Monthly Archives: November 2012

Little Rock Look Back: Horace A. Knowlton Jr.

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On this date in 1872, future Little Rock Mayor Horace A. Knowlton Jr. was born.

In April 1920, he was elected City Clerk of Little Rock.  He served in that position until April 1931.  That year, he was chosen as the Democratic nominee for Mayor, denying incumbent Mayor Pat L. Robinson a second term.  Knowlton was elected Mayor in April 1931 and served two terms as Mayor.

He oversaw the start of some of President Roosevelt’s New Deal programs in Arkansas during his tenure.  One of his final acts as Mayor was to participate in the groundbreaking for the Museum of Fine Arts building in City Park (now a portion of the Arkansas Arts Center building in MacArthur Park).

Mayor Knowlton’s signature on the first City Council minutes of his Mayoral tenure.

Following his departure from public office, Mayor Knowlton and his wife eventually moved to Florida and resided in the Tampa Bay area.  He died on February 14, 1965 and is buried in the Oak Grove cemetery in Conway.

Sculpture Vulture: Standing Red

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As Thanksgiving weekend comes to a close, today’s Sculpture Vulture looks at a sculpture that was placed as a token of thanks.

In 1970, artist Tal Streeter and the Arkansas Arts Center Board of Trustees donated Streeter’s sculpture Standing Red in honor of Jeannette Edris Rockefeller.  Mrs. Rockefeller had been a champion of the Arkansas Arts Center and had served as longtime chair of the Board.  She had also been instrumental in the recruitment and hiring of Townsend Wolfe who would be the longtime director of the Arkansas Arts Center.

Streeter’s sculpture stands 27 feet tall and is 54 feet from one end to another.  It consists of a T-shaped base and a perpendicular pedestal.  It is in the Minimalist style of art.  In creating it, Streeter focused on the placement of a thin red line into a setting.  It was placed near the then-entrance of the Arkansas Arts Center (which still serves as the entrance for the Museum School and Children’s Theatre).

This was one of the earliest pieces of abstract art in Little Rock.  A silkscreen by Streeter is also in the Arkansas Arts Center collection.

Moscow Ballet NUTCRACKER in LR on November 25

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arabian-new

Karyna Shatkovskaya in Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker

On Sunday, November 25, the special 20th Anniversary production of Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker will be performed at Robinson Center Music Hall.

This production features a spectacular new “Dove of Peace,” where 2 dancers become one stunning bird, inspired by the early works of Stanislov Vlasov, original choreographer and director of Moscow Ballet’s inaugural Great Russian Nutcracker. The production also features a Christmas tree that grows to 7 stories tall; falling snow and Troika-styled sleigh escorted by Russian folk characters Ded Moroz (Father Christmas) and Snegurochka (Snow Maiden); towering hand-made silk puppets; 200 all new, lavish costumes; and 9 hand-painted backdrops, all set to Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s complete Nutcracker Suitescore.

For 20 years, Great Russian Nutcracker performances have featured the finest Russian ballerinas and danseurs. From former Bolshoi soloist Stanislov Vlasov and partner Lilia Sabitova (People’s Artist of Russia) in 1993 to the classic Marina Alexandrova and Vitaly Zabelin in 1996; danseur and upstart choreographer Anatolie Emelianov and Honored Artist of Russia Tatiana Predenia in 2002; Varna IBC Gold Medalists Cristina and Alexei Terentiev in 2006; and award winning partners Karyna Shatkovskaya and Vladimir Tkachenko in 2011. Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker celebrates 20 years of soaring holiday spirit!

Tickets can be purchased here.

Toys Designed by Artists at Ark Arts Center

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William Price – “Sheriff Rubber Ducky” (2010)
Cherry, steel, brass; 5 x 2 ½ x 5”

The Toys Designed By Artists exhibition engages museum visitors, delighting young and old alike.

In 1973, the Arkansas Arts Center initiated an exhibition of toys designed by artists. Inspired by Alexander Calder’s circus figures of the late 1920s and early 1930s, this exhibition was launched to stimulate the imagination of both children and adults and to engage them with toys of whimsy, delight and good craftsmanship.

The tradition continues this season with the 38th Toys Designed by Artists. This international juried exhibition challenges artists to take the concept of “toy” and make a personal expression – a piece of art. The wildly inventive toys selected often hearken back to the days before plastic and mass production, when all toys were handmade and, whether simple or elaborate, engaged the imagination of both maker and user.

The exhibit opened on Wednesday, November 21 and runs through January 6.

