Monthly Archives: August 2015

A Rowdy Faith tonight at 8 at The Undercroft

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Undercroft Rowdy FaithAppropriately for a music series serving beer which takes place in a church, The Undercroft welcomes A Rowdy Faith tonight at 8pm.

Alisyn Reid & Cate Davison make up this folk/Americana singing duo. As their official bio states they dabble in “singing, songwriting, storytelling, vocal harmonies, awkward on-stage rambling: the whole package.” Catch their act Friday, Aug. 28 at 8 pm. Tickets are $5 at the door. And there’s homebrew from Undercroft Beers.

Reid and Davison Cate first sang together ten years ago on a beach in South Carolina. They went their separate ways, wrote their separate songs, but have brought their voices together again as A Rowdy Faith. They consider their music folk/Americana, but each have distinct influences—Reid’s music has elements of country and rock and roll, while Davison’s has evidence of jazz and blues.

The Undercroft is in the lower level of Christ Church. Access it through the street level red door on Capitol Avenue, just to the east of Scott Street.

Sculpture Vulture: National Bow Tie Day

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DSC_0701Today is National Bow Tie Day.  Though there is not specifically a sculpture in Little Rock with a bow tie, one of the newest sculptures in Riverfront Park mimics the shape of a bow tie.  Valerie Jean Schafer’s Butterfly Banner evokes not only a butterfly but a bow tie.  However, the imagery goes beyond that.

This is drawn from a visual vocabulary inspired by Native American artifacts from prehistory. While a banner was originally a small stone or wood counterweight for the atlatl (a weapon predating the bow and arrow) this enlarged representation speaks of the beauty of Native American culture beyond the usual stereotypes. The sculpture embraces tradition, as it reveals Native Americans as inhabitants of the Americas far longer than most people believe. At the same time, the simplicity of the form evokes a sense of elegance with a decidedly contemporary feel.

Dean Kumpuris 2014It is fitting that it is located in Riverfront Park. The Trail of Tears went through the park as Native Americans were forcibly moved west.  It serves as a reminder of the heritage of Little Rock. Not all of the City’s past was glorious; but in remembering the past, it helps to look forward to a better future.

It is also appropriate to feature this sculpture today for another reason.  A driving force behind the placement of sculptures in Little Rock is bow tie clad City Director Dr. Dean Kumpuris.

Studio Show series of Arkansas Arts Center Children’s Theatre launches with THE UGLY DUCKLING

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aac ct ss UglyDuckling_posterThis year, the Arkansas Arts Center Children’s Theatre features three Studio Shows in addition to its mainstage shows.  Up first, The Ugly Duckling, Aug. 28-Sept. 6, 2015.

Devised and directed by Katie Campbell, The Ugly Duckling is a reimagining of the classic fairytale by Hans Christian Andersen. It follows a young girl as she embarks on a journey of self-discovery and personal transformation. This shadow play unfolds with three actor-puppeteers, two overhead projectors, nearly 100 paper puppets.

“The striking and graphic simplicity of the paper cutting along with the inherently cinematic quality of overhead projector puppetry lays the aesthetic foundation for the production,” Campbell said. “There is no dialogue as the narrative unfolds entirely in the visual language of puppetry and the emotional topography of music.”

Campbell, a North Carolina native, made her home in Little Rock eight years ago when she became a company member with the Arkansas Arts Center Children’s Theatre. The Ugly Duckling stemmed from a thesis project as she pursed an MFA in directing theatre for young audiences at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

“It happened out of necessity—I needed a story that could be told with very few actors and a minimalist set in order to share a tour van with another student,” Campbell said. “But I believe in the story so much. I love telling stories of personal transformation, so it was a natural fit for me to reimagine Andersen’s classic but to adapt it from my personal life lens.”

After touring in North Carolina, Campbell contacted the AACCT to gauge their interest in her show. “There’s never been a single idea that Brad [Bradley Anderson, AACCT artistic director] has said ‘no’ to,” Campbell said. “He and the Arts Center are just so supportive and encouraging of anyone with artistic ambition.”

Before the show could begin at the AAC Children’s Theatre, Campbell needed to find new music since the University of North Carolina at Greensboro owned the rights to the original scores. Enter the Jim Henson Foundation.

The Ugly Duckling was the recipient of a 2015 Jim Henson Foundation Family Grant which celebrates innovation and excellence in puppetry. The grant allowed Campbell to approach Jessica Drake Mosher to compose and arrange new, original music.

The two met through a mutual friend on Facebook, and after only a few months of comparing notes, the ensemble was complete. Mosher’s music will be performed live by a 15-piece ensemble from the Arkansas Symphony Youth Orchestra, directed by Geoffrey Robson.

“I have long been interested in collaborating with the Arkansas Arts Center and this is a wonderful opportunity for a first collaboration,” said Robson, associate conductor for the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra.

“I was even more excited that Katie was commissioning new music to be written for this production,” Robson said. “It is always a thrill to be involved in a world premiere, and to give students the opportunity to work with a living composer. Performing a piece of music for the first time is a unique learning experience, and it is a thrill that all of this is happening as the Arts Center kicks off its Studio Series.”

“This is a true collaboration of arts organizations,” Campbell said. “I just consider myself a caretaker of this project because it would not have been possible without any of them.”

After the 36-minute show, the audience is invited to participate in a hands-on demonstration of the shadow puppetry process.

