Category Archives: Museum

Name for baby orang at Little Rock Zoo announced

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The Little Rock Zoo has revealed the name of the new female baby orangutan chosen by public vote.

And the winner is: Kasih (pronounced KAH-see)  (Malay), which means love

Kasih, a baby female Northwest Bornean orangutan, was born to mother Berani and father Bandar on July 28. She is the first infant born to Berani and the fifth born to Bandar.

She can be seen at the great ape habitat with Berani. The mother carries the baby with her while she’s outside but does often shield the baby from public view by turning her back.

Kasih’s birth came at the recommendation of the Orangutan Species Survival Plan® (SSP), a program that cooperatively manages orangutan species in zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) to further conservation goals.

This SSP Program coordinates species conservation, research, husbandry, management and educational initiatives. The Little Rock Zoo also participates in the AZA SAFE (Saving Animals From Extinction) program for orangutans. AZA SAFE programs combine the collective strength of AZA organizations to help save species in the wild.

Arkansas Arts Center Goes to China – Sept. 1, 1975

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TIna Poe, Raida Pfeifer and Jeane Hamilton at the Great Wall of China (photo from collection of Jeane Hamilton)

On September 1, 1975, a group from the Arkansas Arts Center left Little Rock for a study tour of China. This was the first non-governmental group from the United States who had been authorized to tour the People’s Republic of China.

Fred Poe, of Poe Travel, and Jeane Hamilton were the organizers of the trip.  It was part of the annual travel seminars the Arts Center  would take to locations throughout the world to learn more about art and culture.  It took many months of planning as wells as mounds and pounds of paperwork to get this trip underway.

Persons interested in the trip had to apply and be approved by the Chinese government in order to participate in the trip.   The Chinese government selected eighteen AAC members from submitted applications and the group visited Beijing, Shanghai, Changsha, Kweilin, and Guangzhou.

The AAC Traveling Seminar participants in front of Mao’s birthplace. (Photo from the Jeane Hamilton collection.)

Tinkering and Drinkering at Science After Dark tonight at the Museum of Discovery!

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Image may contain: textGet a preview of Tinkerfest 2019 at tomorrow night’s Science After Dark: Tinkering and Drinkering from 6 – 9 p.m. Admission is only $5 or free for members. Here are all the tinkering and making activities you can enjoy with a drink in your hand:
Wind Tunnel Flying Machines
Fairy Houses
Plastic Panel Polygons
Historic Quilling – Old State House Museum
Cardboard Guitars – Old State House Museum
Sewing 101
Wood Cinging (Pyrography)
Native American Tools – The State Parks of Arkansas
Hydrobot Arms
Aluminum Can WWI Trench Art – MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History
Free Tesla Shows at 7 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Gondola Design and Zip Lines
Shrinky Dinks
Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub
Large Linker Logs
Needle Felting
Perler Beads
Game Goblins
LEGO Windup Critters and Linkages
Zoetropes & Kaleidoscopes
Chain Reaction

Be sure to bring an appetite to purchase food from our presenting sponsor Fassler Hall Little Rock as well as Damgoode Pies. Sponsors Stone’s Throw Brewing and Rock Town Distillery will also sell beer and cocktails! Tickets can be purchased at the door or online at https://sales.museumofdiscovery.org/generaladmission.aspx. You must be at least 21 to enter.

Registration is open for Arkansas Arts Center Museum School classes

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Art classes and workshops continue this fall at the Arkansas Arts Center’s Riverdale space and select offsite locations. The Museum School offers classes and workshops in painting, drawing, ceramics, printmaking, metals, glass, jewelry and woodworking for all ages and skill levels. Registration for new students opens August 19, and classes begin in September.

At the Arts Center’s Riverdale location, Museum School students will find more than 15,000 square feet of studio space to create and learn. The Cantrell Road location will also offer convenient and secure parking and new amenities for students.

Select Museum School classes will also be held at offsite locations. Select drawing classes will be held at CALS Main Library in downtown Little Rock. At the Old Mill in North Little Rock, students will find a weekend painting workshop. Bookbinding and letterpress printing classes will be held at Yella Dog Press in downtown Little Rock. Youth studio art and theatre classes will be found at the Hillary Rodham Clinton Children’s Library and Learning Center. Select youth studio art classes will also be held at Maumelle and Terry libraries.

“It is so important that our Museum School students have the creative space they need to continue pursuing their work while our MacArthur Park building is under construction,” said Rana Edgar, Director of Education and Programs. “The Riverdale space and our partnerships with organizations across Central Arkansas have allowed us to do just that.”

The Museum School’s temporary move to Riverdale is just one aspect of the Arts Center’s commitment to remaining accessible to the community while its MacArthur Park facility is under construction. Construction on the MacArthur Park building is scheduled to begin this fall. The Museum School will move back to the Arts Center’s renovated MacArthur Park building upon its completion, scheduled for early 2022.

Registration for Fall Quarter classes opens August 19 for new students. Members of the Arkansas Arts Center get a 20% discount on classes and workshops in the Museum School. Class schedules and registration details can be found at arkansasartscenter.org/museumschool or call 501-372-4000.

Museum of Discovery closed to public on Tuesday, August 27 for building repairs

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The Museum of Discovery will be closed on Tuesday, August 27, 2019.

The closing is the result of a repair to the museum’s main air conditioning unit that requires all of the air units to be shut down for two days. The museum will reopen Wednesday, August 28.

The staff apologizes for the inconvenience!
Additional cooling units have been brought in for the museum’s animal residents to insure they remain healthy and happy. As always, the animals will remain under the care and supervision of the museum’s animal care team.

Farewell Party at the Arkansas Arts Center today

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No photo description available.

The Arkansas Arts Center is celebrating the end of an era!

After 56 years, it is time to say goodbye to the current MacArthur Park space with a party that takes over the whole building.

They have filled the galleries with a carnival of activities – karaoke, giant yard games, a beach party, photo booth, and inflatable fun zone. Don’t miss music, dancing, food, drinks and much more!

Join the AAC for family-focused fun and activities for all ages from 2–5 p.m. Starting at 5 p.m., the Farewell Festival will be 21+.

The Farewell Festival is free for Arkansas Arts Center members, with special perks available for members of ’22&You.

Membership Card Required for Entry

PS – Stay tuned for announcements of upcoming events! Just because the facility in MacArthur Park will be closed for reconstruction does not mean the AAC is ceasing having events.

Help the Little Rock Zoo name the new baby organutan

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The Little Rock Zoo is asking the public to help choose a name for the new baby orangutan born to Berani and father Bandar on July 29, 2019. The young female is the first infant born to Berani and the fifth born to Bandar.

The public is invited to vote by online poll available at the Zoo’s website and Facebook page.  The voting will end Friday, August 30, 2019, when the winning name will be announced. The Zoo keepers have selected four names from which to choose.

The choices are:

  • Kasih (pronounced KAH-see)  (Malay), which means love
  • Markisa (pronounced Mark-KEE-suh) (Malay), which means passion fruit
  • Sabah (pronounced SA-bah  (Malay), which is the name of the state in northern Borneo where orangutans are found
  • Madu (MAH-do) (Malay) which means honey.

The baby orangutan’s birth came at the recommendation of the Orangutan Species Survival Plan® (SSP), a program that cooperatively manages orangutan species in zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) to further conservation goals. This SSP Program coordinates species conservation, research, husbandry, management and educational initiatives. The Little Rock Zoo also participates in the AZA SAFE (Saving Animals From Extinction) program for orangutans. AZA SAFE programs combine the collective strength of AZA organizations to help save species in the wild.