Category Archives: Visual Art

Sculpture Vulture: Harriet Tubman

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With news that Harriet Tubman will replace Andrew Jackson on the $20, it is a good chance to revisit Little Rock’s Harriet Tubman sculpture.

In preparation for the opening of the Clinton Library in 2004, a series of sculptures were placed which linked a walkway between the River Market and the Clinton Presidential Park.

One of these sculptures is entitled Harriet Tubman.  Since she was from the era of President Lincoln, it seems fitting to feature this sculpture on this, Lincoln’s birthday.

The bronze sculpture, by Jane DeDecker, depicts Miss Tubman grasping the hand of a young boy and leading him on a walk.  DeDecker captures both compassion and a steely determination in the features of Miss Tubman’s face.  The folds of their clothes indicate that they are on a journey.

Whether their walk is a part of the Underground Railroad or simply a walk along the path in post-war times is immaterial. Miss Tubman understood that there is always some form of oppression one must struggle against.

Etched into the base of the statue (and repeated on plaque on the pedestal) is a quote attributed to Miss Tubman.  “Children, if you are tired, keep going; if you’re hungry, keep going; if you’re scared, keep going. If you want a taste of freedom, keep going.”

The statue was originally located in Riverfront Park near the site of the current Game and Fish Nature Center.  It was relocated during the construction of that facility and now anchors the entrance to Clinton Presidential Park.  Harriet Tubman was a gift of Haskell and Peggy Dickinson to the City of Little Rock.

Sculpture at the River Market launches #LRSculpture Selfie Contest

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Sculpture at the River MarketThe Sculpture in the River Market Show and Sale is ushering in a new feature for its ninth year that encourages the public to explore, appreciate, and share public art offerings in Little Rock through social media.

The selfie with a sculpture contest will begin April 11 and continue through April 21. The concept is simple: A person finds their favorite sculpture in Little Rock, takes a photo with it, and tells why it’s a special sculpture while using the hashtag #LRSculpture on either Instagram or Twitter.

“Sculptures are such wonderful art pieces because of their accessibility. Everyone seems to have one that really resonates with them,” Sculpture at the River Market committee member Scott Whiteley Carter said. “We have over 100 sculptures in public places all around the City in addition to hundreds in private homes and businesses, so we’re excited to see what gets selected and shared.”

Photos showing misuse of a sculpture will not be considered.

Winners will be announced April 21. The grand prize includes tickets to the Sculpture Show Preview Party on April 22 at 6:30 p.m. Three additional prizes will be given.

Guests attending the Preview Party will view and vote on the seven semi-finalist proposals for the next public monument sculpture winner to help select the top three finalists. The winner of that competition will be announced Sunday, April 24.

The ninth Sculpture at the River Market Invitational Show and Sale takes place from April 22 – 24, 2016.

Over 800 sculptures will be on display in the River Market pavilions and in the adjacent area of Riverfront Park on those three days in April. The works featured will include all types of media, style, subject matter, and size.

Sculpture at the River Market will be open in the River Market pavilions from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Saturday, April 23, and from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Sunday, April 24.  In addition to the opportunity to view the sculptures and meet with the sculptors, there are a variety of activities planned throughout the two days.

Docent led tours of the Vogel Schwartz Sculpture Garden will be available at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 23 and Sunday, April 24. Andina’s Café & Coffee Roastery will be set up at the sculpture show Sunday beginning at 10 a.m.  From 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. Sunday, Southern Salt and Southern Gourmasian food trucks will be set up at the River Market.

More information is available at sculptureattherivermarket.com/

Today is #ArkansasGives Day

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Arkansas GivesIf you are like me, you’ve been receiving notifications about Arkansas Gives Day for months.  Well, today is the day!  From 8am until 8pm, you can help grow the love for Arkansas’s nonprofit organizations by making a donation to the charity of your choice.  The event is sponsored by the Arkansas Community Foundation.

