Yearly Archives: 2012

Sculpture at the River Market Show and Sale this weekend

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Hundreds of sculptures and thousands of visitors will again populate the River Market Pavilions when 2012 Sculpture at the River Market returns for the sixth year on October 19 – 21.

The sculptures will be on display in the River Market Pavilions and in the adjacent area of Riverfront Park. The works featured will include all types of media, style, subject matter, and size.

Admission to Sculpture at the River Market is free. Sculpture at the River Market Market will run from 9AM to 5PM on Saturday, October 19 and from 10AM to 4PM on Sunday, October 21.

On Saturday, Sculpture at the River Market will take place in conjunction with the Farmers’ Market.

At 2pm today, there will be a dedication of a new piece of public art.  A one of kind 15 foot sculpture constructed of stainless steel, glass and bronze was the winner of the 2011 Sculpture at the River Market people’s choice award. “The Center” by artist Chapel received the most votes.

This evening there will be a preview party where patrons will get the first chance to see the artwork, visit with the sculptors, and purchase sculptures. Tickets for the preview party are $100.

The sale and show is sponsored by the City of Little Rock and the National Sculptors’ Guild. Proceeds from the sale of artwork will fund upgrades in Riverfront Park and the River Market.

Among the artists are Arkansans Terry and Maritza Cornejo Bean, Shelley Buonaiuto, Bryan Massey Sr., Ed Pennebaker, Ryan T. Schmidt, John Sewell, Margaret Warren and Michael Warrick.

Other artists include Lori Acott, Kevin Box, Kathleen Caricof, Dee Clements, Ron Chapel, Tim Cherry, Merrilee Cleveland, Frederic Crist, Darrell Davis, Jane DeDecker, Clay Enoch, Cassandra Fink, Jim Goshorn, Denny Haskew, Mark Hopkins, Ryan Mays, Bruce Niemi, Nic Noblique, Reza Pishgahi, Don Rambadt, Merle Randolph, Kevin Robb, Karla Runquist, Emelene Russell, Wayne Salge, Sandy Scott, Adam Schultz, Kim Shaklee, James Paulsen Solway, Sam Spiczka, Pati Stajcar, Arabella Tattershall, Kevin Trobaugh and C. T. Whitehouse

Museum of Discovery goes Uncorked tonight

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Charles Morgan and Alex Dietz, who helped build Acxiom from a small Conway business into a global force in data and data management, will serve as honorary chairmen for the 11th Annual Uncorked: The Mad Scientist Mash, a fundraiser for the Museum of Discovery. The event will be from 6:30 to 9 p.m. October 18 at the museum, 500 President Clinton Avenue.

“As kids, Alex and I both were energized by science, technology and math – and that led us to get our degrees in engineering and go on to Acxiom in the early 1970s,” Morgan says. “We think it is critical that more Arkansas youth get the chance to have that same spark ignited, and the Museum of Discovery is the premier institution in our state providing that opportunity in a dynamic, hands-on, interactive environment.”

Guests, ages 21 and older, will be able to explore and experience the almost 90 interactive exhibits and discover the fun of science. There also will be interactive “Mad Scientist” experiments and encounters with the museum’s own live animals.

Tasting stations will include specialty wines and beers courtesy of Glazer’s of Arkansas. A wine pull will provide attendees the opportunity to win bottles of wine, some of which sell for well more than the $20 cost to participate. A silent auction will showcase wine-related items, gift certificates, unique experiences and more. Attendees can park free in the River Market parking deck; the entrance is on Second Street between River Market Avenue and Sherman Street.

This year’s “must have” raffle item will be a $1,000 gift certificate to Kenneth Edwards Fine Jewelers.

Event proceeds benefit the Museum of Discovery’s statewide educational outreach programs.

Morgan joined Acxiom as vice president in 1972, became chief executive officer in 1975, the position he held before retiring in 2008. Dietz joined Acxiom in 1970 and helped set the data product vision for the company, serving many years as Products Division leader before retiring in 2009. They were two of the visionaries who grew the company from 25 employees and $500,000 in annual revenue in the early 1970s to a global footprint with more than 7,500 employees and $1.5 billion in annual revenue when they retired.

