Yearly Archives: 2012

A New Discovery Has Arrived!

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The Museum of Discovery opens today!  The mission of the Museum of Discovery is to ignite a passion for science, technology and math in a dynamic, interactive environment.

In order to carry out this mission, the museum’s space has been completely remodeled and exhibits have been replaced.  There are now nearly 90 customized, state-of-the-art, interactive science and technology showpieces in three new galleries focused on health, physical and earth sciences.

The first thing visitors will notice is that the Museum of Discovery has a new entrance.  There is now a street-level front door on President Clinton Avenue.  In 1927, when it was founded as the Museum of Natural History and Antiquities, it was in a storefront on Main Street.  Since it moved to Little Rock City Hall in 1930, it has never had a street front entrance. The museum now has “curb appeal.”

Under the leadership of Executive Director Nan Selz, the renovated space boasts almost 6,000 additional square feet, primarily in the front entrance and reception area. The new space has a contemporary look and feel. A new theater, conference room and multi-purpose classrooms provide new teaching spaces and rental opportunities.

Also new to the museum is its tinkering studio, the first of its kind in Arkansas. Inside the 450 square-foot workshop, visitors will get the chance to create, invent and discover. The studio will serve as a model for future tinkering labs at partnering discovery network museums.

The museum’s new Explore Store will house a wide variety of inventive items that are both educational and fun that will serve as a way to continue one’s museum experience, and to encourage learning and creative play.

Funding has been provided by the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, a national philanthropic organization founded in 1954 by the late media entrepreneur for whom it is named. The Museum was awarded a $9.2 million grant which funded the new construction, the renovation of the old facility and the purchase of all-new exhibits.

Museum hours are:

Tuesday through Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Sunday 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Monday Closed (Open on Monday holidays)

Admission: $10 ages 12 and older, $8 ages 1-11, Free under age 1

Friday the 13 is LUCKY for art lovers

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It is time again for 2nd Friday Art Night.  Though it may be Friday the 13th, attendees will be lucky because they’ll still have time to catch Tessaract Dancing (the art of Brett Anderson and Emily Galusha) at Historic Arkansas Museum.

Opening tonight at the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) Women to Watch series. The exhibition includes the work of artists who were selected for consideration for the NMWA’s Body of Work exhibit as part of its biennial Women to Watch series. This series features emerging or under-represented artists from the states and countries in which the museum has outreach committees.

Continuing at the Butler Center through February 25 is ARK. In the Dark: An Exhibition of Vintage Movie Posters about Arkansas. The Butler Center and Ron Robinson are co-hosting an exhibition of vintage Arkansas-related movie posters to be shown in Concordia Hall of the Arkansas Studies Institute. The show features 35 posters from films covering the years 1926 to 2009.

On the second Friday of each month, the Butler Center Galleries participate in 2nd Friday Art Night, when galleries, museums, and businesses in downtown Little Rock are open from 5 to 8 p.m. for an after-hours gallery walk.

Central Arkansas Organists in recital

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The Central Arkansas Chapter of the American Guild of Organists will be presenting its next program tomorrow evening (January 13). It will take place at First United Methodist Church in downtown Little Rock at 8:00 pm.

This evening will consists of various members performing pieces. Among the participating organists are:

Jess Anthony
Bob Bidewell
Betty Cohen (with Steve Cohen & Van Lamar)
Fred Graham
Carol Majors
Jonathan Merritt
Ralph Wilcox

The program will feature works by Bach, Bédard, Boëllmann,
Pachelbel, Schumann, Vierne, and Widor.

Weekend Theater: LARAMIE PROJECT, TEN YEARS LATER

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In the wake of the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard, playwright/director Moises Kaufman and several colleagues visited the site of the crime.  The outcome of their interviews was the performance piece The Laramie Project, which the Weekend Theater presented a few seasons back.

In 2008, Kaufman and colleagues revisited Laramie and revisited some of the interviewees. They also conducted interviews with new people who had been involved in the 1998 incident, including two of young men who attacked and killed Shepard. The result of these interviews was The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later.

Duane Jackson, who directed the Weekend Theater’s production of the previous play, helms this production.  The cast includes David Anderson, Johnnie Brannon, Alan Douglas, Jeremy Estill, Julie Atkins, Sally Graham, Regi Ott, and Roben Sullivant.  Each actor portrays a variety of characters in this tale of a town and an entire nation.

The production opens on Friday, January 13 and plays the next three weekends.  Showtimes are at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through Jan. 28. Tickets, $16 for general admission and $12 for students and seniors age 65 and over can be reserved by calling (501) 374-3761 or online at www.weekendtheater.org.

Sponsors for this production are Canvas Community Church, Quapaw Quarter United Methodist Church, Open Door Community Church, and New Beginnings Church of Central Arkansas.

CALS encourages Winter reading

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The Central Arkansas Library System (CALS) invites you to snuggle up with a good book and participate in Hot Reads for Cold Nights, a winter reading program for adults.

Hot Reads for Cold Nights will run from Monday, January 9 – Saturday, February 25.

Participation is easy. Read or listen to a book, then complete a short review of the book. For each review that you turn in to the library, you are entered into a prize drawing.

Don’t know what to read? Your library branch has bookmarks that list 2011 prize winning books, books to help you go green, beach reads to take you away from cold nights, and many other topics.

 

In Memorium: W. Francis McBeth

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Former Arkansas Symphony Orchestra conductor W. Francis McBeth died late last week.  A longtime member of the music faculty at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, his impact on instrumental music was felt throughout the state, nation and world. 

When the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra was launched in 1966, it used guest conductors for the first several years.  As one of Arkansas’ preeminent band and orchestra conductors and composers, McBeth was asked to guest conduct from time to time.  In 1971, he was named Conductor of the ASO and served in that capacity until 1973.  During his tenure, the Symphony hired its first full-time professional musicians.  He also started the tradition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” being played at the top of the first concert of the season.  At the time of his retirement from the ASO, he was designated with the title of Conductor Emeritus. 

In 1975, McBeth was designated Composer Laureate of the Arkansas by Governor David Pryor.  Arkansas was the first state to designate any individual a Composer Laureate.

McBeth retired from teaching at Ouachita in 1996 but continued to compose and conduct throughout the country until recent health developments curbed those activities.

Sculpture Sunday: Together

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A focal point of the revitalized Riverfront Park is Mark Leichliter’s Together. It was dedicated in 2008 in conjunction with the dedication of the Peabody Park play area. The piece was a gift from Longtime Little Rock banker Jack Fleischauer in honor of his three children Jennifer, Laura and Robert.

Mr. Fleischauer was battling a terminal illness when he worked with Dr. Dean Kumpuris and John Kinkade of the National Sculptor’s Guild in selecting Mark Leichliter to create this sculpture. He did not live to see the dedication, but his daughters were present at the ceremony.

The text of the accompanying plaque states:

Together.

It is in this place where we write the stories and create the dreams that will endure throughout our lifetime.

May we always cherish the spark of innocence that plays within us.

Presented to children of all ages by Jack Fleischauer in honor of his children Jennifer, Laura and Robert.

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