As a special incentive to give, each gift made through ArkansasGives on April 7, 2016 will be matched with additional bonus dollars; the more you give, the more bonus dollars your favorite charity will receive.

Nonprofit organizations and other tax-exempt charitable organizations may participate if they:

  • Are headquartered in Arkansas or have a base of operations in Arkansas.
  • Are a member of the Arkansas Nonprofit Alliance.
  • Have 501c3 tax exempt status under IRS code AND are qualified as a 509(a)(1), (a)(2) or (a)(3) organization or as a private operating foundation.

The minimum amount is $25; there is no maximum amount you may give. You may designate up to 10 charities per transaction.

Accepted Forms of Payment: Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express credit cards online.
You will receive an email receipt of your gift; please retain it for tax purposes. Unless you choose to remain anonymous, your donor information will be sent to the nonprofits to which you give.

Here is a list of cultural organizations which offer services within the boundaries of the City of Little Rock.

There are MANY MANY MANY other worthy nonprofits which are participating. But since this is a culture blog, only the cultural institutions are listed.  But please consider visiting the website and perusing the entire list.

Happy Easter from the Sculpture Rabbits

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Downtown Little Rock has at least three different sculptures of rabbits.  Since today is Easter Sunday and the Easter Bunny is making his rounds, it seems a good day to highlight these sculptures.

In the Vogel Schwartz Sculpture Garden, Laurel Peterson Greg’s Bunny Bump has been providing whimsy since 2010.

Bunny Bump

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A few yards from the bumping bunnies, James Paulsen’s Lopsided presents a much more laconic rabbit.

Lopsided

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And at the corner of President Clinton Avenue and Sherman Street, Tim Cherry’s Rabbit Reach welcomes visitors to the River Market.  It was placed in memory of George Wyatt and Frank Kumpuris by Whitlow Wyatt and the Carey Cox Wyatt Charitable Foundation.

Rabbit Reach

Sculptors announced for 2016 Sculpture at the River Market

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Sculpture at the River MarketSculpture at the River Market is pleased to announce the artists who have been juried in to our 2016 Sculpture Show & Sale to be held April 22-24.

Each artist was invited to submit a proposal for the 6th Public Art Monument Sculpture Commission Competition – a $60,000 to $80,000 commission.

Guests attending the Preview Party on April 22nd will view and vote on the six semi-finalist proposals to help select the top three finalists; the top three will be announced at the end of the evening. These three finalists’ proposals will be juried on April 23-24 and the winning proposal will be announced on Sunday afternoon, April 24th.

2016 Artists

  • Lorri Acott
  • Lori Arnold
  • Terry & Maritza Bean
  • Hunter Brown
  • Craig Campbell
  • Kathleen Caricof, NSG
  • Leslie Daly
  • Darrell Davis, NSG
  • Jane DeDecker, NSG
  • John Deering
  • Clay Enoch, NSG
  • Kimber Fiebiger
  • Peter Grimord
  • Guilloume
  • Jeff Hall
  • Denny Haskew, NSG
  • Bob Heintzelman
  • Mark Hyde
  • Greg Johnson
  • James Keller
  • Kevin Kresse
  • Mark Leichliter, NSG
  • Harold Linke, NSG
  • Allison Luedtke
  • Bryan Winfred Massey, Sr.
  • James G. Moore
  • Nnamdi Okonkwo
  • Steven Olszewski
  • Richard Pankratz
  • James Paulsen
  • Nathan Pierce
  • Merle Randolph
  • Dale Roark
  • Kevin Robb
  • Timothy Roundy
  • Emelene Russell
  • Wayne Salge, NSG
  • Valerie Jean Schafer
  • Adam Schultz
  • Stephen Shachtman, NSG
  • Kim Shaklee
  • Stephanie & Scott Shangraw
  • Gene Sparling
  • Lawrence Starck
  • Charles Strain
  • Tod Switch
  • Michael Warrick, NSG
  • C.T. Whitehouse, NSG
  • Longhua XU
  • Michelle Zorich & Katherine Martin

