Author Archives: Scott

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About Scott

A cultural thinker with a life long interest in the arts and humanities: theatre, music, architecture, photography, history, urban planning, etc.

Running on a Tin Roof

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talesfromsouthThe first week of each month, Tales from the South features one person sharing their life story. They call it Tin Roof Project.  April features elite runner Leah Thorvilson.

In 2012, Thorvilson qualified to run in the US Olympic Team Marathon Trials where she finished with a time of 2:42:09.

On March 4, 2012, Thorvilson won the Little Rock Marathon for the fourth year in a row with a personal best time of 2:37:26. On April 28, 2012 Thorvilson won the Frisco Railroad Run 50 Mile Race in Willard, Missouri with a time of 6:00:31. This is the fourth fastest 50 miler by a female ever.

Music is by the Salty Dogs and blues guitarist Mark Simpson

Tales From the South” is a radio show created and produced by Paula Martin Morell, who is also the show’s host. The show is taped live on Tuesday. The night is a cross between a house concert and a reading/show, with incredible food and great company. Tickets must be purchased before the show, as shows are usually standing-room only.

“Tales from the South” is a showcase of writers reading their own true stories. While the show itself is unrehearsed, the literary memoirs have been worked on for weeks leading up to the readings. Stories range from funny to touching, from everyday occurrences to life-altering tragedies.

The program takes place at Starving Artist Café.  Dinner is served from 5pm to 6:30pm, the show starts at 7pm.  Admission is $5, not including dinner.

You MUST purchase your ticket before the show

Previous episodes of “Tales from the South” air on KUAR Public Radio on Thursdays at 7pm.

Architeaser: April 1

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IMG_4668The Architeaser feature returns.  It starts with a recent Culture Vulture discovery along Main Street.  On the eastern side of the 500 block of Main, there is a building with six of these classical figures looking out. They are on the second floor level, partially obscured from the street level by an architectural awning.

The building was built in 1925 and sits at what was once 505 and 507 South Main.  Technically that is still the address, but in 1986 this building became part of a block long redevelopment.  The facade of this building and another from the 1920s were retained. But the interiors were gutted and combined with the new buildings which were built on the rest of the block.

Today much of the building is occupied by state offices.  The building is in the midst Mayor Mark Stodola’s Creative Corridor initiative.  Though the building itself is not in the plans, the plans for landscaping the block would enhance the building and perhaps draw more attention to these wonderful treasures.

“Fool”ish Fun at SPAMALOT

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Better SpamalotA great way to spend April Fools Day evening (or the day after) is at Robinson Center Music Hall.  Celebrity Attractions is bringing the national tour of Spamalot to Little Rock.  Performances are at 7:30pm tonight and tomorrow.

Spamalot opened on Broadway in 2005 at the Sam S. Shubert Theatre. Following the trend of other musicals in the 2000s, this show was based on a movie and a spoof of musical theatre.  Featuring a book and score by Eric Idle and John Du Prez, this stage version of Monty Python and the Holy Grail skewered not only the Arthurian legend, but also Broadway, popular culture and Spam.  At the 2005 Tony Awards, it was nominated for fourteen Tony Awards. It won three Tony Awards including Best Musical.

On tour, the cast is led by Arthur Rowan as King Arthur.  Others in the cast include Abigail Raye, Glenn Giron, Adam Grabau, Kasidy Devlin, Thomas Demarcus, Joshua Taylor Hamilton and Joe Beuerlein.  The ensemble includes Barbara Jo Bednarczuk, Kimber Benedict, Jason Elliott Brown, Melissa Chaty, Carl Deforrest Hendin, Andrew Leggieri, Amy Owens, Alec Varcas and Ryan Jacob Wood. B. T. McNicholl recreates Mike Nichols Tony winning direction for this production.   Scott Taylor recreated the Broadway choreography.

Sculpture Vulture: Easter Bunnys

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For those who are around the River Market today, there are two “Easter” bunny sculptures they can visit.

In honor of that, today’s Sculpture Vulture features Tim Cherry’s Rabbit Reach.

The sculpture is located at the corner of Sherman Street and President Clinton Avenue across from the Museum of Discovery.

The sculpture is a gift from Whitlow Wyatt and the Carey Cox Wyatt Charitable Foundation. It was given in memory of George Wyatt and Frank Kumpuris.  Those two gentlemen were the fathers of Whitlow Wyatt and Dean & Drew Kumpuris.

Cherry’s sculpture was selected for this spot because of its proximity to children at the Museum and in the River Market district.  The design and size of the sculpture encourages children to climb on it and to play around the rabbit.  While some public art is situated so it cannot be touched, this one is situated to be touched as part of the appreciation experience.

IMG_3987Laurel Peterson Gregory’s Bunny Bump is featured in the Vogel Schwartz Sculpture Garden.  Two stylized rabbits make for an interesting piece of artwork when they are not only dancing, but also doing the butt bump while dancing. The smooth surface and color of the bronze add to the illusion. This small piece has been placed on a pedestal to elevate more to eye level.