“I was always interested in math – and in how things worked,” Dietz said. “It was that interest and curiosity that helped me drive innovation in Acxiom’s products. Charles and I urge all Arkansans who care about our state’s future to support the Museum of Discovery and this enjoyable Uncorked event.”

Event tickets are $100 and can be purchased at http://www.museumofdiscovery.org. For more information, please contact Meredith Poland at mpoland@museumofdiscovery.org or 501-537-3077.

About the Museum of Discovery

Located in Little Rock’s historic River Market District, the Donald W. Reynolds Science Center at the Museum of Discovery is central Arkansas’s premier science, technology and math center. With nearly 90 state-of-the-art interactive exhibits in three galleries focused on health, physical and earth sciences, and a highly trained staff, it is a leading resource for informal science-related education. The Donald W. Reynolds Science Center at the Museum of Discovery’s mission is to ignite a passion for science, technology and math in a dynamic, interactive environment.

The Donald W. Reynolds Foundation awarded the Museum a $9.2 million grant solely dedicated to the renovation. The money paid for the renovation of 44,000 square feet of existing space, a 6,000 square-foot addition and new exhibits throughout the facility.

Boo at the Zoo – October 19 – 21; 26-31

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Boo at the Zoo is the largest family Halloween festival in Arkansas.

Now in its 21st year, Boo at the Zoo has become a family tradition.  Boo at the Zoo features trick-or-treating in a safe environment along with several amenities and attractions including: a hay maze, carnival rides, fair-style food & other concessions, the haunted train, a haunted house for older kids, a costume contest, Ghost Roast s’mores area, Frankenstein’s Dance Party, and much, much more.

Freaky fun and spooky animals are lurking at every term all over the park. Live music and food on the weekend will keep the parents entertained. Kids will be fascinated by all the animals and the keepers’ extensive knowledge. Live musical groups will keep things lively on the Elephant Stage and free magic shows for the kids start around 6:30pm.

On Thursday, October 18, the Zoo will host an Adults-only preview party.  Enjoy some fun libations as you preview Arkansas’ largest Halloween festival, Boo at the Zoo! Guests to this special adults-only preview night will “trick-or-treat” for some special concoctions and get a chance to experience all the fun of Boo at the Zoo including the haunted train, haunted house, Frankenstein’s Dance Party, and a costume contest!  Food truck vendors will be available for you to purchase some delicious snacks, too.

Art of Architecture series returns tonight with Professor Mark Boyer

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Mark Boyer will present a lecture titled “New Ground, Notable Projects” on Oct. 16 in Little Rock, as part of the Architecture and Design Network’s 2012-2013 Art of Architecture lecture seriesThe “Art of Architecture” series kicks of 2012-2013 with Professor Mark Boyer discussing “New Ground, Notable Projects.”  It will take place tonight, October 16, at the Arkansas Arts Center. The lecture will begin at 6 p.m. in the center’s Lecture Hall, following a 5:30 p.m. reception.

Boyer is head of the department of landscape architecture in the Fay Jones School of Architecture at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. He also currently serves as second vice president of the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture, the national organization of landscape architecture educators. He earned a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture at the University of Kentucky and a Master of Landscape Architecture from Louisiana State University. He is the first landscape architect to participate in the Art of Architecture lecture series program, now in its ninth season.

Boyer will present an overview of several exciting and timely departmental programs and the creative contributions of both students and faculty members to those programs. For example, he’ll discuss a memorial for fallen police officers in West Memphis; the Campus RainWorks Challenge, a design competition run by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; and a project and research involving the Rohwer War Relocation Center in southeast Arkansas. In addition, he’ll describe green roof research, research of Roosevelt Era communities and a potential Haiti project.

The 2012-13 Art of Architecture lecture series is sponsored by the Architecture and Design Network, with support from the Central Arkansas Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, the Arkansas Arts Center and the Fay Jones School of Architecture.

