Monthly Archives: January 2013

Reel Classics with Rep: The Quilts of Gee’s Bend

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quiltsofgeesbendIn conjunction with the upcoming play Gee’s Bend, the Arkansas Repertory Theatre’s monthly film series tonight will feature The Quilts of Gee’s Bend.  Reel Classics with the Rep starts at 6:00pm.

Set in the quiltmaker’s homes and yard, and told through the women’s voices, this music-filled, documentary takes viewers inside the art and fascinating living history of a uniquely American community and art form.

Prior to the film, members of The Rep’s creative team will discuss Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder’s play Gee’s Bend.  Reel Classics with the Rep takes place at the Laman Library in North Little Rock.

Gee’s Bend runs from Janury 23 through February 10.  Opening night if January 25.

The story of the women of Gee’s Bend has already touched millions who viewed their stunning work through a national exhibition tour and features on National Public Radio, Newsweek  and O Magazine.  “The Quilts of Gee’s Bend” have been exhibited at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, the Indianapolis Museum of Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art, among others.

The Arkansas Rep’s production is made possible in part by a grant from the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame Foundation, a component fund of the Arkansas Community Fund.

Arkansas Arts Center exhibit – Museum School Faculty Exhibition: Past and Present

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David Bailin’s Anticipated Exile, 1988
charcoal and oil on canvas
Arkansas Arts Center Foundation Collection:Purchase, Grand Award, 31st Annual Delta Art Exhibition

In conjunction with the Arkansas Arts Center 50th Anniversary celebration, a new exhibit has just been installed.

The Museum School Faculty Exhibition: Past and Present pays tribute to the Museum School faculty. The Arkansas Arts Center first began offering art classes for children and adults during the spring of 1960, prior to the construction of the new facility.

When the new Arts Center was completed in May of 1963, it included studios that comprise the Museum School in which a full schedule of art classes was offered.

The Museum School Faculty Exhibition: Past and Present highlights work created by current Museum School Faculty along with work from the permanent collection by former faculty members. Works in a variety of media are featured. This exhibition is the final installment in the series.

The exhibit runs through March 10.

The Arkansas Arts Center galleries are open:

Tuesday – Saturday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Sunday 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Ballet Arkansas: Open Master Class with Peter Zweifel

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FBLOGO 2Former Texas Ballet Theater artist, Peter Zweifel, will teach a master class for dancers in the Ballet Arkansas studio at Shuffles & Ballet II, 1521 Merrill Drive, in Little Rock on Sunday, January 13.  The class begins at 3 pm and will conclude at 5 pm.
This class is the third in a series of Master Classes to be taught by Ballet Arkansas’ guest choreographers and guest dancers throughout the 2012-2013 Season.  Mr. Zweifel is choreographing a new work for Ballet Arkansas’ spring concert, Spring into Motion, which premieres at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre April 5-7, 2013.
It will take place at the Ballet Arkansas Studio at Shuffles & Ballet II (1521 Merrill Drive).  Please arrive early to register.  The class fee is $25 and the observer fee is $15.  Both participants and observer numbers are limited; advance reservations are required. Email info@balletarkansas.org to reserve your spot. Female dancers should bring pointe shoes. 

PETEROriginally from Sheboygan, Wisconsin, Peter Zweifel began his ballet training at the Jean Wolfmeyer School of Dance. After continuing his studies at the Virginia School of the Arts and Houston Ballet Academy, Mr. Zweifel joined Texas Ballet Theater where he danced for eight seasons under artistic director Ben Stevenson.

While at Texas Ballet Theater, Mr. Zweifel enjoyed dancing principal roles in Ben Stevenson’s Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Dracula, Cleopatra, Giselle, Mozart’s Requiem, Endangered Species, and Four Last Songs. He also performed principal roles in Val Caniparoli’s Lamborena and Dominic Walsh’s Flames of Eros, as well as a soloist role in George Balanchine’s Theme and Variations. In 2011, he was awarded the Ben Stevenson Award for Excellence.

Mr. Zweifel first began choreographing as a student at the Virginia School of the Arts and has since choreographed for various national and international ballet schools. He has multiple ballets in Texas Ballet Theater’s repertoire including “Absence,” “Sweet and Tangy,” “Glimpse,” “Love Always Remains,” and “The Finding.”

In December of 2010, he was named by Dallas Modern Luxury Magazine as one of the top ten artists to watch, and in 2006 he received a New York Choreographic Institute Fellowship Initiative Grant. In the summer of 2012, Mr. Zweifel moved to New York City to attend Parsons The New School for Design.

2013’s first 2nd Friday Art Night!

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Start the New Year off right by visiting the various sites participating in 2nd Friday Art Night.  Downtown from 5pm to 8pm tonight, there are museums and galleries staying open later with great art, music and refreshments.

Here are a few highlights:

Christ Church (509 Scott Street) features an exhibit entitled “Beating Hooves.”  Featuring pen and ink drawings by Mary Shelton, this exhibit focuses on horses and jockeys in the horse racing milieu.  It is a perfect way to get in the mood for racing season at Oaklawn.  The exhibit runs through March 3.

Old State House (300 West Markham) will offer live music by Geoffrey Robson and David Gerstein.  These two master musicians will perform duos for violin and cello, featuring works by Beethoven, Schubert, and Zoltan Kodaly. Robson is violinist and associate conductor of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra. Gerstein is principal cellist of the ASO.

Historic Arkansas Museum (200 East Third Street) opens a new exhibit entitled “Marty Smith: Perfect Balance.”  It will be in the second floor gallery.  Continuing exhibits include “Beyond the Expected: Norwood Creech, Paulette Palmer and Edward Wade, Jr.,” “Recent Acquisitions: A Collection Vision, 2008 – 2012,” and “We Walk in Two Worlds.

