Yearly Archives: 2013

Labor Day Museum Monday: Museum of Discovery

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modThe Museum of Discovery is open today from 9am to 5pm. 

The featured exhibit (at the Museum until September 22) is How People Make Things. 

Every object in our world has a story of how it is made. How People Make Things tells that story by linking familiar childhood objects to a process of manufacturing that combines people, ideas and technology.

The exhibit, inspired by the factory tour segments from the Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood television series, offers hands-on activities using real factory tools and machines to create objects with four manufacturing processes – molding, cutting, deforming and assembly.  

Step into the exhibit’s main office, where you can don coveralls, lab coats, aprons, safety glasses, boots and hard hats to become a factory technician, worker or supervisor. 

hpmt small logoUse a die cutter to make a box and a horse, operate a 3-axis mill to carve a block of wax, assemble parts of a real golf cart and see who can assemble a replica of the signature trolley from Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood the fastest. You can also mold pourable wax, explore vacuum forming and injection molding and match products to the mold from which they were made.  Or play the “People in Your Neighborhood” matching game, developed with The Saturday Light Brigade radio program, where audio clues and stories help you match the person to the object they make.

“Manufacturing is an industry critical to Arkansas’s economy, and we are proud the Museum of Discovery has leased this blockbuster exhibit that shows children and their families through hands-on experiences the variety of engaging activities that take place every day on the floor of manufacturing facilities,” said Kelley Bass, Chief Executive Officer at the Museum of Discovery. “Our museum’s mission is igniting a passion for science, technology and math in a dynamic, interactive environment, and How People Make Things brings that mission to life for our visitors.”

The exhibit also features factory tour videos from the Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood television series that depict the making of crayons, carousel horses, balls, traffic lights, quarters, shoes, toy cars and toy wagons.

Additional products featured in How People Make Things include 10,000 Crayola crayons in 90 colors, 10,000 plastic pellets, traffic lights, cooking pans, sneakers, baseball bats, baseball mitts and matchbox cars.

Arkansas manufacturers will be represented through supplemental exhibit pieces, including valves from Cameron Valves and a pump produced by Franklin Electric. A streaming presentation from Cameron will also show how the company’s valves are made and can be deconstructed.

How People Make Things is sponsored by Cameron Valves, Arkansas Manufacturing Solutions and Franklin Electric. 

Labor Day Museum Monday: Arkansas Arts Center

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arkartsThe Arkansas Arts Center is happy to announce that its doors will be open on Labor Day from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Enjoy a tasty lunch at Best Impressions restaurant, open from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. and take a tour through Rembrandt, Van Dyck, Gainsborough: The Treasures of Kenwood House, London. Be sure to check out all the other exhibitions currently on display like Bauhaus twenty-21: An Ongoing Legacy – Photographs by Gordon Watkinson on its final day before it closes. Don’t forget to bring home a one-of-a-kind memento from the Museum Shop!

Remember that military receives free admission into Rembrandt, Van Dyck, Gainsborough: The Treasures of Kenwood House, London through the Blue Star Museums program!

Follow your art by taking advantage of the many benefits that a membership to the Arkansas Arts Center brings like free admission to lectures and Rembrandt, Van Dyck, Gainsborough: The Treasures of Kenwood House, London! Visit the Arkansas Arts Center website to become a member today and start enjoying discounts and exclusive access to parties and receptions.

Labor Day Museum Monday: Historic Arkansas Museum

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hamlogoSeveral Little Rock museums are offering a break from the heat on this Labor Day.

Historic Arkansas Museum is kicking off its new touring experiences today from 10am to 4pm.

Someone’s always home.

There’s a brand new way of doing things at Historic Arkansas Museum. Come see what it’s all about on Labor Day, September 2, 10 am – 4 pm.
Self-guided tours at your own pace include more hands-on activities, more pioneer demonstrations and more fun.
Bring a picnic to enjoy on the grounds. HAM will be making lemonade in the kitchen of the historic Brownlee House and we’d love to share!
There’s a brand new way of doing things at Historic Arkansas Museum. Visit the Museum from Wednesdays through Sundays and create your own experience when you visit the historic houses and grounds. Everything is at your pace as you guide yourself through the past. And there’s more going on! More costumes, more cooking, more pioneer demos, more hands-on activities.

Over the past few years, HAM has added a few new things—big things—like a working kitchen, a blacksmith shop and a two-story print shop. They are putting those big things to great use. Some days there are costumed staff working in the kitchen, perhaps pickling or maybe cooking with a Dutch oven. Other days there may have the blacksmith forging nails and chain links in the shop. Or maybe there is someone in the print shop helping visitors seal letters with wax. Or all of those things on one day, along with a rotating cast of 19th century characters who will greet you like it’s 1849 (or ’27, or ’19). Each day will offer different hands-on and interactive experiences, with no two days being exactly the same.

