Monthly Archives: October 2018

Little Rock Look Back: Final ARKANSAS GAZETTE Published

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Twenty-seven years ago today, on October 18, 1991, the final edition of the Arkansas Gazette was delivered.

The front page featured a story on the demise of a Gazette employee effort to buy the paper.

Max Brantley’s column on the front page of the B section also addressed the then-eminent end of the paper. However, as a newspaper all of the sections spent most of their space on the news of the day. While Gazette staffers felt the end was likely near, few felt that the paper on October 18, 1991, would be the final edition.

The back page of the last section of the Gazette featured an ad for Premiere Pontiac Nissan Audi which was throwing a “Beat Texas” party featuring Craig O’Neill.  The Arkansas Razorbacks were scheduled to play the Texas Longhorns on Saturday, October 19.

Here are the top halves of the front pages of sections B, C, D, and E for the final Arkansas Gazette.  They tell the stories of trials, football games, corporate earnings, and cultural events.

Little Rock Port Authority seeks artist to create anniversary artwork

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Project Intent
The Little Rock Port Authority is seeking Requests for Qualifications (RFQ) from an artist to create an original piece of artwork to celebrate the upcoming 60th anniversary of the establishment of the Little Rock Port Authority.

Artists working in a variety of media are encouraged to apply as long as their works fit in the parameters of this RFQ.  The artwork is envisioned to be a painting, approximately 4’ x 6’ that will be displayed in the offices of the Little Rock Port Authority. The size may be modified for artistic purposes.  It is also anticipated that the Little Rock Port Authority will produce approximately 150 smaller prints of the work to be signed and numbered by the artist to give out as a part of the anniversary celebration.

A $5,000 commission will be given to the artist chosen to create the work.

About the Little Rock Port Authority

The Little Rock Port Authority (LRPA) was created in 1959 to oversee the Port and provide intermodal transportation services connecting U.S. markets and the deep-water ports of the Gulf of Mexico. The Port of Little Rock is located approximately seven miles east of downtown along the banks of the Arkansas River.  All modes of transportation converge at the Port: water, rail, and motor freight, offering convenient intermodal shipping solutions. More than 40 businesses are active within the Port’s 3,000-acre industrial park. The Port is part of the 448-mile McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System, which runs from the Mississippi River northwest to 15 miles east of Tulsa.

Mission Statement – “The mission of the Port of Little Rock is to drive economic development by providing a world-class transportation hub that connects Arkansas to the global economy”.

Vision Statement – “Little Rock Port Authority’s vision is to be America’s leading inland river port advancing Arkansas’ economic growth and job creation”.

Criteria for Selection
  • An initial proposal that reflects Project Intent as described in this document.
  • A body of work reflecting artistic excellence.
  • Experience working in public settings and public process
  • Previous experience with meeting time schedules and budget parameters
  • References provided as part of this application which will be contacted prior to final selection.
  • The Little Rock Port Authority is committed to reflecting the diversity and cultural richness of the City of Little Rock in our selection process.

 
Eligibility
The project is open to all artists, regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, military status, sexual orientation, marital status or physical or mental disability.

Time Line
The Little Rock Port Authority reserves the right to change the project time line.

October 2018                        Request for Qualifications (RFQ) due and accepted

November 2018                    Selection Committee meets to review RFQs and choose finalists

November 2018                    Finalists interviewed if appropriate; artist selected

December 2018                    Contract agreement prepared and submitted for Port Authority Board approval

January 2019                       Notice to Proceed issued

May 2019                             Project completed and installed

How to Apply

Artists interested in this project shall prepare and submit the following as a part of the requests for qualifications:

  • Proposed Artwork Concept: This proposal shall include conceptual design drawings or sketches sufficient to communicate the artist concept.
  • Letter of Interest, no more than one page in length, which explains your interest in the competition. your name and contact information.
  • Artist’s Statement, no more than 200 words in length, describing your work.
  • Current Resume. If submitting as a team, an individual resume should be submitted for each team member.
  • A list of at least three professional references familiar with your work and working methods. The list must include complete addresses and telephone numbers.
  • Work samples on CD or DVD of your work. Artists applying as a team should submit work samples of each individual artist’s work.

Submittal:

To be considered, four copies of the proposal shall be received by the date and time set and noted herein.  It shall be packaged in such a manner that the sealed, envelope clearly reflects the project name and the applicant’s name and address.  All materials submitted become the property of the Little Rock Port Authority and will not be returned unless a self-addressed and stamped envelope, with sufficient postage, is provided.  The Little Rock Port Authority will make every effort to protect submitted materials; however, it will not be responsible for any loss or damage.  Submit proposals to:

Bryan Day
Little Rock Port Authority
10600 Industrial Harbor Drive
Little Rock, AR 72206
501-490-1468

The Little Rock Port Authority reserves the right to reject any and all applications.

All Proposals must be submitted by October 31, 2018 at noon.

For additional information, please contact Bryan Day at 501-490-1468.

31 Days of Arkansas Rep: 1995’s THE RAINMAKER

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N. Richard Nash’s romantic drama with comedy, The Rainmaker took over the Arkansas Rep stage in January and February 1995. Following the run in Little Rock, it toured the US through April of that year.

