Category Archives: Film

First 2nd Friday Art Night of 2014

Posted on by

2nd Friday Art NightThe first 2nd Friday Art Night of 2014 takes place tonight.  Among the participating locations are Historic Arkansas Museum, the Central Arkansas Library System and Old State House Museum.

Historic Arkansas Museum will feature live music by Phil G. and Lori Marie from 5pm to 8pm.  It will also host the opening reception for Chasing the Light: Photography by Brian Chilson, in the Second Floor Gallery through March 10.  Arkansas Times photographer Brian Chilson has had a front row seat to some of the most exciting, entertaining, eventful and sometimes poignant events in Arkansas, as well as those smaller moments of everyday life. This collection of photographs taken over the past decade, from 2003 to 2013, serves as a sort of retrospective of life in Arkansas in the arenas of fashion, sports, politics and human interest.

At the Central Arkansas Library’s Butler Center a new exhibit will open.  Unusual Portraits: New Works by Michael Warrick and David O’Brien features explorations in portraiture by two accomplished Little Rock artists. Featured musician for the evening is Das Loop, a Little Rock duo that creates instrumental compositions using live loops and “layers of poly-rhythmic bliss.” The featured artist is Jacquelyn Kaucher, a painter who works with watercolor and acrylics, and she is a long-time teacher of watercolor and experimental watercolor painting in Little Rock.

The Old State House will host Second Friday Cinema: “Broncho Billy Anderson: Arkansas’s First Movie Star” at 6:00 pm. Born Max Aronson in Little Rock, Ark., Gilbert M. Anderson was a motion picture pioneer, who appeared in the groundbreaking film The Great Train Robbery in 1903. Anderson partnered with George Spoor to form the Essanay (S and A) Studios, where he wrote, directed, and starred in hundreds of one-reel westerns and comedies, the most popular featuring a character Anderson created for himself, Broncho Billy. “Broncho Billy” Anderson became Hollywood’s first western star, and Essanay one of the most successful studios of the early motion picture era.

The screening will include three short movies featuring Gilbert M. “Broncho Billy” Anderson:   The Great Train Robbery (1903) Broncho Billy’s Fatal Joke (1914) The Son-of-a-Gun (1919).  Ben Fry, General Manager of KLRE/KUAR and coordinator of the film minor at UALR, will introduce the films and lead a discussion.

13 Cultural Highlights of 2013

Posted on by

In no particular order, here are 13 cultural highlights of 2013 in Little Rock.

10.+citylittlerock-21. The 73 year old Joseph Taylor Robinson Municipal Auditorium received a new lease on life when Little Rock voters approved an extensive, two-year plan for renovation, remodeling and expanding the new facility.

2. Speaking of Robinson, the new Ron Robinson Theatre was constructed in the Arcade Building.  It will be the flagship home of the Little Rock Film Festival as well as a site for events hosted by the Clinton School of Public Service and the Central Arkansas Library System.

3. The Little Rock Film Festival came downtown with all of its films being shown in downtown Little Rock and Argenta.  Among the highlights of the festival were Short Term 12, Bridegroom and Don John which have received plaudits at other festivals and are appearing on Best of 2013 lists as well as receiving award nominations.

4. As Main Street continues to redevelop, plans were announced in 2013 for the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra and Ballet Arkansas to each move their offices and rehearsal spaces downtown.  Joining them will be an expansion of educational space for the Arkansas Repertory Theatre.

5. A few blocks south on Main Street, the new South on Main restaurant and performance space opened.  Weekly performances of live music accent the food and drink under the leadership of Chef Matt Bell.

6. Further down Main Street, Little Rock’s newest museum opened.  The Esse Purse Museum honors women and their struggles, accomplishments, hopes and dreams through highlighting the purse.

7. Fashion also took center stage at the William J. Clinton Presidential Center as well with an exhibit on Oscar de La Renta.  In addition to showcasing his contributions to design, the exhibit attracted many boldfaced names from the worlds of fashion and politics to an event in Little Rock.

