Monthly Archives: November 2015

Free “Movies at MacArthur Museum” tonight WAY OF THE WARRIOR

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In partnership with AETN, the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History will host a screening of the documentary Way of the Warrior. The screening starts at 6:30pm tonight at the museum in MacArthur Park.  This film was chosen for November as a way to commemorate Native American Heritage Month.

Free admission. Free popcorn and beverages provided.

This documentary examines the visceral nature of war and the bravery of Native-American veterans who served in World War I, World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War–and came to grips with the difficult post-war personal and societal conditions.

Their stories are examined through the prism of what it means to be “ogichidaa,” one who protects and follows the way of the warrior. Dramatic historical footage, period photographs and sound effects juxtaposed with photos of veterans in more genial settings, away from combat with family and friends stateside, create portrait of not just the warrior, but the paradox of a warrior’s motivations.

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

New book EMPIRE OF COTTON focus of Clinton School lecture

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In “Empire of Cotton,” Sven Beckert tells the epic story of the rise and fall of the cotton industry, its centrality to the world economy, and its making and remaking of global capitalism. The empire of cotton was, from the beginning, a fulcrum of constant global struggle between slaves and planters, merchants and statesmen, workers and factory owners. Beckert makes clear how these forces ushered in the world of modern capitalism, including the vast wealth and disturbing inequalities.

“Empire of Cotton” weaves together the story of cotton with how the present global world came to exist. The book won the Bancroft Award, The Philip Taft Award, and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.

Sven Beckert is an American historian and Laird Bell professor of American History at Harvard University, with a particular emphasis on the history of capitalism, including its economic, social, political, and transnational dimensions.

The program starts at 6pm tonight at the Clinton School of Public Service.

Little Rock Look Back: Clinton Center Opened 11 Years Ago Today

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SkipMany remember November 18, 2004, for the rain and cold wind which greeted visitors to the opening of the William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Center and Park.  In the years which lead up to that day, November 18, 2004, was known simply as “Game Day” for a group of people.  The chief one was Skip Rutherford.

Overseeing the planning for the Clinton Presidential Center and the events surrounding it had been the focus of James L. “Skip” Rutherford for many years. A FOB for decades, he had stayed in Little Rock when so many went to Washington DC in 1993.

He oversaw the planning for the Clinton Library and led the Clinton Foundation.  No detail was too small or insignificant for him to consider. For months leading to the opening he led meetings to help restaurants, hotels, and attractions understand the scope of the opening.

Together with Dean Kumpuris and Bruce Moore on behalf of the City of Little Rock and Stephanie Streett of the Clinton Foundation, he reviewed plans for the Clinton Presidential Park and the streets and neighborhoods around the Clinton Presidential Center.

He used his connections with the business community in Little Rock and throughout the state to discuss the importance of a Presidential Library regardless of one’s personal political affiliations.  He withstood critics who second-guessed everything from the cost, the design, the location, the purpose, and even the anticipated tourism and economic impacts.

Finally the big day had come.  If the weather was not ideal, that was almost inconsequential. It was still the culmination of more than seven years hard work.

However, the opening of the Clinton Presidential Center was not the end of the task. It merely was the move from one phase to another. A few years later, Skip’s role would change as he would leave the Foundation and become the second Dean of the Clinton School of Public Service.

Tax proposal for Arts Center, Military Museum, Parks advances

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macmusThe Little Rock Advertising and Promotion Commission voted to refer a 2% hotel tax to the City Board of Directors to eventually be put before the voters.

arkartsThis tax would be used for capital upgrades at the two MacArthur Park museums.  It is expected to go before the City Board in December for an election in February.

More information on this process and the individual proposals from both museums will be featured on the Culture Vulture blog in coming weeks.

New Public Radio Network in Arkansas launched

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natural state newsThe Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) awarded a $278,300 grant to four Arkansas public radio stations to support the creation of a statewide multimedia journalism collaboration based at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.  Natural State News will be a statewide news service focusing on reaching rural areas of the state.

KUAR, UALR’S public radio station, will be the lead station for the project, joined by Fayetteville’s KUAF, Jonesboro’s KASU, and Texarkana’s KTXK. Ben Fry, general manager of KUAR and classical station KLRE, will coordinate the collaboration to create and broadcast thematically unified content relevant to the interests and needs of Arkansans.

Though the stations have often collaborated, the radio news service marks their first official joint venture. Together, the stations’ staff members at the stations will report stories centered on three themes:

  • Education
  • Health
  • Energy

NSN will report breaking news as well as produce related special interest stories. The resulting multimedia content will be published online and heard on local and national public radio programs such as NPR’s Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Here and Now.

