Category Archives: Museum

Midori, ASYO and CALS collaborate this weekend

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asoyoWorld-famous violinist Midori will accompany the Arkansas Youth Symphony String Quartet for two separate events at the Central Arkansas Library System (CALS). The events will be on Friday, April 12, 3:45 p.m. at the Children’s Library and Learning Center, 4800 W. 10th Street, and Saturday, April 13, 3:30 p.m. at the Terry Library, 2015 Napa Valley Drive.

The Arkansas Symphony Youth Orchestra (ASYO) was chosen as one of two recipients for Midori’s Orchestra Residency Programs for the 2012-2013 season.  The programs are designed to support and encourage youth orchestras in the United States. Through the week-long residency, Midori collaborates in a wide range of activities with both the youth orchestras and their partner professional organizations.

calsIn the 2012-2013 season, violinist Midori will celebrate the 30th anniversary of her performing career.

She made her debut at age 11 as a surprise guest soloist with the New York Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta in 1982. Today, Midori is recognized as an extraordinary performer, a devoted and gifted educator, and an innovative community engagement activist.

The ASYO began as a dream of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra’s founders in the 1960s and today continues to attract Arkansas’s leading student-musicians. Ranging in age from 9-18 years and traveling from over thirty-seven communities throughout the state, the ASYO has grown to over 200 members. The Arkansas Youth Symphony String Quartet formed eight years ago in 2005.

AAC Hosts Exhibition of ceramics by Ron Meyers

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“Platter with a Rabbit” – Ron Meyers

Rats, fish, goats, rabbits, frogs, chickens and more—these are the animals that adorn the wildly colorful and functional ceramics of Ron Meyers.With a career spanning nearly fifty years, Ron Meyers is one of the most prolific American ceramics artists working today; and through his spontaneous and expressionistic designs has influenced generations of studio potters.

Ron Meyers: A Potter’s Menagerie is the first comprehensive exhibition of the artist’s work and features more than one hundred ceramics in a variety of forms—plates, platters, bowls, covered jars, yunomi (tea bowls)—as well as a selection of his rarely exhibited drawings.

Born and raised in Buffalo, New York, Meyers received his Bachelor of Science (1956) and Master of Science (1961) degrees in art education from Buffalo State University (SUNY-Buffalo) and his Master of Fine Arts (1967) degree in ceramics from the School for American Crafts, Rochester Institute of Technology. Upon graduating, Meyers served as the first instructor in ceramics at the University of South Carolina, Columbia (1967-1972) before moving to the University of Georgia, Athens, where he taught ceramics from 1972 until his retirement in 1993.

A full-color catalogue, published by the Arkansas Arts Center, will accompany the exhibition.

Sponsored by:
Windgate Charitable Foundation
The Hon. Robert L. and Charlotte B. Brown
Brenda Mize

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.

Science after Dark tonight: Extreme Weather

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579189_304785576315615_574944738_nThis month’s Science After Dark is “In Like A Lion, Out Like A Lamb; The Science of Extreme Weather” and will be Wednesday, March 27.

Science after Dark occurs the last Wednesday of each month. Museum educators pick a science-related topic, and develop an event around it. The event is for ages 21 and older. General admission is $5 per person. Museum members get in free.

It is a great chance to explore the museum’s exhibits and enjoy downtown Little Rock.

Arts Center names Young Arkansas Artists

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arkartsctrlogoThe Arkansas Arts Center, the state’s premiere center for visual and performing arts, will host the 52nd Young Arkansas Artists Exhibition Awards Reception and Family Festival on April 7 from noon – 3 p.m. The awards ceremony will take place at 2:30 p.m. in the Children’s Theatre.

“The arts provide children with the opportunity for self-expression and develop a platform for creativity,” said Arkansas Arts Center executive director Todd Herman. “We are excited to share with the community the vast array of creations from our young artists and celebrate their achievements.”

Artists awarded in the 52nd Young Arkansas Artists Exhibition include:

Kindergarten

  • Best of Class – Michaela Gramsch, Pulaski Academy
  • Honorable Mentions – Kylie Byrne, Christ the King School,Andrew Daniel, Carver Magnet

First Grade

  • Best of Class – Blakely Rochelle, Pine Forest Elementary
  • Honorable Mentions – Chris Jones, McGehee Elementary School, Miss Selma’s School (group project)

Second Grade

  • Best of Class – Aimee Bae, Miss Selma’s School
  • Honorable Mentions – Yvon Munoz, Jonesboro Visual and Performing Arts Magnet, Ty’Won Ware, Seventh Street Elementary School

Third Grade

  • Best of Class – Dustin Cook, Landmark Elementary School
  • Honorable Mentions – Ricardo Alvarez, Wakefield Elementary School, Taylor Watkins, Hugh Goodwin Elementary School

Fourth Grade

  • Best of Class – Jalesa Humphrey, Washington Elementary School
  • Honorable Mentions – Bethany Long, Jasper Elementary School, Jashunti Clifton, Theodore Jones Elementary School

Fifth Grade

  • Best of Class – Chloe Lawhead, Flippin Middle School Schools
  • Honorable Mentions  – Taylor Zhang, Emily Wood Drawing Workshop, Lillian Phillips, Washington Middle School

Sixth Grade

  • Best of Class – Klorissa Hamilton, Highland Middle School
  • Honorable Mentions – Callie Donley, Home School, Trinity Caver, Washington Middle School