Washington Bible8. George Washington was the focus of two separate exhibits in Little Rock during 2013.  Historic Arkansas Museum showcased his inaugural Bible as well as his family Bible.  At the Clinton Presidential Center “A Tribute to George Washington” was on display.  It featured George Washington’s personal copy of the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights from Mount Vernon, and a portrait of George Washington painted in 1797 by artist Gilbert Stuart on loan from the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.

9. The amphitheatre in Riverfront Park received a new name (First Security Amphitheatre) and a new roof just in time to kick off its 26th year and to play host to musical acts during Riverfest.

10. Rembrandt and Rothko were just two of the artists featured in exhibits at the Arkansas Arts Center through 2013.  The Arts Center featured the exhibit Treasures of Kenwood House which highlighted the works of Rembrandt, Van Dyck and many other world class artists.  Earlier in the year, exhibits highlighted Bauhaus architecture and relics of the Japanese internment camp at Rohwer.  The Arts Center was also the site of the world’s second largest yarn bomb installation.

Babe Sophie11. The Little Rock Zoo welcomed two new elephants: Sophie and Babe.  The Zoo also was the site of the birth of Bugsy the penguin and four new tiger cubs.  The tigers were born as the result of the Zoo’s new tiger exhibit which facilitated not only easier mating but also allows for the separation of the mother and cubs from the father.

12. The Central Arkansas Library System opened its new Children’s Library.  A few months after the building opened, a name was bestowed and it is now known as the Hillary Rodham Clinton Children’s Library and Learning Center.

13. As 2013 drew to a close, the holiday decorations at the Capital Hotel received international recognition as Forbes named them one of the ten best hotel Christmas trees in the world.  The nearly 30 foot tree was decorated by Tipton Hurst.

9th Nog Off, Other Activities at Historic Arkansas Museum tonight and Saturday

Posted on by

9th Ever Nog-off

This Friday
December 13
5 – 8 pm
Free
Plus opening reception for two new exhibits: Dream and Imagery Entailed: Kerrick Hartman and LaToya Hobbs and A Sure Defense: The Bowie Knife in America
Historic Arkansas Museum’s 9th Ever Nog-off is a culinary celebration of a favorite holiday drink, and friendly competition for the best eggnog in town.
 
The Noggers: The Honorable Mark Stodola; David Burnette, South on Main; Darryl Downs, Capital Hotel Bar and Grill; Bridget Fennell Farris; Laurie Harrison, Le Pops; Sally Mengel, Loblolly Creamery; Copper Grill
 
The Celebrity Judges: Darla Huie, Dizzy’s Gypsy Bistro; P. Allen Smith; Amanda Hoelzeman, Arkansas Business
 
Shop for your holiday gifts in the Museum Store. During the Nog-off we’ll have:
Jann Greenland with her jewelry and fused glass stars
Jane F. Hankins signing copies of her book, The Thirty-Foot Elvis
Thomas Hankins making crystal ornaments and jewelry
Kat Robinson signing copies of her book, Ozark Eateries
 

 

Dream and Imagery Entailed

Kerrick Hartman and LaToya Hobbs
Trinity Gallery for Arkansas Artists
December 13 through February 9, 2014
 

Stuttgart artist Kerrick Hartman focuses on stone, wood and metal sculpture using the Arkansas landscape as inspiration for his work. He says, “To take a stone or other lifeless, stationary material and convey a sense of spiraling, undulating motion to an object is at its core a testimonial of hope and celebration of life’s design.”

North Little Rock native LaToya Hobbs, printmaker and painter, works with figurative imagery that addresses the ideas of beauty and spirituality. Her work is an investigation of how past influences, expectations and preferences resonate with women of color in the 21st century and are expressed through the canvases of our bodies.


46th Annual Christmas Frolic

This Saturday
December 14
10 am – 4 pm
Frolicking in the  Grog Shop from 1 to 4 pm
Free
 
Keep your family tradition going, or make a new one and join hundreds of others who have danced their first Virginia Reel in the Hinderliter Grog Shop, the oldest house in Little Rock. It’s always fun to watch your kids sashay down the line for the first time, or to brush up on your own steps.

