreams - some fulfilled, some not. They, too, tell a story about people, society, and culture. Through her photographs, she hopes to awaken the viewer’s soul and invite them to be transported to other cultures and times. Steve Rehn: A Day in the Life

Artist’s statement: Life inspires art, and art captures life. While this collection of images is eclectic (watercolor, colored pencil, graphite, charcoal, cut-paper), it follows the theme of representing important people, places, and events in my life that have inspired artistic interpretation. Perhaps by viewing these pieces, you can share in my journey of developing artistic skill by creating meaningful and lasting visual memories.

Having lived in the state of Washington during the entirety of my first six decades of his life, the majority of Rehn’s artwork has revolved around depicting the beauties of the Pacific Northwest, in particular its coastal regions. Now that he lives in Eastern Tennessee, Steve is discovering the joys of mountain views, of which there are plenty, and is beginning to build up a collection of art that reflects his new surroundings. Conny Zhao: A Place to Land

Conny Zhao is a multimedia artist, musician, and ethnomusicologist from Knoxville. She enjoys exploring musical communities throughout the world and hopes to combine photography, videography, and audio to create accessible platforms for folk musicians to demonstrate their own traditions. Her work as a multimedia artist focuses on underrepresented peoples, how they interact with and exist within their surroundings, and how they perform their identities through various mediums. A Place to Land focuses on the relationships between indigenous peoples of China, Palestine, and Mongolia and their historic and cultural ties to land. Zhao explores how marginalized groups, such as Southern or Inner Mongols, Kam (Dong), Buryats, Tibetans, and Palestinians can navigate and negotiate their identities through the passing down of cultural artifacts to younger generations, mundane daily rituals, and active acts of resistance. Her series of photographs from 2018-2019 specifically concentrates on each group’s historical connection to land and the types of landscapes they inhabit, looking at how these various landscapes can impact and shape ethnic identity. She also examines what oppressive government policies, urbanization, or environmental damage might mean for the future of these groups. Robert Simon: Meanderings of the MIND

Artist’s statement: Drawing is and has been an incredible escape for me throughout most of my life. People often ask me how I can do this. To me, it makes more sense to ask how can I not do it. Drawing puts a sense of balance and order into my world. People frequently ask me what certain drawings mean. I believe that art evokes thoughts and feelings that are the viewer’s own. To dictate what should be interpreted interferes with what the viewer may need most out of the experience. Each person is free to input whatever meaning they wish on my work. There is much about my work that at first seems chaotic and confusing, but, if one looks closely, continually repeating patterns form a larger entity. I see my art as visual jazz of limitless patterns and infinite combinations with no set conventions to follow.

The exhibitions are on display at the Emporium Center, located at 100 S. Gay Street in downtown Knoxville. The Emporium is open to the public Monday through Friday from 9 am to 5 pm. For more information, call 865-523-7543 or visit www.knoxalliance.com.