Seventh Grade

  • Best of Class  – Mandea McDaniel, Cabot Junior High South
  • Honorable Mentions  – Lauren Lawhun, Alma Middle School, Tom Hopkins, Episcopal Collegiate Middle School

Eighth Grade

  • Best of Class  – Alondra Paredos, Washington Junior High School
  • Honorable Mentions  – Jocelyn Belsma, Caddo Hills School, Drake Omar, Pulaski Academy

Ninth Grade

  • Best of Class  – Jodie Kelso, Forrest City High School
  • Honorable Mentions  – Will Valdary, Annie Camp Junior High School, Emily Brians, Pottsville Junior High School
  • Best in Show Watercolor (MSW award) – Will Valdary, Annie Camp Junior High School

Tenth Grade

  • Best of Class – Olivia Fredricks, Cabot High School
  • Honorable Mentions  – Will Gloster, Arkansas High School, Lulu Wang, Pulaski Academy

Eleventh Grade

  • Best of Class  – Zach Blair, Little Rock Central High School
  • Honorable Mentions – Bryant Carter, Jacksonville High School, Kate Hutchison, Mountain Home High School

Twelfth Grade

  • Best of Class – Halen Parnell, Norfork High School
  • Honorable Mentions  – Hayden Thomas Ellis, Arkansas High School, Paige Goodale, Vilonia High School
  • Ray Smenner Award (Best in Show Painting) – Lauren Johnson, DeWitt High School

Members of the Arkansas Art Educators Association juried the entries, selecting approximately 100 works out of the more than 500 submissions for the exhibition. Each winner’s school will receive a monetary prize to help fund the arts program in his/her school. Selections from the 52nd Young Arkansas Artists Exhibition travel to schools and other venues in Arkansas as part of the Arts Center’s State Services traveling exhibition program.

Guest juror, Dr. Jeff Young, selected one Best of Class and two Honorable Mentions from each grade. Dr. Young earned his doctorate and Master of Arts degree from the University of North Texas and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Texas Tech University with a specialty in art education. He is currently an associate professor and chair of the art department at the University of Central Arkansas.

Activities at the family festival will include mural painting, storytelling, and exciting opportunities for adults and children to create action art. Tickets are $5 per person or $20 per family and may be purchased online at www.arkarts.com. Arkansas Arts Center members, 52nd Young Arkansas Artists Exhibition artists and their families will receive free admission.

The 52nd Young Arkansas Artists Exhibition is sponsored by Barbara and Steve Bova, Belinda Shults and U.S. Bancorp Foundation. Awards are funded by Arkansas Children’s Hospital.

MacArthur Museum hosts Cissy Rucker, Veterans Affairs Director

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macmusAlicia (Cissy) RuckerAlicia “Cissy” Rucker, the director of the Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs, will speak Saturday, March 23, at 1pm about the current state of women in the United States military.  Rucker spent thirty-three years in the Arkansas National Guard, retiring with the rank of colonel. Her assigned duties included Airfield Commander, Surface Maintenance Manager, Maintenance Manager and State Public Affairs Officer.

Rucker is a member of the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Committee, as well the Women’s International Helicopter Pilots Association.   Prior to her appointment to Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs, Rucker served as the administrator of the Arkansas Career Training Institute.

The program will commemorate “National Women’s History Month,” celebrated each March in the United States.  The 2013 theme,Women Inspiring Innovation through Imagination, honors generations of women who throughout American history have used their intelligence, imagination, sense of wonder, and tenacity to make extraordinary contributions.

Only a few weeks ago, the Pentagon officially lifted the ban on women in combat, but women have served this country in combat roles for years.  During the American Revolution, Mary Corbin worked a cannon in combat and was awarded a soldiers pension by the Continental Congress for her service – although she only received half pension because of her gender.  In every war this country has fought, women have been exposed to the same hardships and risk for personal injury or death as male soldiers, but it is only now that women can officially serve in combat.

Colonel Rucker will speak about her experiences as a female soldier, and on her current duties as the Director for the Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs.  Last year, Rucker became the first woman inducted into the Arkansas Military Academy Hall of Fame.  The event begins at 1:00 p.m. and is free to the public.

 

The MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History relates the military heritage of Arkansas and its citizens to a diverse and widespread audience. Located in the historic Arsenal Building in MacArthur Park–one of Central Arkansas’s oldest surviving structures and the birthplace of one of this country’s foremost military heroes–the museum collects, preserves, and interprets our state’s rich military past from its territorial period to the present.

LR Spring Break: MOD hosts a Cat with a Hat and a Big Red Dog

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491The Museum of Discovery has partnered with the Arkansas Educational Television Network (AETN)  to bring the Cat in the Hat and Clifford the Big Red Dog to the museum for Family Fun Days during spring break March 21-22.

Families are invited to meet and take photos with the Cat in the Hat Thursday, March 21, and Clifford Friday, March 22, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. PBS KIDS programming will be shown throughout the day, along with other educational activities and story time. Visitors are encouraged to dress as their favorite PBS KIDS characters to celebrate spring break.

The Museum of Discovery, 500 President Clinton Avenue, Suite 150, Little Rock, will be open its normal business hours, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

General admission is $10 for ages 12 and up, $8 for ages 1 to 11, and free for members and children under 1.