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.

Arkansas Preservation Awards tomorrow night

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The Historic Preservation Alliance of Arkansas will present the Arkansas Preservation Awards tomorrow night (January 11) in a ceremony at the Arkansas Governor’s Mansion.

The annual Arkansas Preservation Awards recognize preservation efforts across the state over the past year. These achievements range from outstanding examples of rehabilitated structures, revitalized neighborhoods and commercial districts, and lifetime achievement in Arkansas preservation.

Among the award recipients are Bill Worthen, who will received the The Parker Westbrook Award.  That award recognizes significant individual achievement in historic preservation. It is the Alliance’s only award for achievement in preservation over a period of years. The award may be presented to an individual, organiza­tion, business, or public agency whose activity may be of local, statewide, or regional importance.  Worthen recently started his 41st year as director of Historic Arkansas Museum.  Outside of the museum, he has been engaged in many historic preservation efforts.

The award is named for longtime Arkansas historian and historic preservation advocate.  Previous recipients have been Bobby Roberts of the Central Arkansas Library System; Theodosia Murphy Nolan of El Dorado; Marty and Elise Roenigk of Eureka Springs; Bobbie Heffington, formerly deputy director of the Department of Arkansas Heritage; Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola; and Courtney Crouch Jr. of Hot Springs.

The Historic Preservation Alliance of Arkansas has been a statewide voice for preservation in Arkansas for over thirty years. The Alliance is the only statewide nonprofit organization focused on preserving Arkansas’s architectural and cultural resources.

Founded in 1981, the Alliance’s mission is to educate, advocate and assist preservation efforts across the state, through educational programs centered on architectural heritage, advocating for preservation legislation, and assisting owners of historic properties with the means and expertise to preserve and restore historic structures.

Tickets for the event can be purchased at the Alliance’s website.

Bob Nash headlines January “Legacies & Lunch” today at noon

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The Butler Center for Arkansas Studies will host Bob Nash as the speaker for Legacies and Lunch on Wednesday, January 9, at noon in the Main Library’s Darragh Center, 100 Rock Street.To commemorate the 20th anniversary of Bill Clinton’s inauguration as President, Nash will discuss what it was like working with Governor Clinton, keeping the state government going during a presidential campaign, and going to Washington with some of President Clinton’s Arkansas friends and colleagues.

Nash served as Governor Clinton’s senior executive assistant in charge of economic development policy. He then served as President Clinton’s U.S. Undersecretary of Agriculture and White House personnel director.

The Butler Center’s Legacies & Lunch program is free and open to the public and supported in part by the Arkansas Humanities Council. Attendees are invited to bring a sack lunch; drinks and dessert will be provided.

The Butler Center for Arkansas Studies is a department of the Central Arkansas Library System. It was founded in 1997 to promote the study and appreciation of Arkansas history and culture. The Butler Center’s research collections, art galleries, and offices are located in the Arkansas Studies Institute building at 401 President Clinton Ave. on the campus of the CALS Main Library.

ASO Launches Neighborhood Concert Series

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ASO_revThe Arkansas Symphony Orchestra introduces a new three-concert chamber orchestra series in Little Rock in 2013.

ASO’s Stella Boyle Smith Intimate Neighborhood Concert Series features an opportunity for concertgoers to hear works in unique acoustical settings just like the composers intended.

“We are very excited to be able launch the new Stella Boyle Smith I.N.C. Intimate Neighborhood Concert Series. Our mission is to engage, inspire, connect, and advance Arkansas through the power of music. These concerts achieve each point. Performing in churches will allow the audience to hear the music of Mozart, Rossini and Vaughan Williams in intimate spaces that allow the music to be felt, absorbed, and experienced. To accommodate busy work weeks, these concerts will be short. For those that want to socialize, the musicians will stay after the performance to connect with the audience over refreshments,” said Christina Littlejohn, Executive Director.

Capacity is limited. There will be two general admission seating sections. Premium section subscriptions are $52.50 and Regular section subscriptions are $37.50 for all three concerts. Single tickets are $35 and $25. Tickets for students and active military are $10. Tickets can be purchased online  at www.ArkansasSymphony.org, over the phone at (501) 666-1761, or at the door.

 

2013 Stella Boyle Smith Intimate Neighborhood Concert Series

January 17, 2013 at 7 p.m. Pulaski Heights Methodist Church

Featuring Justin Bischof, organ

ROSSINI: Barber of Seville: Overture

POULENC: Concerto for Organ

IVES: The Unanswered Question

MOZART: Symphony No. 35 in D, “Haffner”

 

March 14, 2013 at 7 p.m. Christ Church

Featuring Quapaw Quartet, Rockefeller Quartet, and Beth Wheeler, English horn

ELGAR: Introduction and Allegro, op. 47

HIGDON: Soliloquy

VAUGHN WILLIAMS: Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis

BARTOK: Romanian Folk Dances

 

Mozart Requiem with Arkansas Chamber Singers: May 16, 2013 at 7 p.m. First United Methodist Church

Featuring Arkansas Chamber Singers with John Erwin, ACS Music Director

MOZART: Requiem

Martha Miller new director at Department of Arkansas Heritage

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MARTHA MILLER: New Heritage leader.Last week, Governor Mike Beebe announced that Martha Miller would be the new Director of the Department of Arkansas Heritage.  She succeeds Cathie Matthews, who retired at the end of 2012 after serving for 15 years.

