Category Archives: Arts & Humanities Month

Arts & Humanities Month: Wildwood Park’s Harvest! Festival

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Wildwood Park for the Arts continues its annual Harvest! Festival today.

It features hayrides to Pumpkin Hill, family crafts, model trains and live music.  There will also be a culinary competition, activities such as sack races and pumpkin push races, and the Arkansas Pickin’ & Fiddlin’ Championship.

The event started yesterday and continues today from12 noon through 6pm.  It is one of Wildwood’s seasonal festivals which take place on the 104 acre campus throughout the year.

Wildwood Park for the Arts seek s to challenge the intellect, engage the imagination and celebrate the human spirit through encounter with nature and a full spectrum of the cultural arts: visual, performing, literary, horticultural, culinary and more.

Gardens on the site include the Richard C. Butler Arboretum, the Gertrude Remmel Butler Gazebo and Gardens (a project of the Chenal Valley Garden Club), the Ruth Allen Dogwood Trail, the Boop Water Garden, the Carl Hunter Wildflower Glenn, the Bruce Theatre Gardens, the Doris Carre Gay Asian Garden (a project of the Pulaski County Master Gardeners),the Campbell Davies Reflection Garden and an 8-acre swan lake. Paved walking trails provide access to all areas of the park.

Arts & Humanities Month: Arkansas Arts Center showcases Barnet, metal works

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The Arkansas Arts Center’s newest exhibits have recently opened.

Barnet

Will Barnet at the Arkansas Arts Center: A Centennial Exhibition celebrates Barnet’s 100th birthday. The exhibit highlights the museum’s vast array of works by this important 20th and 21st century artist.  The exhibit runs through January 15 in the Townsend Wolfe Gallery.

Tori Study #006 - Hoss Haley

Cast, Cut, Forged and Crushed: Selections in Metal from the John and Robyn Horn Collection showcases works cast in metal by over two dozen artists from the John and Robyn Horn collection.  It runs through January 15 in the Jeannette Edris Rockefeller Gallery.

Continuing at the Arts Center is the Museum School Faculty Exhibition: Past and Present which runs through November 13 in the Sam Strauss, Sr. and Stella Boyle Smith Galleries.

Other events at the Arkansas Arts Center this month include:

Sunday, October 16, 2011 – 6pm: Conversation with David Clemons – Lecture Hall

Thursday, October 20, 2011 – 6:30pm: Jessica Nicoll lecture “Will Barnet: A Life’s Work in Context” – Lecture Hall

Wednesday, October 26, 2011 – 7pm: The Arts in Motion Film Series: Ballets Russes

Arts & Humanities Month: Little Rock Film Festival’s Argenta Film Series – MARATHON BOY

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The Little Rock Film Festival has launched the Argenta Film Series in conjunction with the Argenta Arts Foundation and the Mitchell Williams Law Firm.  Tonight’s entry is Marathon Boy, which will be shown at the Argenta Community Theatre.

A TRIBECA Film Festival official section from HBO Documentary Films, Marathon Boy tells the story of a four-year old boy from the slums of India who is trained to become India’s greatest runner.  Along the way, the story becomes rife with greed and disillusionment. 

Director Gemma Atwal from London will be present for the screening and participate in a question and answer session following the screening. A reception will begin at 6:30 pm and the film will begin at 7:00 pm.

The film will air on HBO later this year. For more information on the movie, visit the official website: http://www.marathonboymovie.com/.

The Argenta Film Series is a new year-round film series, emphasizing in-depth discussions on the craft of filmmaking, and will showcase indoor and outdoor screenings of local, national and international films.

The Little Rock Film Festival is one of the premiere film advocacy organizations in the American South, promoting the film industry in the state of Arkansas and bringing filmmakers from around the world each June to its flagship event in Little Rock. Current LRFF year round programs include, the 48 hour film project, the Reel Civil Rights Film Festival, and the Argenta Film Series.

Later this month, the Little Rock Film Festival will show Drag Me to Hell on October 28.

Arts & Humanities Month: UALR Theatre & Dance presents ONCE UPON A MATTRESS

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The UALR Theatre and Dance season kicks off with the whimsical musical fairy tale Once Upon a Mattress.  This marks UALR’s first musical in several years and comes after the theatre and dance program have been revitalized.  The production of this Mary Rodgers, Marshall Barer, Dean Fuller, Jay Thompson musical opens tonight at 8pm.  Other show times are Friday, October 7 at 7pm; Saturday, October 8 at 2:30pm and 8pm; and Sunday, October 9 at 2:30pm. Tickets can be obtained by calling the UALR Box Office at 569-3456.