The sculpture was completed in 2009 and installed in 2010.  Gregory has been featured at the Sculpture at the River Market show.  (The photo was taken during a December snow. It may be cold now, but not enough for that amount of snow.)

Little Rock Look Back: Werner C. Knoop

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Mayor KnoopTo Little Rock citizens under a certain age, the name Knoop means Knoop Park — a picturesque park tucked away in a pocket of Hillcrest.  There are, however, still many who remember Werner C. Knoop as a business and political leader who helped shape Little Rock as a modern city.

Knoop was born on this date in 1902.

In 1946, Knoop joined with Olen A. Cates and P. W. Baldwin to form Baldwin Construction Company in Little Rock.  Knoop had previously founded Capital Steel Company and established his business reputation there.  From 1945 through 1951, he served on the Little Rock School Board.

Following a series of political scandals, efforts were undertaken for Little Rock to shift from Mayor-Council to City Manager form of government.  Even before the desegregation of Little Rock Central put the city in the eyes of the world, an election for new leaders had been set for November 1957.  Knoop was on a “Good Government” slate and was one of the members elected.

At the first meeting of the new City Board, Werner C. Knoop was chosen by his fellow directors to serve as Little Rock Mayor.  Knoop served as Mayor until December 1962.  For the first several months in office, Little Rock had no City Manager so Knoop oversaw the transition of City staff as the forms of government changed.

Though City Hall generally stayed out of school district matters, that did not mean that the public viewed the two entities separately.  In September 1959, the Baldwin Construction offices were bombed as part of a series of terrorist activities protesting the desegregated reopening of all Little Rock high schools.

After two terms on the City Board, Knoop decided against seeking a third term.  He concluded his elected public service on December 31, 1962.  Following his time on the City Board, Knoop did not retire from Civic Affairs.  In 1970, he served as Chairman of the Little Rock Chamber of Commerce.   The previous year he served as President of the Arkansas Chapter of Associated General Contractors.

Mayor Knoop died in July 1983.  He is buried at Roselawn Memorial Park next to his wife Faith Yingling Knoop.

In the 1930s, Knoop moved into an Art Moderne house on Ozark Point in Hillcrest.  It was adjacent to Little Rock Waterworks property which was developed around the same time.  Eventually much of the land was deeded to the City for creation of a park.  In 1989, it was named in tribute to long-time neighbor Knoop in honor of his lifetime of service to Little Rock.

Mysteries of the Old State House today at 3pm

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3goddessesThree goddesses once sat atop the Old State House. Sculptures representing Law, Justice, and Mercy were brought to Little Rock from the Arkansas exhibit at the Philadelphia Centennial of 1876 and later installed on the State House roof.

In 1928, the Little Rock Garden Club had the statues removed. What happened to the three goddesses?

Find out, and hear other Old State House mysteries tomorrow at 3 p.m. This is one of the free programs offered at the Old State House Museum each Saturday.

The Old State House Museum hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

The Old State House is the oldest surviving state capitol building west of the Mississippi River.  In 1947 it was designated as a museum by the Arkansas General Assembly and continues to serve in that capacity.

The Old State House Museum is a museum of the Department of Arkansas Heritage and shares the goal of all seven Department of Arkansas Heritage agencies, that of preserving and enhancing the heritage of the state of Arkansas. The agencies are Arkansas Arts Council, Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, Delta Cultural Center in Helena, Historic Arkansas Museum, Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, and the Old State House Museum.

Free ASO Concert Tonight

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20121020-054530.jpgMany have asked what the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra will do when Robinson Center Music Hall is closed for renovations starting in 2014. Currently, a task force of board members, ASO staff, and musicians is researching and visiting venues throughout Central Arkansas that might serve as suitable performance spaces.

This is where the public has a part to play.

The ASO is hosting an open rehearsal tonight at 7:15 p.m. at the Wally Allen Ballroom in the Statehouse Convention Center. This rehearsal will be open to the public and FREE—so bring your friends and family. The ASO need hundreds of people to come and fill the room so that it can hear what the sound quality is like. The ASO also need your feedback. Will this be a suitable “second home” for the ASO while it is out of Robinson?

There is limited seating for this event, so please RSVP to Kelly Parker at (501) 666-1761, ext. 114 or kparker@ArkansasSymphony.org if you would like to attend.

The music to be played includes:

GIOACHINO ANTONIO ROSSINI: The Barber of Seville Overture
KLAUS BADELT/Ted Ricketts: Pirates of the Caribbean
ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER/Calvin Custer: The Phantom of the Opera: Selections
JOHANN STRAUSS II: The Blue Danube
HANS ZIMMER/John Wasson: Music from Gladiator
IGOR STRAVINSKY: The Firebird Suite
CHARLES ROMAULD GARDES nee CARLOS GARDEL/John Williams: Tango (Por Una Cabeza)—Kiril Laskarov,violin