From sack races to stilts, from fiddling to frolicking, this favorite seasonal event charms one and all with old fashioned fun. Bring the whole family out and enjoy live music, crafts, carols, pioneer games and our famous hot cider and ginger cake.

 
*Bowie Knife opening weekend activities happening simultaneously. See below. All free and open to the public.*

 

A Sure Defense: The Bowie Knife in America

The largest and most important exhibit ever done on America’s iconic contribution to the world of blades
 
Horace C. Cabe Gallery
December 13 through June 22, 2014
Opening reception during the 9th Ever Nog-off
 

A Sure Defense: The Bowie Knife in America will trace the history of this country’s most famous knife from just before its birth in a rough melee on a sandbar above Natchez, Mississippi in 1827, to the skilled craftsmen who keep the classic blade alive to this day in the form of hand crafted reproductions and modernized versions.

The exhibit of more than 200 knives includes knife designs associated with Alamo martyr James Bowie and his less famous brother Rezin, as well as bowie knives once owned by such historic figures as Davy Crockett, Theodore Roosevelt, General Winfield Scott and John Fox “Bowie Knife” Potter. The role of the bowie knife in the Antebellum era is explored along with the Civil War and the opening of the west, and there’s a special focus on the role bowie knives played in the events surrounding the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.

 

Bowie Knife Symposium on Friday

This Friday
12:30 to 4:30 pm
Museum’s Ottenheimer Theater
Free

12:30    Mark Zalesky, Guest Curator and Editor of Knife World
                “Samuel Bell, The Tiffany of Texas and Tennessee”
1:30        Bill Worthen, Historic Arkansas Museum Director
                “James Black and the Bowie Knife”
2:30        Josh Phillips, Co-Author of Confederate Bowie Knives
                “Identifying Counterfeit Bowie Knives”
3:30        Garry Zalesky, ABKA Life Member and lender to the exhibit
                “Folding Bowie and Folding Dirk Knives”

Bowie Knife Opening Weekend Activities

This Saturday
December 14
Free
 
Bladesmithing in the Blacksmith Shop
With Master Bladesmith Lin Rhea
10 am – Noon; 1 – 4 pm
 
Gallery Talks
With Guest Curator Mark Zalesky and Museum Director Bill Worthen
Throughout the day
 
Jim Bowie Live!
Catch Jack Edmondson’s portrayal of Jim Bowie.
 
Knife Film Festival
In the museum’s Otttenheimer Theater
10 am – The Iron Mistress
12 pm – The Sandbar Duel documentary for Natchez TV
12:30 – The Adventures of Jim Bowie
1:00 – Dirty Work: Arkansas’s Knife Heritage from Bowie to Rambo
1:30 – The Iron Mistress
3:30 – The Sandbar Duel documentary for Natchez TV
 
*Christmas Frolic activities happening simultaneously. See above. All free and open to the public.*

 

 

Clinton Center Free Today in honor of 9th Anniversary

Posted on by
On November 18, 2004, the William J. Clinton Presidential Center and Park officially opened.  As the Clinton Presidential Center has done since it opened, it marks the anniversary with a free day (usually on a weekend closest to the actual anniversary date).
Celebrate the Center’s ninth anniversary with a FREE admission all day long. Take advantage of the opportunity to see “Oscar de la Renta: American Icon” and “And Freedom for All: The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom” as well as all the permanent exhibits. Also available, FREE Acoustiguide audio tours narrated by President Clinton.
Sunday is the last day to view And Freedom for All: The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.  This exhibit follows along the historic journey of the 1963 March on Washington For Jobs and Freedom through the powerful images of famed photojournalist Stanley Tretick.  Tretick was assigned by LOOK magazine to cover the March behind-the-scenes with organizers and program speakers as they led the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and where history led Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to deliver his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.

