Category Archives: Museum

PI Day at the Museum of Discovery 

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Today is not just PI Day, it is a very special PI Day. 

PI Day is an annual celebration commemorating the mathematical constant PI.  This year is extra special–once in a lifetime–because at exactly 9:26:53a.m. It will be 3.14.15; 9:26:53. Those are the first 10 ungrounded dugouts of PI in perfect order. It is a feat that will be unrepeated until 2115.

The Museum of Discovery has rounded up (pun intended) some activities to mark the occasion.

  • There will be special hands-on activities in the Great Hall. 
  • An interactive reading of Sir Cumference and the Dragon of PI led by Visitor Experience Director Kevin Delaney in the theatre at 1pm and 3pm. 
  • At 10am there will be Wiggle Worm activities
  • Awesome Science demonstrations at 11am and 2pm

And while in the River Market District you can enjoy pizza pies at Gusanos, Jay’s, Iriana’s, or Damgoode.

10 Years of 2nd Friday Art Night

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In March 2005, the first 2nd Friday Art Night took place. Tonight celebrates 10 years.

In celebration of the 10th Anniversary of 2nd Friday Art Night, the Arkansas Times and venues are partnering to host the Art Can drive benefitting the Arkansas Food Bank.

Guests are encouraged to donate canned goods, canned/packaged meals, soup, peanut butter, cereal, 100% juice, pasta & pasta sauce, powdered milk, diapers and bath tissue at 2nd Friday Art Night venues on March 13 from 5 to 8 pm.

Among the highlights are:

Historic Arkansas Museum – The free opening reception of Recent Acquisitions from 5pm to 8pm will feature live music by The John Burnette Band.

Tulips have been donated for the anniversary celebration by the Downtown Little Rock Partnership and P. Allen Smith.

The Recent Acquisitions exhibition will feature objects acquired for the museum’s permanent collection from 2012 to late 2014. The exhibition includes both 2-D and 3-D historical artifacts as well as contemporary pieces relevant to Arkansas history and heritage.
The Year of Arkansas Beer, sponsored by Historic Arkansas Museum Foundation and presented by Arkansas Brewers Guild, continues with Ozark Beer Co.’s American Pale Ale.

 
Old State House Museum –  Tonight at 7, as well as Saturday at 7 and Sunday at 3, the Arkansas Chamber Singers’ third concert of the season, “Music of the Civil War Era.” Choral music composed during, performed during, or inspired by the American Civil War featuring music by Verdi, Brahms, Stephen Foster and many Civil War tunes arranged for choir.Admission is free, reserve your seat today by visiting the Arkansas Chamber Singers Web site.

 

Butler Center for Arkansas Studies A Different State of Mind: An Exhibition by the Arkansas Society of Printmakers (On view through June 27, 2015)

This exhibition presents a collection of prints in a variety of media by the members of the Arkansas Society of Printmakers (ASP). Print techniques featured include relief, screen printing, intaglio, photogravure, monoprint, and lithography. Artists whose work is presented include Daniel Adams, Dustyn Bork, Win Bruhl, Ernest Cialone, Warren Criswell, Paige Dirksen, Debi Fendley, Melissa Gill, Diane Harper, Neal Harrington, Tammy Harrington, Kristin Karr, Jennifer Perren, Jessi Perren, Regan Renfro, Dominique Simmons, Thomas Sullivan, David Warren, and Jane Watson.

Warren Criswell, whose work is featured in A Different State of Mind, will give a talk about linocut, his style of printmaking, at 6 p.m. on Friday, March 13, in Butler Center Galleries.

Featured artist: Angela Davis Johnson is best known for her vibrant narrative paintings that examine universal connections, identity, and historical occurrences through personal symbols.

Entertainment in the galleries will be provided by the Itinerant Locals, an accordion and tuba duo from Hot Springs.

2nd Friday Art Night began in March of 2005 to bring attention to downtown Little Rock as a growing arts and cultural destination with several galleries and museums within strolling distance of each other. In addition to highlighting existing art venues 2nd Friday Art Night has, over the past decade, contributed to the development of a vibrant nightlife rich with art, history, live music and shopping.

By encouraging galleries, museums and cultural institutions to keep their doors open late one evening each month, the event has contributed to the thriving business environment of downtown Little Rock, improved the quality of life of those who work, live and play downtown and welcomed travelers to experience Little Rock in a fun way.

Women’s History Month Throwback Thursday: The Fine Arts Club

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In 1914, a group of women interested in visual art came together in Little Rock and formed The Fine Arts Club of Arkansas. 

In the early years, they gathered for regular discussions and taught art classes. 

Over time, the Fine Arts Club started acquiring artworks through donations. Originally they displayed these in the Pulaski County Courthouse in a room loaned to them for that purpose. 

Eventually, the County needed the space and the Fine Arts Club needed more room.  In the early 1930s, members approached Mayor Horace Knowlton with the suggestion of the City constructing a fine art museum. 

After securing funding for construction from the WPA, ground was broken and the Museum of Fine Arts opened in 1937 in City Park (now MacArthur Park).

Members of the Fine Arts Club staffed the museum as volunteers and docents as well as arranged for traveling exhibits. From the museum, the club continued to offer classes and guest lectures. 