 

Little Rock Look Back: Charles P. Bertrand

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On November 23, 1808, future Mayor Charles P. Bertrand was born in New York.  He was the son of Pierre and Eliza Wilson Bertrand; his father died in 1809 in an uprising in Haiti and his mother eventually remarried.  With her new husband, Dr. Matthew Cunningham, she and the family moved to Little Rock in 1820.

After apprenticing with family friend William Woodruff at the Arkansas Gazette, Bertrand opened the Arkansas Advocate newspaper.  He later studied law under Robert Crittenden and entered the legal profession.

In 1835-1836, he served as State Treasurer for the Arkansas Territory, and in 1836 as secretary for the first constitutional convention. He was a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1840-1841 and 1844-1849.

Bertrand followed in his stepfather’s footsteps and became Mayor of Little Rock.  (Dr. Cunningham had been the first Little Rock Mayor in 1831.)  He was in office from January 1855 through January 1857, serving two one-year terms.  He later served on the City Council and filled in as acting mayor. (Another influence on his upbringing was studying under future Mayor Jesse Brown who taught at the first school in Little Rock.)

Bertrand, as acting mayor, was involved in the negotiations of the surrender of Little Rock to federal troops in 1863.  He also later corresponded with President Lincoln on behalf of Little Rock citizens.  Though a staunch Confederate, his good will toward the Union soldiers and federal officials is credited with helping to save Little Rock from the destruction which befell many other Southern cities.

He had put his considerable fortune into Confederate money during the war. At the Civil War’s conclusion, the family was financially ruined. Though they had vast land holdings, those would be sold off in parcels to pay for taxes.

Bertrand died August 27, 1865, shortly after the conclusion of the Civil War.  He, like his mother, step-father, and several other relatives is buried in Mt. Holly Cemetery.

Giving Thanks for a Baby Penguin

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Today the Culture VULTURE may be eating a turkey — but the entry is on another kind of bird.

Just in time for the holidays, the Little Rock Zoo is proud to announce the hatching of its first penguin chick on October 30, 2012. 
Penguin parents Skipper and Easy are taking good care of the chick, according to Zoo staff, who says both parents are helping to keep the chick warm and feed it regurgitated fish.
The chick will be off exhibit until it is weaned when it is around 70 days old or if the parents allow it to wonder out of the nest box.
Zoo staff say the chick is growing fast and is of normal weight for its age.  On the second day after the chick hatched it weighed in at only 54 grams.  As of yesterday, only three weeks later, the chick now weighs 943 grams.  The chick will continue to gain weight until it is full grown at around 3.4 kilograms.
The chick is healthy and eating well according to Zoo staff who regularly monitor the chick and its parents.
The sex of the chick has yet to be determined and the chick has yet to be named.
The hatching of this chick was at the recommendation of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP) for the African penguin to ensure the long-term survival of endangered and threatened animals.
           
The Little Rock Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).  Look for the AZA logo whenever you visit a zoo or aquarium as your assurance that you are supporting a facility dedicated to providing excellent care for animals, a great experience for you and a better future for all living things.  With its more than 200 accredited members, AZA is a leader in global wildlife conservation and your link to helping animals in their native habitats. 

New Director of Mosaic Templars Cultural Center

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ColeSericia Cole, who had been serving as interim director of the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, was recently named as permanent director of this museum.  Her appointment was announced by Cathie Matthews, the director of the Department of Arkansas Heritage.  Mosaic Templars is a program of Matthews’ department.

Cole, has an extensive background in the arts and public relations.  (She and I actually worked together in the 1990s at Wildwood Park for the Arts.)  Prior to joining Mosaic Templars, she served on the staff of Governor Mike Beebe.

Under Cole’s leadership, Mosaic Templars has already has been awarded $97,636 from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) in Washington, D.C., in the form of a Museum Grant for African American History and Culture, a national, federal program that awards financial contributions to museums whose primary purpose is African American art, culture and history.

“This is a terrific achievement for the staff of the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, who worked really hard toward this funding opportunity,” said Cole. “We’re thrilled that the award will allow us to hire additional museum program staff and, as a result, be able to enhance our museum collections and better serve students and educators across Arkansas.”

MTCC is one of 14 such museums from across the country to have been selected to receive an award from this competitive annual grant program.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. Through grant making, policy development, and research, IMLS helps communities and individuals thrive through broad public access to knowledge, cultural heritage, and lifelong learning.

The Mosaic Templars Cultural Center is dedicated to telling the history of African Americans in Arkansas from 1870 to the present especially in the areas of politics, business and the arts. For more information about MTCC, visit http://www.Mosaic TemplarsCenter.com. Other agencies of the Department of Arkansas Heritage include Arkansas Arts Council, Arkansas Historic Preservation, Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, Delta Cultural Center, Historic Arkansas Museum and Old State House Museum.