“CPB is pleased to support this historic collaboration of Arkansas public media stations,” said Bruce Theriault, senior vice president of journalism and radio, CPB. “The Natural State News collaboration is an example of increased media integration and a pathway for stations to work together to maximize resources while expanding their high-quality journalism.”

The grant will help fund four new positions: a managing editor, two additional reporters, and a partner manager, who will raise additional funds for the project. Three of the new positions will be based in Little Rock, with one reporter to work out of Jonesboro.

Natural State News plans to break new ground with in-depth multimedia reporting to reach extensively into rural Arkansas to tell unfolding stories about wealth, poverty, race, and decision-making in education, healthcare, and the environment. Little-told stories from the region will give a distinctive vantage point for understanding larger national experiences.

NSN will partner with the UALR Institute on Race and Ethnicity, the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, Arkansas Educational Television Network (AETN), and the print publication El Latino to provide and promote its diverse, nuanced content. All stories will be available in both Spanish and English, and NSN is committed to supporting diversity in its staff, student interns, and stories.

For more information on the partner stations, go to their websites: KLRE/KUAR, KUAF, KASU and KTXK.

 

Merry Pranks highlight ASO River Rhapsodies concert at Clinton Center this evening

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ASO NewArkansas Symphony Orchestra musicians in three different ensembles present music from Beethoven, Vaughn Williams, and a special arrangement of Strauss’s Till Eulenspiegel, the Merry Prankster at 7pm on Tuesday, November 17 in the beautiful Great Hall of the Clinton Presidential Center.

Tickets are $23.

PROGRAM

Strauss – Till Eulenspiegel – einmal anders
Vaughn Williams – Quintet in D Major
Beethoven – Septet in E-flat Major, Op. 20

The musicians who will be featured tonight are:

  • Kelly Johnson, clarinet
  • Lyle Wong, clarinet
  • Susan León, bassoon
  • David Renfro, horn
  • Liz Deitemyer, horn
  • Kiril Laskarov, violin
  • Trisha McGovern Freeney, violin
  • Ryan Mooney, viola
  • David Gerstein, cello
  • Aaron Ludwig, cello
  • Barron Weir, bass
  • May Tsao-Lim, piano

Monday Musings: Janell Mason

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Janell MasonThis Thursday, Janell Mason will be recognized as the Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser by the Association of Arkansas Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.  While she will be recognized primarily for her work with the Ronald McDonald House, she devotes her time to many worthy causes.  One of her focuses each spring is the Sculpture at the River Market show and sale.

Here, in her own words, are some thoughts about her volunteering and her responses to the Nine Monday Musings questions.

I serve on the board of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Arkansas. The Ronald McDonald House, located directly across the street from Arkansas Children’s Hospital, is a 28-bedroom home away from home for families whose child is receiving treatment in area hospitals. Families staying there need to be close to the hospital, and are provided with comfortable beds, a hot shower, play space, nightly dinners prepared by community volunteers, and the support of other families in similar situations.  Every day families staying at the House say, “We don’t know what we would do without the Ronald McDonald House.”  Families  stay in the House for an average of 21 days, but some stay overnight while other stay for months while their child receives cancer treatment or a transplant.

I also serve as chair of the Where Hope Has a Home  capital campaign, which is raising funds for  construction of a new House at the corner of MLK and 10th. Of the $8.6 million required to build this 5-story, 35,000 sq. foot home, we need just $600,000 to complete the campaign!  While construction of a new, larger Ronald McDonald House is our ultimate goal, our House and programs are more than just a building. We pride ourselves on providing a home away from home that allows families to be at their child’s side through every step of their healing while allowing them to have a safe, private and, at times, fun place to rest, reflect and comfort one another. The success for us is being able to provide families with what matters most—time with their child.

 

-My earliest memory was (age and incident)

Very vivid – Go Texan Day. We went downtown to watch the Salt Grass Trail riders parade through town. I was wearing my black cowgirl outfit with white fringe and red cowboy boots. I loved those boots!  Age 3, Houston, TX

-When I was in high school and imagined my adulthood, I thought I would be…

a commercial photographer or journalist. My, how life has different plans for us.

-Star Wars, Star Trek, Battle of the Network Stars, or Dancing with the Stars?  

Star Trek (Live Long and Prosper). Watched it every day after school. I always wanted a tribble.

 -I most identify with the Winnie the Pooh character of…

Christopher Robin

 -The performer I’d drop everything to see is…

Two – Andrea Bocelli and Steve Perry

 -My first paying job was…

University of Houston Bookstore when I was home summer after my freshman year. I stocked shelves and organized. I especially enjoyed the smell of the books in the stock basement; the scent of knowledge.

-A book I think everyone should read is….

The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz

-My favorite season is…

Fall; it is so colorful in Arkansas!

-We are all geeks (or experts) about something.

My field is Volunteerism.