The staff-guided tours are still offered on Mondays and Tuesdays, but even they have changed—they are now offered every half-hour, instead of on the hour (except during the noon lunch hour). We also offer cellphone audio tours, and 360 degree visual tours on your computer or smartphone, every day.

 Historic Arkansas Museum is an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage.

Ark Arts Center exhibit on Bauhaus School of Architecture closes this week

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bauhausToday is the final Sunday of the exhibit Bauhaus twenty-21: An Ongoing Legacy – Photographs by Gordon Watkinson. The exhibit, organized by Foto+Synthesis Incorporated, has been at the Arkansas Arts Center since May.  (It was set to close today but has been extended through Monday.)

This exhibition conveys the architectural history, design and enduring philosophies of the Bauhaus, a German expression meaning “house for building” and the name of an important German School principle of architecture and design. The exhibition offers a unique perspective on Bauhaus design philosophy as it relates to architecture and its relevance in today’s society.

The Bauhaus school was founded by Walter Gropius in 1919 and introduced principles that shaped the foundation of modern architecture. Conceived as a project encompassing architecture, design and photography, Bauhaus twenty-21 not only conveys the architectural history, but also illustrates the enduring philosophies of the Bauhaus. The exhibition is comprised of 77 photographs, plans and elevations and furniture that capture the essence of Bauhaus design and its influence on modern architecture and design.

Sponsored by: Janet and Sam Alley; Cromwell Architects Engineers; The Arkansas Chapter of the American Institute of Architects; Brent Stevenson Associates

Ark Arts Center Family Festival Today

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arkartsIn celebration of Rembrandt, Van Dyck, Gainsborough: The Treasures of Kenwood House, London, join us for an English Garden Party Family Festival. Families can participate in activities and games and experience what it would have been like for Rembrandt, Van Dyck and Gainsborough.

The program takes place from 11:30 AM – 2:30 PM.

The event is free for Arkansas Arts Center members.  Non members are $5 per person, $20 per family.

Rembrandt, Van Dyck, Gainsborough: The Treasures of Kenwood House, London exhibition is organized by the American Federation of Arts and English Heritage. It is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities with additional funding from the Samuel H. Kress Foundation. In-kind support is provided by Barbara and Richard S. Lane.

This special exhibition showcases 48 masterpieces from the collection known as the Iveagh Bequest. These magnificent paintings reside at Kenwood House, a neoclassical villa in London. The tour of Rembrandt, Van Dyck, Gainsborough: The Treasures of Kenwood House, London will provide a unique opportunity to view superb paintings outside the United Kingdom. Most of these paintings have never traveled to the United States before, and many of them have rarely been seen outside Kenwood. The highly acclaimed works represent the greatest artists of their periods, including Rembrandt van Rijn, Thomas Gainsborough, Anthony van Dyck, Frans Hals, Joshua Reynolds, J.M.W. Turner and more.

Philander Smith 2013-2014 “Bless the Mic” Series announced

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???????????Philander Smith College has announced the 2013-14 schedule for its BlessThe Mic Lecture Series, set to kick off at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19 with award-winning actor, director and inspirational speaker Charles S. Dutton.

Bless The Mic is a contemporary spin on the traditional President’s Lecture Series. These events, held on hundreds of campuses across the country, have been a way to stimulate the intellectual discourse on the campus. Even today, these series seek to bring in noted scholars, authors, politicians and public intellectuals to expose not only the campus community to their ideas and concepts, but the broader community in which the institution resides.

pscduttonA graduate of the Yale School of Drama, Tony nominee Charles S. Dutton’s career spans theater, television and film. From 1991 to 1994 he starred in the title role and executive produced the critically-acclaimed Fox comedy/drama Roc, for which he received several NAACP Image Award nominations. Dutton has numerous other television credits, having won Emmy Awards for his guest starring roles in Without a Trace and The Practice. Most recently he can be seen in guest star roles on top shows Criminal Minds and American Horror Story.

The Baltimore native is also a veteran of numerous feature films, including Aliens 3; Cry, The Beloved Country; A Time to Kill; Get on the Bus; and Cookie’s Fortune. On Broadway he has starred in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and The Piano Lesson.

PSCjohnOn Thursday, Oct. 17 at 7 p.m., Daymond John, entrepreneur, investor, author and cast member of ABC’s Shark Tank will speak. John is perhaps best known for being one of the creators of the global fashion brand FUBU. As founder and CEO, FUBU has amassed over four billion dollars in worldwide retail sales. As a consultant and business/motivational speaker, John works with products and celebrities to create awareness of marketing and entrepreneurship opportunities, and brand extension projects. In 2009, he joined the cast of Shark Tank, a show in which he and other business executives listen to the business pitches of aspiring entrepreneurs to decide whether to invest in their projects.