Rhythm McCarthy is serving as director and choreographer.  Designers are William Marshall, Yslan Hicks, Jim Spencer and Karen Harris.  Michael Heavner is serving as musical director.

The 2011/2012 season has the tagline: Where Your Imagination Is Our Reality.  Other productions are:

  • Senior Dance Projects, November 17-20
  • Jeff Baron’s Visiting Mr. Green and Jane Martin’s Criminal Hearts presented in repertory, February 22-26
  • Spring Dance Concert, April 19-22

Arts & Humanities Month: Heifer Village

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One of Little Rock’s new cultural experiences is the Heifer Village on the campus of Heifer International.  Located adjacent to Clinton Presidential Park, the Heifer Village features exhibits, a conference center and a café. 

The exhibits in the Heifer Village are hands-on as they provide innovative ways for visitors of all ages to learn about the world’s challenges and how Heifer is working on solutions. Exhibits focus on health care, education, sustainable agriculture, infrastructure, fair markets and the myths of poverty. In addition, the Heifer Village features the “Dreaming Cows” mural, an exhibit on the story of Heifer International and the Making the Difference lab.

The Cafe @ Heifer serves an array of soups, salads, sandwiches and pizzas for lunch.  It is open Monday thru Friday from 10am to 3pm.  The café is sponsored by Centennial Bank.

Arts & Humanities Month: UALR History Department’s Evenings with History

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This year marks the 21st year for the History Institutes’ Evenings with History.  This nationally recognized series has featured a variety of subject.  This year, the first three evenings comprise a mini-series focused on African-Americans in Arkansas.  The other evenings will take listeners around the world in geography and chronology. The sessions take place at the Ottenheimer Auditorium of Historic Arkansas Museum. Refreshments are served at 7 with the program beginning at 7:30 pm. The cost is $50 for admission to all six programs.

Tonight’s program features Carl Moneyhon speaking on “Freedom: Black Arkansans and the End of Slavery”

On November 1, Story Matkin-Rawn of the UCA History Department will present a program entitled “From Land Ownership to Legal Defense: The World War I Watershed in Black Arkansan Organizing”

John Kirk presents December’s program on the 6th: “A Movement is more than a Moment: Arkansas and the African American Civil Rights struggle since 1940”

The Evenings in History return on February 7 with Jeff Kyong-McClain’s “The Heavenly History of the Han, or How a Liberal Baptist from Green Forest, Arkansas Taught Racial and Ethnic Nationalism to the Chinese”

On March 6, Charles Romney will address “A Brief History of Human Rights”

The 2011-2012 sessions will conclude on April 3 with Edward Anson’s “Counter-Insurgency: The Lessons of Alexander the Great”

The corporate sponsors for the 2011-2012 season are Delta Trust, Union Pacific Railroad, the Little Rock School District—Teaching American History Program; the law firms of  Friday, Eldredge & Clark and Wright, Lindsey & Jennings. Support and gifts in kind have been provided by the UALR Ottenheimer Library; Historic Arkansas Museum, a museum of the Department of Arkansas Heritage; UALR Public Radio–KLRE-KUAR; and Grapevine Spirits.

Arts & Humanities Month: Clinton School lectures and Old State House

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Two cultural institutions in Little Rock are partnering today on an event.  The University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service is presenting one of its lectures today at the Old State House Museum.

The Clinton School lecture series offers a variety of speakers on a panoply of topics.  The speakers range from local figures to international dignitaries.  The lectures are free and open to the public; one needs only to RSVP since the seating is limited. The speeches are filmed and archived on the school’s website, as well.  This month’s lineup features:

  • “Behind the Scenes at Clinton’s ‘91 Announcement: Building a Community of Hope that Inspires the World” – Monday, October 3, 2011 at 12:00 p.m. (Old State House) *In Partnership with Old State House Museum
  •  “Elizabeth and Hazel: Two Women of Little Rock,” author David Margolick -Tuesday, October 4, 2011 at 6:00 p.m. (Sturgis Hall) *Book signing to follow
  •  “Scaling Social Good,” Erin Ganju, co-founder and CEO of Room to Read – Wednesday, October 5, 2011 at 6:00 p.m. (Sturgis Hall)
  • John Kinkade, executive director of the National Sculptors’ Guild – Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 6:00 p.m. (Sturgis Hall)
  • “Cotton and Race in the Making of America,” author Gene Dattel – Thursday, October 13, 2011 at 6:00 p.m. (Sturgis Hall) *Book signing to follow
  •  “The Second City,” a panel discussion – Friday, October 14, 2011 at 12:00 p.m. (Sturgis Hall) *In partnership with the Arkansas Repertory Theatre
  •  Arkansas Puzzle Day 2011 – Saturday, October 15, 2011 at 9:00 a.m. (Sturgis Hall)
  •  Phillip Singerman, associate director for Innovation and Industry Services at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) – Monday, October 17, 2011 at 12:00 p.m. (Sturgis Hall) *In partnership with the Arkansas Economic Development Commission
  •  Ellen Dunham-Jones, professor of architecture and urban design, Georgia Tech – Tuesday, October 18, 2011 at 6:00 p.m. (Sturgis Hall)
  • Toni Maloney, co-founder and CEO of BPeace – Wednesday, October 19, 2011 at 12:00 p.m. (Sturgis Hall)
  • “Fighting for Darfur: Public Action and the Struggle to Stop Genocide,” author Rebecca Hamilton – Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 12:00 p.m. (Sturgis Hall) *Book signing to follow
  •  Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf – Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 6:00 p.m. (Sturgis Hall)
  • David J.R. Frakt, Professor of Law and United States Air Force Officer – Friday, October 21, 2011 at 12:00 p.m. (Sturgis Hall)
  • The Arkansas Consumer Confidence Report – Monday, October 24, 2011 at 12:00 p.m. (Sturgis Hall)
  • Markus Kostner, economist, World Bank – Tuesday, October 25, 2011 at 12:00 p.m. (Sturgis Hall)
  •  Catherine Bertini, former World Food Prize Laureate – Thursday, October 27, 2011 at 12:00 p.m. (Sturgis Hall)
  •  “Straight Talk,” A Community Conversation – Thursday, October 27 at 6:00 p.m. (Sturgis Hall)
  •  Congressman Tim Murphy (R, Penn.) – Friday, October 28, 2011 at 12:00 p.m. (Sturgis Hall)
  •  Melissa Boteach, Half in Ten manager, Center for American Progress – Monday, October 31, 2011 at 12:00 p.m. (Sturgis Hall)

Reserve your seats by emailing publicprograms@clintonschool.uasys.edu, or calling 501-683-5239.

The Old State House Museum is located inside Arkansas’ first state capitol building.  A museum of the Department of Arkansas Heritage, it is dedicated to showcasing Arkansas history from 1836 to the present.  It has a variety of permanent exhibits as well as temporary exhibits.  The building’s most famous modern moments have been when it served as the backdrop to Bill Clinton’s 1991 presidential race announcement.  It was also on the front lawn that he celebrated on election nights in 1992 and 1996.

Current exhibits at the Old State House are:

  •  Arkansas/Arkansaw: A State and its Reputation, through March 4, 2012.

This exhibit sheds new light on the evolution of Arkansas’s backwoods, hillbilly image. The exhibit entitled, explores both the favorable and unfavorable parts of this history.

  • An Enduring Union: Arkansas in the Civil War, through 2012

This exhibit examines why Arkansas commemorates its Civil War veterans and features artifacts documenting the post-war Confederate and Union veteran reunions in the state. As part of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, it will be followed by four other exhibits.

The permanent exhibits are:

  • As Long as Life Shall Last: The Legacy of Arkansas Women
  • Pillars of Power: The Old State House – A Historical Landmark of Arkansas
  • On The Stump: Arkansas Politics, 1819 – 1919
  • 1836 House of Representatives Chamber
  • First Families: the Mingling of Politics and Culture
  • In addition, the museum has five parlors and one hallway depicting different eras of furniture and decorative styles ranging from the 18th to the early 20th centuries.

Some of the programs the Old State House has planned in October are:

Wednesday, October 12, 2011, 12 noon

  • Brown Bag Lunch Lecture – Public Health and the Syphilis Epidemic in Arkansas in the 1940s

Wednesday, October 19, 2011, 10:30am

  • Little Beginnings Toddler Program – Fall, with Jane Jones-Schulz