Category Archives: Museum

Art Abounds Downtown during 2nd Friday Art Night

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2FAN logo Font sm2Among the various sites featured tonight from 5pm to 8pm as part of 2nd Friday Art Night are:

The Central Arkansas Library System Butler Center Galleries (401 President Clinton Avenue) is opening three new exhibits:

Creative Expressions (which will run through August 25)

This exhibition features artwork from the Creative Expressions Program at the Arkansas State Hospital.  Creative Expressions is a non-profit organization that uses the visual arts to promote and support the self-awareness and growth of individuals with mental illness.

Arkansas Art Educators State Youth Art Show (which will run through July 27)

Arkansas League of Artists Spring Members Show (which will run through June 28 at the Cox Creative Center).

 

studioMAIN (1423 South Main Street) will open a new exhibit – “From Bauhaus to our Haus”

studioMAIN invites you to join us this Friday for our exhibit celebrating the Bauhaus movement. Come learn about that history of the movement and its influence on today’s architecture, design, and education. Several local examples of building inspired by the Bauhaus and International style will also be highlighted.

This will be a great opportunity to learn (or be reminded) about this amazing transition in the history design before the opening of the Arkansas Arts Center’s upcoming exhibit, Bauhaus twenty-21: An Ongoing Legacy (May 24 – September 1).

As part of the member’s opening for the AAC, studioMAIN will be hosting a lecture and panel discussion, stay tuned for further information in the next couple weeks.

 

Historic Arkansas Museum (200 East Third Street)

In addition to the opening of two new exhibits, HAM will have live music by the Rolling Blackouts and an opening reception for two new exhibits. Opening in the Trinity Gallery is Reflected by Three: William Detmers, Scott Lykens and G. Tara Casciano. Opening in the 2nd Floor Gallery will be Painting in the Open Air: Day and Night, with plein air paintings by Jason Sacran.

 

Old State House (300 West Markham)

Up-cycled Jewelry. Create an artful bracelet from unexpected found supplies: safety pins, buttons, charms and fabric. These bracelets make great Mother’s Day gifts.

May 9 Architeaser

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IMG_5185In keeping with May being Arkansas Heritage Month, today’s Architeaser features a detail of the south portico on the Old State House. The Old State House Museum is the oldest standing state capitol building west of the Mississippi River.

Construction on the building began in 1833 and was declared complete in 1842. The building was commissioned by Territorial Governor John Pope, who selected Kentucky architect Gideon Shryock (who previously designed the Kentucky state capitol building) to create plans for the Arkansas capitol. Shryock chose the Greek Revival style, then a popular design for public buildings, for Arkansas’s new capitol. The original plans were grand and too expensive for the young territory’s finances. Consequently, the plans were changed by George Weigart, Shryock’s assistant, who oversaw construction at the Little Rock site.

In 1885, the building was renovated and expanded.  The south facade and portico were rebuilt.  It is this rebuilt portico which is featured on today’s Architeaser.  Former Little Rock Mayor John Wassell was responsible for overseeing much of the renovation and built the winding wooden staircases now find inside the building.

 

 

Arts Center Children’s Theatre geared for Adults Tonight

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jamesgiantadultThe Arkansas Arts Center is hosting an event tonight featuring the Children’s Theatre production of James and the Giant Peach.  The twist is that this event is for adults 21 and over.

Billed as “Giant Peaches and Fuzzy Navels” the event starts at 7pm with a reception.  It will feature refreshments (including adult beverages which use peaches as ingredients) and a musical performance by Paul Morphis.

At 8pm, the production of James and the Giant Peach will start.

The title character is played by Jeffrey Oakley.  Mark Hansen and Aleigha Morton play his horrible aunts.  Others in the cast are Garrett Flood as Old Green Grasshopper, Anna Tess Frost as Spider, Jeremy Matthey as Centipede, Jhonika Wright as Ladybird and Cassandra Nary as Earthworm.David Wood has adapted Dahl’s story for the stage.  The production is directed and designed by Alan Keith Smith.  Erin Larkin designed the costumes, and Penelope Poppers is the lighting designer.

James and the Giant Peach opens tonight and runs through May 12.  Public performances are Fridays at 7 p.m., Saturdays at 3 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m.

Bradley Anderson is the artistic director of the Arkansas Arts Center Children’s Theatre. Dr. Todd Herman is the executive director of the Arkansas Arts Center.

May 7 Architeaser

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hamMay is Arkansas Heritage Month.  As a way to celebrate it, the next few Architeasers will focus on facilities connected to the Department of Arkansas Heritage.

Today’s Architeaser features architecture from the past and present.  These structures sit side by side on the city block which is home to part of Historic Arkansas Museum.  The center of the photo is anchored by the 2001 expansion to the museum which was designed by the firm of Polk Stanley Yeary (now Polk Stanley Wilcox). Framing the building on either side of the photo are some of Little Rock’s oldest structures.

Historic Arkansas Museum opened in July 1941 as the Arkansas Territorial Restoration.  It includes Little Rock’s oldest structure, the Hinderliter Grog Shop, built in 1827.  In 2001, the name was changed to Historic Arkansas Museum in conjunction with the opening of a 51,000 square foot museum center which capped off a three phase capital building program.

Dr. Cal Ledbetter Collection opens at UALR Center for Arkansas History and Culture

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The UALR Center for Arkansas History and Culture revealed its newest collection, donated by educator, scholar, and legislator Calvin R. Ledbetter Jr., at a reception held at the Arkansas Studies Institute Tuesday evening, April 30.