NSG indicates membership in the National Sculptors’ Guild

“Industrial Beauty: Charles Burchfield’s Black Iron” exhibit at Arkansas Arts Center through May 8

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The massive counterweights of a railroad drawbridge over Buffalo Creek fascinated watercolorist Charles Burchfield as he traveled to the Port of Buffalo in 1933. The artist promised himself he would one day depict the bridge. In 1935, he said, “I made one trip in to look over the subject, and received a new thrill. . . What a delight! What a joy it was! The subject ‘over-powered me’” He recalled, “It was difficult working, that first day, but I rejoiced in all the handicaps . . . the ground had not settled yet from the spring thaw, and where I stood it was all sand; engrossed in my work I did not know how treacherous it was until I went to step backward and could not move my feet . . .” A bridge worker had to rescue the artist, who was captivated, indeed.

Charles Burchfield, American (Ashtabula Harbor, Ohio, 1893 – 1967, West Seneca, New York), Black Iron, 1935, watercolor, 28 1/8 x 40 in. Arkansas Arts Center Foundation Collection: Gift of Hope Aldrich, in memory of her father, John D. Rockefeller, 3rd. 2013.006.001.

Burchfield’s devoted labor resulted in one of his greatest watercolors, Black Iron. This exhibition celebrates the arrival of this masterpiece in Arkansas as a gift from Hope Aldrich in honor of her father, John D. Rockefeller, 3rd. This generous donation also includes seven sketches and a sheet of notes from which the artist’s commentary above is quoted. The exhibition Industrial Beauty sets this material in a wider context.

Burchfield is best known as a visual poet of nature who was one of America’s outstanding modern watercolorists. Early and late in his career he made graceful images of trees, flowers, clouds, and abstract lines suggesting such natural sounds as the chirping of crickets. But in the 1930s, the artist was riveted by the technology used to move and store the grain, iron ore, and other products of the Great Lakes region where he lived. His style became more realistic as he depicted the beautiful geometry of railroads, bridges, grain elevators, and factories.

This exhibition gathers such images from the 1930s, including a 1933 watercolor of Buffalo Harbor, Three Boats in Winter (Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art, Providence, Rhode Island), which he was making when he first spotted the drawbridge over Buffalo Creek. The exhibition gathers drawings, watercolors, and a rare oil painting from distinguished collections around the country. These images show us Burchfield’s vision of industry. The artist concentrated on massive iron structures and industrial scenes in the 1930s, but he had been depicting bridges and trains since his youth in the 1910s.

2016 Mid-Southern Watercolorists Exhibition at Arkansas Arts Center

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MSW Gold Award "Lake Lilies" by Judy Wright Walter

MSW Gold Award “Lake Lilies” by Judy Wright Walter

The artists of the Mid-Southern Watercolorists have been exploring the world through luminous color on paper since the group was founded in 1970. The MSW is one of the largest and most active art organizations headquartered in Arkansas. More than 200 members live and create across the Mid-South and beyond. Their works are widely exhibited in venues both regional and national. Each year their finest productions are gathered in a juried exhibition.

The guest juror for this year’s exhibition is nationally recognized watercolorist, Robert Burridge. From 136 entries submitted by 74 artists, he narrowed the exhibition list to thirty works. Burridge is the Honorary President of the International Society of Acrylic Painters (ISAP) and a Signature Member of both the ISIP and the Philadelphia Water Color Society. He is a recipient of their highest and most prestigious award, the Crest Medal for Achievement in the Arts.

The Mid-Southern Watercolorists hold their meetings on the third Wednesday of each month in the Lecture Hall here at the Arkansas Arts Center. They offer workshops where members can learn from locally and nationally recognized watercolorists. To learn more about the organization, or to join, please visit: MidSouthernWatercolorists.com.