By the mid-1950s, there was a desire for larger exhibit space, and the Fine Arts Club joined with the Junior League and the City of Little Rock in creating a new art museum.  

In 1963, the Arkansas Arts Center opened in MacArthur Park. This new facility encompassed the previous museum as well as additional spaces. With the hiring of professional staff to curate exhibits and teach classes, the Fine Arts Club transitioned to a volunteer corps and continued special monthly programming. 

Today, the purpose of the Fine Arts Club is to promote and extend the activities, usefulness and enjoyment of the Arkansas Arts Center.  The Fine Arts Club supports the Arkansas Arts Center by hosting programs featuring knowledgeable and dynamic speakers, and providing volunteers.  

Marines of Montford Park focus of film at MacArthur Museum tonight 

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The winter weather delayed this event twice, but tonight the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History will show the film The Marines of Montford Point: Fighting for Freedom.  the movie will start at 6:30 at the museum in MacArthur Park.

Hosted and narrated by Oscar winner Louis Gossett Jr., this movie profiles the first African Americans recruits in the United States Marine Corps. It begins with their experiences at Montford Point Base, a segregated boot camp in the heart of the Jim Crow South.

All-black battalions from Montford Point loyally served their country (some as officers) in three major conflicts: World War II, Korea and Vietnam.  All the while they were fighting for their country, they were also fighting for their own civil rights back home.

During the film, Montford Point veterans recount the racism they encountered both within and outside the military. They also reminisce about the rigors of basic training, the harsh conditions of the barracks, and the perils of combat.

There is no admission cost.  Light refreshments will be available.

The MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History is a program of the City of Little Rock Parks & Recreation Department.

Lights! Camera! Arkansas! book signing with Robert Cochran and Suzanne McCray

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The authors of a new book that explores the legacy of Arkansas on film will be center-stage for a panel and book-signing at the Old State House Museum. 

On Sunday, March 8, at 2 p.m., Robert Cochran and Suzanne McCray will be discussing their new book, “Lights! Camera! Arkansas!” on a panel hosted by Ben Fry, general manager of KUAR and host of Second Friday Cinema. 

“Lights! Camera! Arkansas!” traces the roles played by Arkansans in the first century of Hollywood’s film industry, from the first cowboy star, Broncho Billy Anderson, to Mary Steenburgen, Billy Bob Thornton and many others. 

The Arkansas landscape also plays a starring role: Crittenden County as a setting for Hallelujah (1929), and various locations in the state’s southeastern quadrant in 2012’s Mud are all given fascinating exploration. 

Cochran and McCray screened close to two hundred films—from laughable box-office bombs to laudable examples of filmmaking – in their research for this book. 

They’ve enhanced their spirited chronological narrative with an appendix on documentary films, a ratings section and illustrations chosen by Jo Ellen Maack of the Old State House Museum, where “Lights! Camera! Arkansas!” debuted as an exhibit curated by the authors in 2013.

 The exhibit will close on July 31, 2015. 

Meander through Mindbender Mansion at the Museum of Discovery 

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Mister E. and the Mindbender Society invite you to enter the wonderfully puzzling world of Mindbender Mansion, an eclectic place full of puzzles, brainteasers, and interactive challenges guaranteed to test the brain power and problem solving skills of even the most experienced puzzlers. Adults and children alike will enjoy exercising their minds as they try to master each of the 11 individual brain teasers and the three group activities in this fun and unconventional new exhibit.

Visitors to Mindbender Mansion will be greeted by the wacky Mr. E., master brainteaser and puzzler extraordinaire, and current curator of the Mindbender Society. He will explain the mysteries of Mindbender Mansion and how to become a member of the eccentric Mindbender Society by gathering hidden clues and secret passwords. The clues can only be found by solving key puzzles found in select themed areas. 

Throughout the exhibit visitors will find a combination of tabletop brainteasers they can solve on their own and larger group challenges that require assistance from their fellow mansion guests. 

The group challenges include:

  • Feeding Frenzy-Kitchen mayhem is guaranteed in a race to beat the clock by filling T.V. dinner trays (with five kinds of food) on a fast moving conveyer belt.
  • Spelling Fever-Hopscotch meets Scrabble® in this race to spell correct words within a limited amount of time by hopping on letter squares that light up.  
  • Amazing Maze-In this version of the classic steel ball labyrinth game visitors must work together to tilt a table in different directions, guiding a ball into six holes as quickly as possible. 

Upon completing each of the select brainteasers and group challenges, visitors will have gathered the necessary clues and secret passwords to become a member of the Mindbender Society and add their portrait to the “Wall of Fame.”

$1 Day at Museum of Discovery Today

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From 1pm to 5pm today, admission to the Museum of Discovery is only $1 per person.

The Little Rock Marathon will still be finishing up to the west of the museum, but that means there will be other activities to enjoy in addition to the Museum.

A featured exhibit is Dinosaurs: Fossils Exposed.  This new and in-depth look at the prehistoric creatures that once roamed the Earth educates as well as excites visitors. 

It dispels common misconceptions and engages young and old visitors alike with hands on interactive exhibits like a fossil dig pit, timeline matching game, and much more. Guests can get up close looks at life-size skulls, arms, feet and everything in between.