Preservation Conversations Tonight

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The Quapaw Quarter Association’s monthly Preservation Conversation continues tonight.

This month Riley May of Riley May Restoration, creator of the new floorcloth in Curran Hall, will talk about floorcloths.  The floorcloth was installed at Curran Hall in September.

The program takes place this evening at Curran Hall, 615 East Capitol Avenue. From 5 to 5:30 a reception will take place. The program will run from 5:30 to 6:30.

The Quapaw Quarter Association’s mission is to promote the preservation of Little Rock’s architectural heritage through advocacy, marketing and education. Incorporated in 1968, the QQA grew out of an effort to identify and protect significant historic structures in Little Rock during the urban renewal projects of the early 1960s. Throughout its existence, the QQA has been a driving force behind historic preservation in Greater Little Rock.

Sculpture Vulture: Collen Nyanhongo’s “Resting Angel”

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The Sculpture at the River Market show and sale starts this coming Friday evening and runs through next Sunday.  To mark this, the October Sculpture Vulture is highlighting sculptures from previous shows.

Today’s is Collen Nyanhongo’s Resting Angel.  Carved out of stone, this features both rough and polished surfaces of a variety of textures. On one side, it appears that an angel’s wing is emerging from a stone pillar.  The other side depicts a profile of the angel’s face in the same shape as the wing.

Collen Nyanhongo’s homeland is Zimbabwe, which means “large house of stone.” He is a member of the most significant family of artists in Zimbabwe and learned the craft of using simple hand tools to sculpt his stones from his father, Claude Nyanhongo, a first-generation artist who helped create the Zimbabwe Sculpture Movement fifty years ago. The Zimbabwe Sculpture Movement is heralded as the most prominent art form to emerge from Africa in the 20th century.

Forging his own vision from his powerful artistic roots, Collen Nyanhongo blends traditional figurative form into metaphorical abstract expression that transcends his past and establishes him as an eminent world artist whose work has been honored in Zimbabwe, France, Netherlands, Denmark, Australia, Holland, England, Switzerland, Germany, South Africa and the United States.

Collen sculpts in all sizes, from a 15 ton marble stone for a public art project in Fort Collins, Colorado to smaller pieces that demand to be held and caressed. He prefers working with hard stones like Springstone, Serpentine and Lopidolite and ships them in from Zimbabwe quarries to wherever he is living and working.

Ballet Arkansas premieres AMERICAN IMAGES

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Just a few short years ago, Ballet Arkansas pretty much existed to produce the annual production of The Nutcracker.  Now, they are in the position to present an evening of six newly commissioned dance pieces!  Congratulations to all who have made this possible.

Tonight, Ballet Arkansas kicks off the 2012-2013 season with American Images, an evening of six commissioned works each built around the American cultural landscape.  The works are:

Times Torn
A Civil War ballet by Marla Edwards, the ballet’s new Ballet Mistress, herself a former soloist with Ballet Arkansas and a veteran of the Houston Ballet School.
American Dream
Choreography by Stephanie Thibeault, Associate Professor of Dance at UALR.
Pop
Choreography by Michelle Alexander, based on the art and writings of pop culture icon Andy Warhol.
Delta…Push Up Open
Choreography by Little Rock native Leslie Schickel, which premiered in March, 2012.
Spectre
A silent-film era pas de deux choreographed by former Ballet Arkansas guest dancer Edmond Cooper
Nowhere/Now Here 
Choreography by Tong Wang, currently assistant professor at University of California – Irvine Department of Dance. Wang is a former principal dancer at Ballet West in Salt Lake City and has worked with Shanghai Ballet, Tulsa Ballet Theatre, Dayton Ballet,
and Colorado Ballet, among many others.

 

The works premiered last night and will continue today at 4:00pm and tomorrow at 2:00pm at Wildwood Park for the Arts.  Also, while at Wildwood, enjoy this weekend’s Harvest Festival.