pschuddlestonA native of Imboden, Ark., TV producer Bryant Huddleston, will appear at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 14.  Huddleston began his broadcast career in Fayetteville, Ark., at KHOG-TV. In 1998, he relocated to Los Angeles and began producing news, specials and live red carpet events for the E! Network. In 2004 he joined NBC’s Access Hollywood where he spent eight years. Huddleston recently helped launch the Bravo network’s new series Property Envy. The single father of a young son, Huddleston is also an ardent advocate for equality and adoption rights for LGBT citizens and speaks frequently on those issues.

pscsmithJudy Smith, the real-life inspiration behind ABC’s hit political thriller series Scandal, will lecture at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 9, 2014.  The founder and president of Smith & Company, a strategic and crisis communications firm with offices in Los Angeles and Washington, DC, Smith has honed her skills through experiences guiding her clients through some of the most sensational events of our time, including the Iran Contra investigation, the Los Angeles riots, President Clinton’s involvement with Monica Lewinsky and the congressional inquiry of Enron, to name a few. Celebrities she has consulted in times of crisis include actor Wesley Snipes, NFL quarterback Michael Vick, and more recently, celebrity chef Paula Deen. She has also worked with Fortune 500 companies such as BellSouth and Wal-Mart.

In 1991, Smith joined the White House with her appointment as special assistant and deputy press secretary to President George H. W. Bush. During her tenure she provided the president and his cabinet with communications advice on a wide range of foreign and domestic issues.  Smith earned her B.S. in public relations from Boston University and graduated from the American University Washington College of Law where she was the first African American woman to serve as executive editor of the Law Review. The author of Good Self, Bad Self: Transforming Your Worse Qualities into Your Biggest Assets, Smith’s writing her been featured in numerous publications and she frequently appears on major TV networks offering commentary on topical issues of the day.

pscdelvalleThe series continues at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 13 with poet and spoken word artist Mayda del Valle.  Chosen by O Magazine as one of 20 women on the first “O Power List,” the Chicago native is the youngest poet and first Latino to win the 2001 National Poetry Slam Individual Championship. Soon after she was chosen to perform on the first season of the HBO’s Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry, followed by a stint as an original cast member and contributing writer of the critically acclaimed Tony award winning production of Russell Simmons Def Poetry Jam on Broadway. Del Valle, who has been featured in numerous publications including Urban Latino, Latina magazine and the New York Time, holds a B.A. in Art from Williams College.

pscwhiteTeacher, pastor and international evangelist Paula White will visit Philander Smith College at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 20.  White is senior pastor of New Destiny Christian Center in Apopka, Fl., “a non-traditional church with a multicultural mission” whose membership ranges in the thousands. Through her Paula White Ministries, she works to support hundreds of local, international and global outreaches, and presently is focused on building orphanages, schools, churches, clean-water wells and feeding stations around the world; providing medical care and ministerial training internationally; and organizing crusades in areas such as Haiti, Africa and India.  Host of the nationally-syndicated television program Paula Today, White is the former senior pastor of Without Walls International Church of Tampa, Fl., a ministry she co-founded with her former husband, Randy White.

Free and open to the public, all lectures are held in the M.L. Harris Auditorium. Tickets are not required; seating is first-come, first-serve. For more information, call 370-5354.

Extended Hours, Lecture, Nighttime Dining all at Arkansas Arts Center tonight

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Rembrandt van Rijn Portrait of the Artist, ca. 1665 Oil on canvas Kenwood House, English Heritage, Iveagh Bequest (88028836) Photo courtesy American Federation of Arts

Rembrandt van Rijn
Portrait of the Artist, ca. 1665
Oil on canvas
Kenwood House, English Heritage, Iveagh Bequest (88028836)
Photo courtesy American Federation of Arts

Tonight at the Arkansas Arts Center, there is a lecture in conjunction with the Rembrandt, Van Dyck, Gainsborough: The Treasures of Kenwood House, London exhibit.

The Arkansas Arts Center is presenting “Collecting Rembrandt: Perils and Pleasures One Hundred Years Ago,” a lecture by Catherine B. Scallen. Professor Scallen is Chair of the Department of Art History and Art at Case Western Reserve University.

The program begins at 5:30 p.m. with a reception followed by a 6 p.m. lecture at the Arkansas Arts Center.  The admission is $10 for non-members; free for members and students.

Professor Scallen received her BA from Wellesley College, her MA from the Williams College Graduate Program in the HIstory of Art, and her PhD from Princeton University. After receiving her doctorate, she held a graduate internship in the Paintings Department of the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles. A specialist on the paintings and prints of Rembrandt van Rijn, her book, Rembrandt, Reputation, and the Practice of Connoisseurship, was published in 2004.  She has been a faculty lecturer on trips to The Netherlands and Belgium for Princeton University and CWRU, and is the author of two courses for The Great Courses Company, Art of the Northern Renaissance and Museum Masterpieces: The National Gallery, London.

Attendees are welcome to stay after the lecture to view Rembrandt, Van Dyck, Gainsborough: The Treasures of Kenwood House, London during the exhibition’s special extended hours.

Best Impressions restaurant will also be open during the extended hours.