The Ugly Duckling is presented by The Philip R. Jonsson Foundation and sponsored by the Jim Henson Foundation. The 2015/2016 season of the Arkansas Arts Center Children’s Theatre is sponsored by: Presenting Sponsor, Arkansas BlueCross Blue Shield; Fall Season Sponsor, Centennial Bank; Spring Season Sponsors, The Fine Arts Club of Arkansas and Dr. Loren Bartole, ‘Family Foot Care’; Additional Support Provided by The Morris Foundation and Media Sponsor, Little Rock Family Magazine.

Show times: Fridays at 7 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m.

Ticket prices: $10 General admission, $8 for Arkansas Arts Center members

Creative Corridor Banners Unveiled 

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The designs for the Main Street Creative Corridor banner competition were officially “unveiled” 10 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 27, at the parking deck at 2nd and Main streets as artists Stephano and Virmarie DePoyster who created the winning works are introduced.
Also speaking were Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola, Downtown Partnership Executive Director Gabe Holmstrom, and Arkansas Arts Center Executive Director Todd Herman.

Funding for the two outside banners and lighting for all three comes from the private foundation ArtPlace. Funding for the middle banner comes from the Little Rock Visitors and Convention Bureau.

Science after Dark at Museum of Discovery tonight – Science of Animals

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sep mod science after darkEach month the Museum of Discovery hosts “Science after Dark” for adults aged 21 and up.  This month’s theme is “Science of Animals.”

The program will feature a lot of animals for guests to meet at this month’s Science After Dark ! It’s all happening this Thursday from 6-9 p.m. Admission is $5. Bring cash for pizza by Damgoode Pies, beer by Stone’s Throw Brewing and cocktails by Juanita’s Tex-Mex Restaurant & LIVE Music Hub. Thanks to the event sponsor Whole Foods Market Little Rock!

The program runs from 6pm to 9pm. Cost is $5, FREE for museum members. (Go ahead and get a membership, it will more than pay for itself within a year!)

BEND, examining Japanese American experience in World War II, to be presented tonight

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Bend-DrawingCloseUp72-bannerTonight at 7pm at the Ron Robinson Theater, the Arkansas Archeological Survey presents a play about the Japanese American experience during World War II.
Kimi Maeda’s solo performance, Bend, tells the true story of two men interned in a Japanese American internment camp during World War II: Maeda’s father, an Asian Art historian currently suffering from dementia, and the subject of his research, Isamu Noguchi, a half-Japanese-half-American sculptor. Weaving together live feed projections of sand drawings with archival footage from the 1940s, Maeda’s performance poses important questions about how the Japanese American internment camps will be remembered.
The Arkansas Archeological Survey is partnering with the World War II Japanese American Internment Museum, the University of Arkansas at Monticello’s Japanese Club, and the University of Arkansas in Little Rock (UALR) to help teach the public about the state’s rich history. Art, particularly the performance and active creation of art, as Maeda does, is an important way to communicate the emotion of past events. Bend will be performed in Little Rock and McGehee. Dr. Johanna Miller-Lewis, a historian at UALR, and Richard Yada, who was born at Rohwer, will participate in a talk back session following the performance.
Bend in Little Rock – Thursday, August 27, 7 PM
Ron Robinson Theater
100 River Market Avenue
Purchase your tickets now. $10.00
This project is supported by The Jim Henson Foundation, Tapp’s Arts Center, the South Carolina Arts Commission, the National Endowment for the Arts, the John and Susan Bennett Memorial Arts Fund of the Coastal Community Foundation of SC, Alternate ROOTS, the Arkansas Arts Council, the New England Japanese American Citizens League (NEJACL), the Arkansas Humanities Council, the Arkansas Archeological Survey, and the Ko Festival of Performance.

Tonight at 8 at South on Main, the Oxford American presents Pokey LaFarge

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OA SOM PokeyThe Oxford American magazine is excited to welcome Pokey LaFarge to the South on Main stage! Pokey is kicking off our 2015 – 2016 Concert Series as part of the Archetypes & Troubadours sub-series. Doors open at 6:00 PM, with dinner and drinks available for purchase at that time.

The concert starts at 8pm.  This series is made possible in part by the generosity of The Summer Foundation.

Tickets are $17 (General Admission), $22 (Reserved), and $25 (Premium Reserved). View the South on Main reserved seating map here. Please take a look at this very important ticketing and seating information before purchasing your tickets. Full season ticket pricing and options are also available in a consolidated format, here.

St. Louis-based singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, Pokey LaFarge draws from a deep well of American musical traditions to create distinctively personal music that’s timeless rather than retro, transcending the confines of genre in a manner that reflects the artist’s openhearted attitude. Incorporating elements of early jazz, ragtime, country blues, Western swing, and beyond, LaFarge has created a vibrant, deeply expressive body of work that embodies an expansive musical vision and vivid storytelling sensibility that are wholly his own. He’s also earned a reputation as a tireless and uniquely charismatic live performer, winning a loyal international fan base that regularly packs his rousing, celebratory live shows.

Pokey LaFarge’s latest album, Something in the Water, was released in April 2015. Something in the Water finds the artist doubling down on his established creative strengths, expanding and deepening his musical reach on such new originals as the wry, rollicking title track, the swaggering ragtime workout “Wanna Be Your Man,” the infectiously jazzy “Underground,” the evocative instrumental “Cairo, Illinois,” the exotic ballad “Barcelona,” and the swinging album-closer “Knocking the Dust off the Rust Belt Tonight,” whose witty lyrics underline the album’s proudly Midwestern sensibility.