Christmas

With Christmas fast approaching, the Arts Center is holding fun seasonal events from a holiday arts and crafts sale, to a performance by the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, to a production of the Christmas classic, Miracle on 34th Street.

One of our writers had the chance to ask the directors of Miracle on 34th Street a few questions. When asked why they chose this particular play, one said, “I love a good Christmas show, but Miracle is so endearing to me because of its undercurrent of society’s treatment of the disenfranchised, mentally ill, and the underserved. On the surface it seems like just another feel-good holiday show, but if you really pay attention, it’s meaning is so much deeper than that.”

They also described the challenges: “This cast is comprised of 48% new performers

and is multigenerational so we’ve got performers of all ages and it’s a bit beautifully chaotic. We are so fortunate that we have such a pool of talent in both children and adults and are over-the-moon that our cast includes six parents who were cast with their children. That authenticity cannot be manufactured and will translate so beautifully from the stage to the audience.”

After the show, visitors will get a chance to take pictures of their little ones meeting “the most genuine Santa that you’ll ever see.”

“It is a joy to present a show that is unabashedly hopeful and calls us to lean into the hope of the season,” the directors said. “You will leave this show feeling like there’s a world worth believing in and that’s our goal.”

The Arts Center is currently undergoing renovations and construction which the staff hope will be finished by fall of 2023 according to Executive Director Lauren Brown. Over the course of their fundraiser, they received almost $1.3 million for the renovations out of their $1.6 million goal. This includes $100,000 that the Athens City Council recently voted to donate. They are still accepting donations but have stopped actively fundraising to leave room for other worthy capital campaigns in the community.

Lauren Brown said, “As our programming is up and more running, it’s becoming more and more apparent the need for the extra space” that the renovations will bring. “We have so much going on here at the Arts Center.”

November 25th through November 26th

Our annual indoor exhibition and sale of fine arts and crafts is held the weekend of Thanksgiving each year.

The ticketed Preview Party opens the show the evening before admission-free shopping begins. During the Preview Party, guests enjoy live music, refreshments, and door prizes while browsing the show for early shopping.

While the emphasis is on finding handmade holiday gifts and shopping local, a nice variety of art and crafts is available for sale during this show with items for all tastes and budgets.

December 2nd through December 10th

By chance, Kris Kringle, an old man in a retirement home, gets a job working as Santa for Macy’s. Kris unleashes waves of good will with Macy’s customers and the commercial world of New York City by referring parents to other stores to find exactly the toy their child has asked for. Seen as deluded and dangerous by Macy’s vocational counselor, who plots to have Kris shanghaied to Bellevue Psychiatric Hospital, Kris ends up in a court competency hearing. Especially at stake is one little girl’s belief in Santa. In a dramatic decision, the court confirms Kris as the true Santa, allowing Susan and countless other children to experience the joy of childhood fantasy.

KNOXVILLE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA HOLIDAY CONCERT

December 11th 2 p.m. ACMS

Ring in the holiday season with this favorite family pleaser!