Monthly Archives: September 2015

Sounds in the Stacks series starts tonight courtesy of Arkansas Sounds and CALS

Posted on by

arkansas_sounds_2013Three Central Arkansas Library System (CALS) branches will host Sounds in the Stacks, a Fall Concert series, as part of Arkansas Sounds and CALS Adult Programming. The concerts are free and open to the public.

Local keyboardists with different musical backgrounds will play different types of music on the Yamaha C6 7-foot semi concert grand piano provided by Piano Kraft for this series. Piano Kraft is the exclusive piano provider for Arkansas Sounds.

 

Dee Brown Library, 6325 Baseline Rd.

Thursday, September 17 – 6:30 p.m.

Sam Carroll, keyboardist for Rodney Block & The Real Music Lovers

Thompson Library, 38 Rahling Circle

Thursday, October 8 – 7 p.m.

Chris Parker, keyboardist with Walter Henderson and John Bush Quintet

Rooker Library, 11 Otter Creek Ct.

Thursday, November 12 – 6:30 p.m.

Carl Mouton, keyboardist and Director of Bands at Maumelle High School

 

Arkansas Sounds is a project of the Butler Center focusing on Arkansas music and musicians past and present. For more information, visit www.arkansassounds.org or call 501-918-3033.

13 pieces of art will be unveiled at Mosaic Templars as part of 2015 Creativity Arkansas event

Posted on by

Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, Arkansas’s museum of African American history and culture, will unveil thirteen unique pieces in the 2015 Creativity Arkansas art collection during an Opening Reception at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17.

First introduced in 2009, Creativity Arkansas showcases works from prominent African American artists who have a connection to Arkansas which depict, represent, or illustrate historical places, events, or people that have been significant to the state’s black culture. Consistent with the mission of MTCC, the collection preserves and documents Arkansas’s African American history through vivid works in a variety of media.

The name Creativity Arkansas is inspired by the Kwanzaa holiday principle of “Kuumba” (or “Creativity”) which translates to mean to do as much as we can to leave our communities more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited. The 2015 Creativity Arkansas theme is Ancestral Landscapes: From Africa to Arkansas and contains artwork by ten renowned artists: AJ Smith, Jonathan Wright, Rex DeLoney, LaToya Hobbs, Higgins Bond, Danny Campbell, Ariston Jacks, Angela Davis Johnson, Bryan Massey, Sr., and George Frederick Nash.

Artwork acquired for Creativity Arkansas are used for MTCC’s educational programming and periodically serve as inspiration for new public programs. The entire collection is funded through a grant from the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council.

The museum opened its doors in September 2008, and the opening of the art exhibit is part of activities marking its 7th anniversary celebration. Free and open to the public, the reception will feature refreshments and live music by Off the Cuff.

The 2015 Creativity Arkansas exhibit will be on display at Mosaic Templars Cultural Center from September 2015 through March 2016.

For more information about MTCC’s anniversary events, please visit mosaictemplarscenter.com or call 501.683.3593.

The Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, a museum of the Department of Arkansas Heritage, is dedicated to telling the history of African Americans in Arkansas from 1870 to the present, especially in the areas of politics, business and the arts. Other agencies of the Department of Arkansas Heritage include Arkansas Arts Council, Arkansas Historic Preservation, Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, Delta Cultural Center, Historic Arkansas Museum and Old State House Museum.

Tonight’s Oxford American Local Live concert at South on Main features Steve Hester and DejaVooDoo Trio!

Posted on by

LOCAL_LIVE_Logo2Tonight at 7:30 pm, join the Oxford American magazine for this week’s Local Live concert at South on Main, featuring Steve Hester and DejaVooDoo Trio!

As always, Local Live is free and open to the public. To guarantee a table/seat for this popular series, call ahead at (501) 244-9660.

Steve Hester and DejaVooDoo is a high energy Southern Rock/Blues Rock/Country Rock band doing originals and original style covers. The band has performed with B.B. King, Eric Gales, Chris Duarte, Johnny Winter, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Smokin’ Joe Kubek and B’Nois King, Valerie June, Tony Joe White, Black Oak Arkansas, Samantha Fish, Anthony Gomes and Devon Allman. They have performed at The Sundance Film Festival Eco Hide Away Lounge, Pre Emmy parties and House of Blues on Sunset Strip in L.A., Spa City Blues Festival Hot Springs AR 2014, Bikes Blues and Barbeque Festival Fayetteville AR 2014, Highland Jazz and Blues Festival Shreveport LA 2014.

They are regulars on The VooDoo Stage at House of Blues in Dallas, and fast becoming regular Headliners at festivals all over the US! Endorsed by Saint Blues Guitar Workshop in Memphis, TN and Rocky Mountain Slide Company Salida, CO and GHS Strings Battle Creek, MI.

Free movie tonight at MacArthur Museum of Ark. Military History – Latino Americans: War and Peace

Posted on by

MacMuseMovHispSeptember 15 to October 15 is Hispanic Heritage Month.  In partnership with AETN, the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History will host a screening of the Latino Americans: War and Peace (1942-1954). The screening starts at 6:30pm tonight at the museum in MacArthur Park.