Calvin R. Ledbetter Jr.The 12-linear-foot collection covers Ledbetter’s life between 1964 and 1988. The papers document Ledbetter’s political career including the state’s legislative sessions from 1967 to 1977. A portion of the papers references his academic career at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

Ledbetter, 84, led an accomplished political and educational career.

In addition to the collection housed at ASI, there is an online exhibit at ualrexhibits.org/ledbetter. The digitized collection includes photographs, video clips, and a selected bibliography on articles and books written by Ledbetter.

In 1960, Ledbetter joined the faculty at Little Rock University, now the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He has served as chair of the Department of Political Science and dean of the College of Liberal Arts, now the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. After retiring in 1997, Ledbetter was named professor emeritus of political science.

The gift of Dr. Ledbetter is not just his collection, ever the visionary, he has an eye on the future. In addition to donating his papers for research, Ledbetter has established the Cal Ledbetter Arkansas Legislative Institute Endowment to promote a better understanding of Arkansas through the scholarly study of legislators and legislative process.

Ledbetter served for five terms in the Arkansas House of Representatives between 1967 and 1977. In the course of his political career, he served three Arkansas’ governors, Winthrop Rockefeller, Dale Bumpers, and David Pryor. CAHC holds the collections of both Rockefeller and Bumpers.

The UALR Center for Arkansas History and Culture is housed in the Arkansas Studies Institute, a partnership between UALR and the Central Arkansas Library System. For more information, go to ualr.edu/cahc.

In recognition of his contributions, the Arkansas House of Representatives passed HR1045 this session. It was sponsored by Rep. Ann V. Clemmer, a member of the UALR Political Science faculty.

May 2 Architeaser

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IMG_5151In keeping with this week’s focus on Arkansas Arts Center entrances, today’s Architeaser focuses on the front portico of the Pike-Fletcher-Terry House. The iconic ionic columns are constructed of brick. They date from the early days of this often-modified house.

The original construction of this edifice started in 1840 by Albert Pike.  After uses as a residence and a women’s college, former Mayor John G. Fletcher took ownership of the property in 1889.  From 1889 to 1977 it was in the Fletcher family, first Mayor Fletcher and then his three children – Pulitzer Prize winning poet John Gould Fletcher, Mary Fletcher Drennan and Adolphine Fletcher Terry.

Mrs. Terry and her husband Congressman David D. Terry raised their five children in the house.  The house was also a base for Mrs. Terry’s community interests.  Most notably, the Women’s Emergency Committee was founded in the house.  This group of Little Rock area women focused on reopening the Little Rock public schools after they had been shut in response to the desegregation of Little Rock Central High.  The list of members of this group was kept secret for 40 years.  In 1997, the list was made public and the names were etched in the glass of the conservatory on the east facade of the building.

In 1963, the two remaining heirs of Mayor Fletcher – Mrs. Terry and Mrs. Drennan – announced that they were deeding the house to the City of Little Rock for use by the new Arkansas Arts Center. This transfer would go into effect upon the death of both sisters.  Following Mrs. Terry’s death, Mrs. Drennan (who lived out of state) went ahead and transferred the property in 1977.

From 1985 to 2003, the building was known as the Arkansas Arts Center Decorative Art Museum and housed the AAC’s decorative art and contemporary craft collection.  Because of expansion of the main campus in MacArthur Park, that collection was moved to the main building.  Since 2004, the building has been home to a variety of community art exhibits in conjunction with the Arts Center.

Since 1977, the building has long been a favorite site for special events and weddings. That tradition continues today. Tomorrow night, Our House will host its annual Dinner on the Grounds at the Arkansas Arts Center’s Pike-Fletcher-Terry House.

 

Arkansas Arts Center Looks Back and Forward with TABRIZ

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tabriz-logoThis year, the Arkansas Arts Center’s biennial Tabriz marks 50 years.  What started out as a blacktie dinner and dance as the Beaux Arts Bal (sic) in 1963 transformed by 1971 into Tabriz – an auction event.  Over the years, the one evening has grown into three different events.

Thursday, May 2, 6 p.m., Alice Pratt Brown Atrium
Tabriz: Moroccan Market Silent Auction

The Thursday, May 2, event will be a casual party featuring a silent auction with over 350 unique items for every interest. Beginning at 6 p.m., attendees will enjoy entertainment, specialty drinks and light fare with a Moroccan twist. Tickets are $50 per person. Guests are invited to bid online with bidpal.net/tabriz. www.Tabriz2013.org

 

Saturday, May 4, 6 p.m.,Alice Pratt Brown Atrium
Tabriz Gala Dinner: A 50th Anniversary Ball

A Moroccan market-themed black-tie gala will be held Saturday, May 4, at 6 p.m. There will be silent and live auctions featuring items such as premiere destination vacations, elegant jewelry, marvelous parties and various other art and cultural experiences available for bidding, premium cocktails and an elegant dinner. Tickets are $750 per person and include admission to the Studio Party 50th Anniversary Celebration Ball immediately following the gala at 9 p.m.

 

Saturday, May 4, 9 p.m.,Alice Pratt Brown Atrium
Tabriz Studio Party

Following the Gala Dinner, guests will enjoy exciting entertainment with The Jump Street Band, hors d’oeuvres and cocktails. Tickets to attend the Studio Party 50th Anniversary only are $100 per person.www.Tabriz2013.org