Category Archives: Museum

Ark Arts Center Collector Show & Sale: Nov 30-Dec 30

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Opening this Friday, the Arkansas Arts Center presents the 44th Collectors Show & Sale.

First organized in 1968 by then-Arkansas Arts Center Director and Chief Curator Townsend Wolfe, the purpose of the exhibition is to encourage local collecting, acquaint Arkansas Arts Center visitors with works from New York galleries and promote the drawing media.

Arthur B. Davies “Figure Composition” c. 1905

Through the years the exhibition has evolved to an annual tradition that brings the New York Gallery scene to Little Rock. Executive Director Todd Herman and curators select the best in drawings and contemporary craft from over 20 New York galleries.

The exhibition includes works in a variety of media that range from 18th century masterworks to contemporary pieces by emerging artists. The unique and varied selection of works allows seasoned buyers to add to their collections, while introducing potential new collectors to the field.

There will be a members reception on Thursday, November 29 from 6pm to 8pm.  Memberships are available at the door.

Toys Designed by Artists at Ark Arts Center

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William Price – “Sheriff Rubber Ducky” (2010)
Cherry, steel, brass; 5 x 2 ½ x 5”

The Toys Designed By Artists exhibition engages museum visitors, delighting young and old alike.

In 1973, the Arkansas Arts Center initiated an exhibition of toys designed by artists. Inspired by Alexander Calder’s circus figures of the late 1920s and early 1930s, this exhibition was launched to stimulate the imagination of both children and adults and to engage them with toys of whimsy, delight and good craftsmanship.

The tradition continues this season with the 38th Toys Designed by Artists. This international juried exhibition challenges artists to take the concept of “toy” and make a personal expression – a piece of art. The wildly inventive toys selected often hearken back to the days before plastic and mass production, when all toys were handmade and, whether simple or elaborate, engaged the imagination of both maker and user.

The exhibit opened on Wednesday, November 21 and runs through January 6.

 

Giving Thanks for a Baby Penguin

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Today the Culture VULTURE may be eating a turkey — but the entry is on another kind of bird.

Just in time for the holidays, the Little Rock Zoo is proud to announce the hatching of its first penguin chick on October 30, 2012. 
Penguin parents Skipper and Easy are taking good care of the chick, according to Zoo staff, who says both parents are helping to keep the chick warm and feed it regurgitated fish.
The chick will be off exhibit until it is weaned when it is around 70 days old or if the parents allow it to wonder out of the nest box.
Zoo staff say the chick is growing fast and is of normal weight for its age.  On the second day after the chick hatched it weighed in at only 54 grams.  As of yesterday, only three weeks later, the chick now weighs 943 grams.  The chick will continue to gain weight until it is full grown at around 3.4 kilograms.
The chick is healthy and eating well according to Zoo staff who regularly monitor the chick and its parents.
The sex of the chick has yet to be determined and the chick has yet to be named.
The hatching of this chick was at the recommendation of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP) for the African penguin to ensure the long-term survival of endangered and threatened animals.
           
The Little Rock Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).  Look for the AZA logo whenever you visit a zoo or aquarium as your assurance that you are supporting a facility dedicated to providing excellent care for animals, a great experience for you and a better future for all living things.  With its more than 200 accredited members, AZA is a leader in global wildlife conservation and your link to helping animals in their native habitats. 

New Director of Mosaic Templars Cultural Center

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ColeSericia Cole, who had been serving as interim director of the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, was recently named as permanent director of this museum.  Her appointment was announced by Cathie Matthews, the director of the Department of Arkansas Heritage.  Mosaic Templars is a program of Matthews’ department.

Cole, has an extensive background in the arts and public relations.  (She and I actually worked together in the 1990s at Wildwood Park for the Arts.)  Prior to joining Mosaic Templars, she served on the staff of Governor Mike Beebe.

Under Cole’s leadership, Mosaic Templars has already has been awarded $97,636 from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) in Washington, D.C., in the form of a Museum Grant for African American History and Culture, a national, federal program that awards financial contributions to museums whose primary purpose is African American art, culture and history.

“This is a terrific achievement for the staff of the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, who worked really hard toward this funding opportunity,” said Cole. “We’re thrilled that the award will allow us to hire additional museum program staff and, as a result, be able to enhance our museum collections and better serve students and educators across Arkansas.”

MTCC is one of 14 such museums from across the country to have been selected to receive an award from this competitive annual grant program.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. Through grant making, policy development, and research, IMLS helps communities and individuals thrive through broad public access to knowledge, cultural heritage, and lifelong learning.