The Butler Center for Arkansas Studies of the Central Arkansas Library System is also opening a new exhibit tonight.  In the Clinton for Arkansas exhibition, selected materials from the Bill Clinton State Government Project depict Clinton’s political career in Arkansas and its impact on the state. Items representing both politics and policy are featured, including materials from his run for Congress in 1974 and his term as attorney general, as well as from his twelve years as governor. In addition, the exhibition highlights campaign memorabilia from 1974 through his second presidential bid in 1996.

Arkansas Preservation Awards tomorrow night

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The Historic Preservation Alliance of Arkansas will present the Arkansas Preservation Awards tomorrow night (January 11) in a ceremony at the Arkansas Governor’s Mansion.

The annual Arkansas Preservation Awards recognize preservation efforts across the state over the past year. These achievements range from outstanding examples of rehabilitated structures, revitalized neighborhoods and commercial districts, and lifetime achievement in Arkansas preservation.

Among the award recipients are Bill Worthen, who will received the The Parker Westbrook Award.  That award recognizes significant individual achievement in historic preservation. It is the Alliance’s only award for achievement in preservation over a period of years. The award may be presented to an individual, organiza­tion, business, or public agency whose activity may be of local, statewide, or regional importance.  Worthen recently started his 41st year as director of Historic Arkansas Museum.  Outside of the museum, he has been engaged in many historic preservation efforts.

The award is named for longtime Arkansas historian and historic preservation advocate.  Previous recipients have been Bobby Roberts of the Central Arkansas Library System; Theodosia Murphy Nolan of El Dorado; Marty and Elise Roenigk of Eureka Springs; Bobbie Heffington, formerly deputy director of the Department of Arkansas Heritage; Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola; and Courtney Crouch Jr. of Hot Springs.

The Historic Preservation Alliance of Arkansas has been a statewide voice for preservation in Arkansas for over thirty years. The Alliance is the only statewide nonprofit organization focused on preserving Arkansas’s architectural and cultural resources.

Founded in 1981, the Alliance’s mission is to educate, advocate and assist preservation efforts across the state, through educational programs centered on architectural heritage, advocating for preservation legislation, and assisting owners of historic properties with the means and expertise to preserve and restore historic structures.

Tickets for the event can be purchased at the Alliance’s website.

Bob Nash headlines January “Legacies & Lunch” today at noon

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The Butler Center for Arkansas Studies will host Bob Nash as the speaker for Legacies and Lunch on Wednesday, January 9, at noon in the Main Library’s Darragh Center, 100 Rock Street.To commemorate the 20th anniversary of Bill Clinton’s inauguration as President, Nash will discuss what it was like working with Governor Clinton, keeping the state government going during a presidential campaign, and going to Washington with some of President Clinton’s Arkansas friends and colleagues.

Nash served as Governor Clinton’s senior executive assistant in charge of economic development policy. He then served as President Clinton’s U.S. Undersecretary of Agriculture and White House personnel director.

The Butler Center’s Legacies & Lunch program is free and open to the public and supported in part by the Arkansas Humanities Council. Attendees are invited to bring a sack lunch; drinks and dessert will be provided.

The Butler Center for Arkansas Studies is a department of the Central Arkansas Library System. It was founded in 1997 to promote the study and appreciation of Arkansas history and culture. The Butler Center’s research collections, art galleries, and offices are located in the Arkansas Studies Institute building at 401 President Clinton Ave. on the campus of the CALS Main Library.

ASO Launches Neighborhood Concert Series

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ASO_revThe Arkansas Symphony Orchestra introduces a new three-concert chamber orchestra series in Little Rock in 2013.

ASO’s Stella Boyle Smith Intimate Neighborhood Concert Series features an opportunity for concertgoers to hear works in unique acoustical settings just like the composers intended.

“We are very excited to be able launch the new Stella Boyle Smith I.N.C. Intimate Neighborhood Concert Series. Our mission is to engage, inspire, connect, and advance Arkansas through the power of music. These concerts achieve each point. Performing in churches will allow the audience to hear the music of Mozart, Rossini and Vaughan Williams in intimate spaces that allow the music to be felt, absorbed, and experienced. To accommodate busy work weeks, these concerts will be short. For those that want to socialize, the musicians will stay after the performance to connect with the audience over refreshments,” said Christina Littlejohn, Executive Director.

Capacity is limited. There will be two general admission seating sections. Premium section subscriptions are $52.50 and Regular section subscriptions are $37.50 for all three concerts. Single tickets are $35 and $25. Tickets for students and active military are $10. Tickets can be purchased online  at www.ArkansasSymphony.org, over the phone at (501) 666-1761, or at the door.

 

2013 Stella Boyle Smith Intimate Neighborhood Concert Series

January 17, 2013 at 7 p.m. Pulaski Heights Methodist Church

Featuring Justin Bischof, organ

ROSSINI: Barber of Seville: Overture

POULENC: Concerto for Organ

IVES: The Unanswered Question

MOZART: Symphony No. 35 in D, “Haffner”

 

March 14, 2013 at 7 p.m. Christ Church

Featuring Quapaw Quartet, Rockefeller Quartet, and Beth Wheeler, English horn

ELGAR: Introduction and Allegro, op. 47

HIGDON: Soliloquy

VAUGHN WILLIAMS: Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis

BARTOK: Romanian Folk Dances

 

Mozart Requiem with Arkansas Chamber Singers: May 16, 2013 at 7 p.m. First United Methodist Church

Featuring Arkansas Chamber Singers with John Erwin, ACS Music Director

MOZART: Requiem