Free admission. Free popcorn and beverages provided.

 

The documentary tells the story of Latino Americans serving during WWII and their struggle for equality in the military and at home after the war.  

After the war, Army Staff Sgt. Macario Garcia became the first Mexican National to earn the Congressional Medal of Honor for his exploits fighting in Europe.  He was later refused service in a Texas diner.  The experience during the war pushed Latinos to fight for civil rights back home.

The MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History is a program of the City of Little Rock’s Parks and Recreation Department.

Enjoy That Arkansas Weather at tonight’s FREE Jazz in the Park from 6pm to 8pm.

Posted on by
jazzinparkThis September, on Wednesday nights from 6 pm – 8 pm., Jazz in the Park continues its partnership with Art Porter Music Education, Inc. in the Riverfront Park.
Tonight features That Arkansas Weather!  The concert will take place in the History Pavilion in Riverfront Park.  In case of rain, it will be in the River Market pavilions.
That Arkansas Weather is a versatile band of UALR trained and gig-tested musicians. Come hear them play a high energy blend of Jazz, Soul, and Funk.  Bring your party pants and dancing shoes, but don’t try to predict the weather— It’s always changing!
The concert series is brought to you by the Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau.  Lost Forty Brewing beers, select wines, soft drinks & water are available for sale. Proceeds benefit Art Porter Music Education, Inc. So please, NO Coolers. Picnic blankets and chairs are welcome. As are children and pets (please leash your pets)
Art Porter Music Education, Inc. (APME) continues its mission of keeping the musical legacies of local jazz statesman Art Porter, Sr. and his son, renowned saxophonist Art Porter, Jr. alive with community enrichment opportunities, volunteerism, and the awarding of scholarships. Through music, APME works to enhance education by helping students improve reading, language and mathematical skills. The partnership with the River Market to support Jazz in the Park, a free, family-friendly event featuring jazz in downtown Little Rock, is a natural fit for both organizations.

 

Day One of ACANSA offers Lunch & Learn, Evening Events

Posted on by

acansaThe second annual ACANSA Arts Festival officially gets underway today!

The ACANSA Arts Festival officially opens is 2015 festival with a performance by the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra in the Creative Corridor of Little Rock’s Main Street between Capitol and 6th Streets. First Lady of Arkansas Susan Hutchinson will host and welcome guests to enjoy this fun family friendly atmosphere. Additional entertainment will be provided by ReCreation Studios. This event is free to the public

Come around the corner to the Festival After Party at McLeod Fine Art. Entertainment by the Hi-Balls
The pARTy continues at 7:30pm.  Tickets for this are $25 general admission.

Earlier in the day – at noon, there is a Lunch and Learn at the THEA Foundation.  It will feature Bob Snider, who will be giving a talk and a painting demonstration. This program is free.

The Angela Davis Johnson Exhibit will be on display at the Argenta Gallery all day today (and through October 12). It has free admission as well.

 

Architecture & Design Network kicks off 2015/16 lecture series tonight with Alex Gilliam

Posted on by
Photo by Mark Stehle

Photo by Mark Stehle

Alex Gilliam, long committed to K-12 design education, is scheduled to be the first speaker in  Architecture and Design Network’s 15/16 lecture series, the non-profit’s 12th season of talks by well regarded design professionals. Gilliam, who earned an undergraduate and a graduate degree in architecture, will share his ideas about  the value of hands-on experience and its role in design education. 

Gilliam will speak tonight at 6pm at the Arkansas Arts Center. A reception at 5:30 will precede the remarks.
As founder of the Public Workshop, an organization that works with young people to encourage their participation in the design or redesign – as the case may be – of facets of their communities, Gilliam refers to himself as the “cheerleader of possibility”. In their roles as  agents of change, his young  charges hone skills that enable them to repurpose abandoned spaces and bring change to places that figure in their everyday lives –  schools, playgrounds, bus stops, parks and more.
 
With the help of their mentor, participants learn to set goals for themselves and develop the competencies needed to make their surrounds more accommodating to their needs and those of others. Each hands-on effort takes place in full public view with the result that students get feedback from friends and neighbors, some of whom are likely to get involved with the project. “Small groups of motivated people attract the interest and support of others”, notes Gilliam. 
 
Since the Workshop’s founding,  Gilliam has worked with the Rural Studio, the Hester Street Collaborative, Cooper Hewitt Museum, the University of Pennsylvania, the National Building Museum, the Chicago Architectural Foundation and numerous other organizations and institutions across the country. 
 
Architecture and Design Network lectures and receptions are free an open to the public. No reservations are needed. For additional information, contact ardenetwork@mac.com.
Supporters of the non-profilt Architecture and Design  Network (ADN) include the Arkansas Arts Center, the Fay Jones School of Architecture, the Central Section of the Arkansas Chapter of the American Institute of Architects and friends in the community.