Oscar de la Renta: American Icon runs through December 1. This seminal fashion exhibition celebrates the world-renowned work and inspiring life of designer Oscar de la Renta. The exhibit will feature more than 30 of his iconic creations worn by leading arbiters of style, from First Ladies to Hollywood’s brightest stars.

In the 1960s, Dominican-born Oscar de la Renta moved to the United States, where he launched his signature ready-to-wear label and quickly became known as a leading figure in international fashion design. Oscar de la Renta’s award-winning career spans five decades and he continues to produce an exceptional body of work – a testament to his enduring creative vision.

Governor’s Arts Awards Presented Today

Posted on by

Arkansas_Arts_Council_logo_2Governor Mike Beebe will present the 2013 Governor’s Arts Awards today at a luncheon sponsored by the Arkansas Arts Council.

Sponsored annually by the Arkansas Arts Council, the Governor’s Arts Awards recognize individuals and corporations for their outstanding contributions to the arts in Arkansas. The recipients were nominated by the public and then selected by an independent panel of arts professionals from around the state. Each recipient will receive an original work of art created by Arkansas artist Stephen Driver.

The recipients are:
Arts Community Development Award – Bob Ford and Amy Herzberg (Fayetteville)
Arts in Education Award – Paul Leopoulos (North Little Rock)
Corporate Sponsorship of the Arts Award – Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard, PLLC (Little Rock)
Folklife Award – Paula Morell (North Little Rock)
Individual Artist Award – Robert Hupp (Little Rock)
Patron Award – Lee and Dale Ronnel (Little Rock)
Lifetime Achievement Award – Billie Seamans (McGehee)
Judges Special Recognition Award – Farrell Ford (Arkadelphia)

Little Rock Film Fest Honoree and Movie Icon Hal Needham Dies

Posted on by

Photo courtesy of Little Rock Film Festival

In June 2011, legendary movie stuntman and director Hal Needham attended the Little Rock Film Festival.  While there, Needham, director of the classic film Smokey and the Bandit, was interviewed on a panel by Tim Basham from Paste Magazine.  He started out as a stunt man, and later a stunt coordinator, before he went on to direct.  He worked with John Wayne on 8 films.

He wrote about his life and career in the book Stuntman.  It tells the story of how a kid from rural Arkansas with an eighth grade education became the highest paid stuntman in the world and went on to direct American classics.

While Needham was in town for the Film Festival, he was gracious and enthusiastic as he visited with fans and filmmakers.  As the 2011 Little Rock Film Festival closed out, Hal Needham was presented with the Diamond Award for Career Excellence in Filmmaking at the awards gala at the Clinton Presidential Library.

John Willis in Concert tonight at AETN – Be a part of a Free Taping

Posted on by

jqw aetnWhat do you get when you combine equal parts chamber pop, folk and jazz? If new release “King of the Cocktail Party EP” can serve as evidence, we take the answer to be singer-songwriter John Willis.

A music lover of eclectic tastes, ranging from Motown, gospel and 60s-70s songwriters to classical, jazz and world music, Willis creates a lush pop mix with piano and vocal harmonies that’s drawn comparisons to Harry Nilsson, Rufus Wainwright and Feist. Come experience the show for your self at the free “AETN Presents: On the Front Row” concert on Tuesday, Oct. 22, at 6:30 pm

The performance will feature Willis on lead vocals, piano and guitar; Chris Atwood on bass; Evan Barr on drums; Sarah Sticklin on backup vocals and additional keyboards; and Sydney Hunsicker on backup vocals, accordion, harmonica and additional percussion.
The show will air later in the year as part of the “AETN Presents” 10th Anniversary Season, celebrating the wide variety of arts and cultural subjects from across the Natural State. Learn more about our previous guests and specials on the AETN Presents program page.
“AETN Presents: On the Front Row With John Willis” Concert Taping
Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2013, 6:30 pm (doors open). Concert taping from 7pm to 8pm.
AETN Studios, 350 S. Donaghey Ave., Conway