The production was directed by Rep founder and Artistic Director Cliff Fannin Baker. It reunited him with several long-time Rep actors Vivian Morrison, Ronald J. Aulgur, Steve Wilkerson, Richard Glover, and Mark Johnson.

Baker had previously directed Robert Standley in a production of the show, and brought him in to reprise his role as the title character.  Rounding out the cast was Rep newcomer John Stiritz.

The creative team included Mike Nichols (sets), Don Bolinger (costumes), David Neville (lighting) and Chip Salerno (sound).  Salerno also wrote and recorded the music which underscored the production.

Little Rock Look Back: Mayoral Election of 1871

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For the two years leading up to the November 1871 election for Little Rock mayor, the political scene had been chaotic. A. K. Hartman, who represented one faction of the Republican Party, was so disliked by the LR City Council that they repeatedly tried to have him removed from office.

After being rebuffed by the courts, the aldermen proceeded to simply appoint another mayor of Little Rock.  Thus from January 1871 to November 1871, Little Rock had two mayors: A. K. Hartman, and J. G. Botsford.

After having been elected first in January 1869 and re-elected, Hartman (whom the Gazette disliked and derogatorily nicknamed “Count Von Bismark” on account of his Germanic heritage and his corpulence) was seeking another term in November 1871. Thomas C Scott announced, in October 1871, that he would seek the office as an independent, but withdrew a few weeks later.  The only person who stood between Hartman and re-election was Dr. Robert Francis Catterson.

Dr. Catterson as a physician from Indiana who had served in the Union Army during the Civil War. He moved to Arkansas in 1866 first to work in cotton commodities, and then to serve in the militia fighting the Ku Klux Klan. He became affiliated with Joseph Brooks and his Brindletail faction of the Republican Party, which stood in opposition to the Minstrels faction, with which Hartman was associated. (This rivalry would play out in 1873 with the Brooks-Baxter War, in which Catterson was Brook’s chief lieutenant.)

A few nights before the election, approximately 500 of Catterson’s supporters paraded through Little Rock with signs bearing anti-Hartman slogans and caricatures.  They stopped off to hear an address by Mr. Brooks.

On election day, Catterson and his allies swept most of the City offices.  He bested Hartman by a vote of 710 to 374 and carried three of the city’s four wards.  He served in office until November 1873.

 

31 Days of Arkansas Rep: 1994’s LOST IN YONKERS

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Over the years, the Arkansas Rep has produced several Neil Simon plays and musicals.

In October 1994, Arkansas Rep produced Simon’s only play to win a Pulitzer, Lost in Yonkers.  Though darker in tone than many of his plays, it still provided a host of laughs.

The two boys at the center of the story were played by future filmmaker Graham Gordy and future Broadway producer Will Trice.  The matriarch who presides over the action was played by Anne Sheldon, a Little Rock native who’d left the city after marrying during World War II.

Others in the cast were Lori Wilner, Clif Morts, Elizabeth Aiello and Ed Romanoff.  The production was directed by William Gregg, a guest director at the Rep.  Mike Nichols provided the scenic design, while Don Bolinger was the costume designer.

 

Little Rock Look Back: Dedication of Vogel Schwartz Sculpture Garden

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The original seven sculptures. Clockwise from top left: Conversation with Myself; Straight and Narrow; Bateleur Eagle; First Glance; Sizzling Sisters; Cascade; and Full of Himself

After nearly a week of rain, the skies dried up and on Friday, October 16, 2009, the Vogel Schwartz Sculpture Garden was dedicated.

Designed and created by the staff of the Little Rock Parks and Recreation Department, the Vogel Schwartz Sculpture Garden started with seven sculptures. These were purchased at the 2007 and 2008 Sculpture at the River Market Show and Sales.

The original seven were: Full of Himself by Jan Woods, Cascade by Chapel, Bateleur Eagle by Pete Zaluzec, Sizzling Sister by Wayne Salge, Conversation With Myself by Lorri Acott, First Glance by Denny Haskew, and Straight and Narrow by Lisa Gordon.

The sculpture garden was named after the Vogel Schwartz Foundation in recognition of its contributions to the project. The garden was dedicated on the afternoon of the preview party for the 2009 Show and Sale.

The Vogel Schwartz Sculpture Garden did not have seven sculptures for long. New pieces have been added every few months since then.  In 2017, an expansion was dedicated which doubled the size and allowed for larger pieces to be installed.  Today there are over seventy sculptures in the Vogel Schwartz Sculpture Garden and more than twenty elsewhere in Riverfront Park.

The 2019 Sculpture at the River Market Show and Sale is set for May 4 and 5 with a preview party on May 3.

31 Days of Arkansas Rep: 1989’s NOISES OFF

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Michael Frayn’s three act satirical farce NOISES OFF pokes fun at the theatrical world.  This Tony nominated play within a play about the production of a British farce NOTHING ON took to the Arkansas Rep stage in June 1989.

Directed by Terry Sneed, the cast featured James Harbour as Nothing On’s director, and Theresa Quick as the leading lady.  Others in the cast were Vivian Morrison, Don Bolinger, Peter Bradshaw, Alan Hanson, Jane McNeill, Carolyn Pugh and Jon Meyer.

The first and third acts take place on the set of Nothing On in a house that was once a 16th century posset mill. The second act shows the backstage happenings during a performance.  The set (which rotated between acts) was designed by Nels Anderson.

The production ran from June 8 to 24, 1989.