The Mosaic Templars Cultural Center is dedicated to telling the history of African Americans in Arkansas from 1870 to the present especially in the areas of politics, business and the arts. For more information about MTCC, visit http://www.Mosaic TemplarsCenter.com. Other agencies of the Department of Arkansas Heritage include Arkansas Arts Council, Arkansas Historic Preservation, Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, Delta Cultural Center, Historic Arkansas Museum and Old State House Museum.

Museum of Discovery to Feature Annual Native American Event

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As part of its educational programming, the Museum of Discovery welcomes back the Dancing Eagles for its popular annual Native American event. Tribal Trails will be held November 15-17, 2012.

Mike and Lisa Pahsetopah, with daughter Heaven, will return to present their interactive, cultural programs for both school and general audiences. Mike is an award-winning Fancy Dancer who performs the Eagle Dance and Hoop Dance. Lisa and Heaven will present the Southern Cloth, Jingles and Fancy Shawl styles of dancing. Mike will serve as the program’s cultural historian, explaining the traditional, handmade costumes and customs. Also, he will play native music on a wooden flute.
Each performance will feature the Dancing Eagles in a first-person narrative of Native American culture. Students and other audience members will be exposed to a different culture, learning the customs and history of Native Americans, particularly the Osage, one of the four major tribes in Arkansas prior to their relocation to Oklahoma.
Public Show Times:
Thursday, November 15: 2:00 pm
Friday, November 16: 2:00 pm
Saturday, November 17: 11:30 am; 1:00 pm; 3:00 pm
Tribal Trails is made possible in part by a grant from the Arkansas Humanities Council.

Giving Thanks for 2nd Friday Art Night (with HAM and BBQ)

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In this month of gratitude, it is a good time to visit some of the stops along the way on 2nd Friday Art Night and be grateful for creative expression which makes life more enjoyable.

Tonight from 5pm to 8pm at various downtown museums and galleries, guests can view art and enjoy live entertainment.  Admission is free.

There are many places participating.  Here are highlights from the Historic Arkansas Museum (HAM).  They will feature two new exhibits, two authors, award winning barbecue and live music.

Beyond the Expected: Norwood Creech, Paulette Palmer and Edward Wade, Jr.
From Northeast Arkansas, Norwood Creech presents a collection of photographs, reflecting the rural, agricultural landscape of Arkansas’s Northeastern Delta region, North of Interstate 40.Mountain View artist Paulette Palmer’s mixed media sculptures evoke fairy tales, memories and children’ stories. Artist Ed Wade, of Marianna, uses watercolor to explore colors and shapes, and their relationship with each other and reflect life in the Delta.

Jared Hogue: Mini Faces
This exhibit of caricatures by Jared Hogue includes work from three categories: Notable Arkansans, In Memoriam, and Pop Culture. Hogue has worked as a freelance artist since 1990, creating illustrations, portraiture and political cartoons, along with caricatures. He lives in Cabot and teaches at the Arkansas School for the Deaf.

In the Museum Store, meet Edmond Davis, author of Pioneering African-American Aviators, and Kat Robinson, author of Arkansas Pie, and Grav Weldon, will have his pie photographs. Jeannie Whayne will have a few copies of her latest book, DELTA EMPIRE on hand. Get your books signed – from 5 to 7 pm, during 2nd Friday Art Night, November 9.

Election Day: Go On the Stump at the Old State House

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Twenty years ago, on Election Day 1992, the eyes of the world were on Little Rock.  That evening William Jefferson Clinton strode out through the front doors of the Old State House Museum and delivered his acceptance speech after being elected the 42nd President of the United States.

On this election day, you can visit the Old State House and visit the permanent exhibit they have on Clinton’s presidential announcement in 1991 and the election nights in 1992 and 1996.  You can also view the exhibit “On the Stump” which looks at campaigns in Arkansas from 1819 through 1919.

In 1819 when the Arkansas Territory was created, the elimination of property requirements for voting combined with the raucous spirit of the frontier produced a new style of mass participation in American politics. The results were crude and often vulgar, but thoroughly democratic. This manifested itself in Arkansas politics less centered on political parties of Arkansas and the ideology of citizens than on the personalities of those involved. So personal were the politics of the times that political campaigns often culminated in duels.  The exhibit was curated by Dr. Carl Moneyhon, Professor of History at UALR.

The Old State House is a museum of the Department of Arkansas Heritage.  It is open from 9am to 5pm Monday through Saturday and from 1pm to 5pm on Sunday.