In making the announcement the governor noted, “Martha is a life-long Arkansan who has strong experience within the department and with state government. Promoting her from her position as deputy director was an easy and sensible decision in light of Cathie Matthews’ retirement.

Miller, 60, previously served as Deputy Director for the Department of Arkansas Heritage Museums. Formerly a self-employed attorney and lobbyist, she has served on the boards of Lyon College (her alma mater), the Little Rock Interfaith Hospitality Network and Audubon Arkansas.

The Department of Arkansas Heritage’s mission is to identify Arkansas’ heritage and enhance the quality of life by the discovery, preservation, and presentation of the state’s cultural, historic and natural resources. The agency oversees the Arkansas Arts Council, Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, Delta Cultural Center, Historic Arkansas Museum, Mosaic Templars Cultural Center and the Old State House Museum.

LR Look Back: Mayor John Gould Fletcher

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IMG_4006Future Little Rock Mayor John Gould Fletcher was born on this date in 1831. The son of Henry Lewis and Mary Lindsey Fletcher, he later served as a Captain in the Capital Guards during the Civil War. One of his fellow soldiers was Peter Hotze.

Following the war, he and Hotze began a general merchandise store in Little Rock. They were so successful that they eventually dropped the retail trade and dealt only in cotton. Peter Hotze had his office in New York while Fletcher supervised company operations in Little Rock. In 1878 Fletcher married Miss Adolphine Krause, sister-in-law of Hotze.

John Gould Fletcher was elected Mayor of Little Rock from 1875 to 1881. He was the first Mayor under Arkansas’ new constitution which returned all executive powers to the office of the Mayor (they had been split under a reconstruction constitution). Following his service as Mayor, he served one term as Pulaski County Sheriff. Mayor Fletcher also later served as president of the German National Bank in Little Rock.

Mayor and Mrs. Fletcher had five children, three of whom lived into adulthood. Their son was future Pulitzer Prize winning poet John Gould Fletcher (neither father nor son used the Sr. or Jr. designation). Their two daughters who lived to adulthood were Adolphine Fletcher Terry and Mary Fletcher Drennan.

In 1889, Mayor Fletcher purchased the Pike House in downtown Little Rock. The structure later became known as the Pike-Fletcher-Terry House. It was from this house that Adolphine Fletcher Terry organized the Women’s Emergency Committee which worked to reopen the Little Rock public schools durin the 1958-1959 school year.

In the 1960s, sisters Adolphine Fletcher Terry and Mary Fletcher Drennan deeded the house to the City of Little Rock for use by the Arkansas Arts Center. For several decades it served as home to the Arts Center’s contemporary craft collection. It now is used for special events and exhibitions.

Mayor Fletcher died in 1906 and is buried in Mt. Holly Cemetery along with various members of his family. His grandson William Terry (son of Adolphine Fletcher Terry) and three generations of his family still reside in Little Rock.

CALS Hosts 2nd Annual LEGO Competition at Thompson Library

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The Central Arkansas Library System is hosting its 2nd Annual LEGO contest today at the Roosevelt Thompson Library.

The fun begins at 9am and continues until 5pm.  From 9am to 12 noon, contestants can bring their LEGO creations.  These will be judged from 1pm to 3pm.  From 3pm to 5pm the public will have the chance to view them.  At 5pm the winners will be announced.

For more information on the rules, contact the library at 501-821-3060.

The Roosevelt Thompson Library is located at 38 Rahling Circle.

Sandwiching in History – The BPOE Building in Little Rock

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Each month the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program sponsors a “Sandwiching in History” tour which features a historic property. Today at 12 noon is the first one for 2013.

This month’s tour is of the B.P.O.E. building at 401 S. Scott Street.  Now known at the headquarters of the Junior League of Little Rock, it was originally built as a lodge for the Benevolent Protective Order of the Elks.  The building was designed in the Second Renaissance Revival Style in 1908 by Theo Sanders and was constructed in two phases around 1910.  In 1927 the building was purchased by the Women’s City Club.  In May 2001 it was purchased by the Junior League of Little Rock.

The Sandwiching in History tours are free and open to the public. All tours begin at noon and last no more than one hour. An AHPP historian delivers a brief lecture about the property before leading guests on a tour. Attendees are encouraged to bring their lunches with them.

The Arkansas Historic Preservation Program (an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage) identifies, evaluates, registers, and  preserves the state’s historic and cultural resources and seeks to instill a preservation ethic in future generations of Arkansans. The agency also houses the Main Street Arkansas program, which works with local communities to revitalize downtown commercial areas.