Category Archives: Visual Art

Grandparents Day Sculpture Vulture: Breaking the Cycle

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IMG_6022Today is Grandparents’ Day.  It is an appropriate day to revisit Kevin Kresse’s Breaking the Cycle.  This sculpture, in Riverfront Park, is located near the belvedere in the park (which is visible in the background of the photo below).

The sculpture depicts an older man (ostensibly a grandfather) being pushed in a wheelbarrow by a young boy.  The artist’s son, Roman, served as the model for the young boy.

Kresse’s piece was donated by Lisenne Rockefeller. Mrs. Rockefeller and Kresse have worked together before.  He sculpted the official bust of her late husband which is on display at the State Capitol.

In addition to this piece, Kresse’s art can be found throughout Little Rock, the state of Arkansas and the United States.

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2nd Friday Art Night at Historic Art Museum has Joe Barry Carroll exhibit

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HAM 0915Historic Arkansas Museum has a special 2nd Friday Art Night with the free opening reception of Joe Barry Carroll: Growing Up..In Words and Images. It includes a gallery talk at 6 pm followed by a book signing. Enjoy live music by The Gentlemen Jazz and #ArkansasMade brews as our Year of Arkansas Beer continues with Vino’s Brewpub. The Year of Arkansas Beer is presented by the Arkansas Brewers Guild and sponsored by the Historic Arkansas Museum Foundation.  

Joe Barry Carroll: Growing Up…In Words and Images 

NBA All Star Joe Barry Carroll’s story begins in Pine Bluff, shooting baskets through a scavenged bicycle rim he nailed to the backyard shed. In Growing Up, Carroll’s colorful and evocative paintings from his memoir of the same name peer into facets of what he refers to as “shared humanity” – childhood, dreams, family ties, southern culture and self-discovery. “The best parts of my character and moral fiber flow from my family, my people and my early life experiences in Arkansas.”

Carroll led the Purdue University Boilermakers to the Final Four in 1980, graduated with a degree in Economics and was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1980 NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors. He is now a wealth adviser, philanthropist, painter and writer. 

 

ACANSA preview – Visual Art

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The second annual ACANSA Arts Festival runs from September 16 to 20.  It will feature a variety of art forms at a variety of venues downtown.  This week, we are previewing some of the acts.  Up next – visual art.

Argenta Art Gallery Exhibit and Reception

Up first is the opening reception of the Angela Davis Johnson exhibit at the Argenta Art Gallery. The reception is Thursday evening September 17, 2015. The exhibit will run through October 12, 2015

Angela Davis Johnson is best known for her vibrant narrative paintings that examine universal connections, identity and historical occurrences through personal symbols. Ms. Johnson creates textured figures using oil paint, scrap paper and fabric within unique compositions.

Please let organizers know if you plan to attend by sending an email to tickets@ACANSAartsFestival.org or call the office at 501-663-2287. There is no charge for this event.

A Little Poetry: The Art of Alonzo Ford Reception

On Friday, September 18, at the Arkansas Arts Center, there will be an Alonzo Ford exhibit and reception.

A Little Poetry: The Art of Alonzo Ford. The exhibition will be on view September 15 to October 25, 2015 in our Sam Strauss, Jr., Gallery.

Alonzo Ford, grew up on farm in the Southland Community near Lexa, Arkansas. His figurative drawings focus on his memories of a life lived on his family farm. Ford enjoys creating with color and drawing landscapes that depict farm life and old buildings and active portraits. Stark figures engage in the daily activities Ford recalls from childhood leaving one with a sense of the activity, simplicity, and intimacy of mid-century rural life in Arkansas.

Reception begins at 5:30pm

Festival passes, can be purchased at the ACANSA website.
For more information, 501-663-2287 or email admin@ACANSAartsfestival.org

Labor Day Sculpture Vulture: John Deering’s RICK REDDEN

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ReddenLabor Day celebrates a time to take a break from work and relax.  Today’s Sculpture Vulture showcases John Deering’s sculpture of Rick Redden which depicts the visionary architect doing just that.

As an architect, Rick Redden designed many downtown buildings including several in the River Market District.  He was involved in new projects like the 300 Third Building and River Market Tower, as well as rehab projects such as the Ottenheimer Market Hall and the Museum Center.  One of his last projects was the Arcade Building.

This sculpture, by John Deering, was commissioned by Jimmy Moses, Rett Tucker and the Central Arkansas Library System Endowment to honor Redden’s memory.  It shows him playing his banjo, with architectural drawings rolled up behind him. The piece looks like he had just taken a break from work to relax a little by playing music.

It is appropriate that the sculpture is located in front of the Arcade Building. Not only was the project one of his designs, but the building also contains space for work and for entertainment.  The placement is also a continuation of the commitment of both Moses Tucker Real Estate and the Central Arkansas Library System to include sculpture in their projects.

Sculpture Vulture: RENEWAL RITUAL

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DSC_0650 Another of the new sculptures recently installed in the Vogel Schwartz Sculpture Garden is Denny Haskew’s Renewal Ritual.

It depicts ten adults sitting in pairings facing each other.  They are made of bronze and are situated atop a stone slab base.

DSC_0654Haskew notes that in creating the piece he wanted “to show the ritual used by a couple to renew their commitment to one another, then using many colors or people and different conversations between different genders it shows society ability to sit down and converse with one another.”

Though the individual men and women appear similar, due to coloration of the bronze, each person is unique. This reinforces Haskew’s tenet of the differences and similarities of people.

The sculpture was purchased by Sculpture at the River Market.

Arts & culture advocate, Dr. Joel Anderson to retire as UALR Chancellor

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jeasmile-444x668University of Arkansas at Little Rock Chancellor Joel E. Anderson announced today that he will retire following a 13-year tenure as chancellor and a 45-year career at the university. His retirement will be effective June 30, 2016.

Anderson became UALR chancellor in 2003, bringing with him more than 30 years of university and community service. He had previously served UALR as provost and vice chancellor for Academic Affairs and as founding dean of the Graduate School.

Chancellor Anderson’s announcement comes on the heels of a 1.2 percent increase in enrollment at UALR, including a 19 percent increase in first-time college students and a 7.1 percent increase in first-time transfer students.

“It has been a tremendous pleasure to see UALR grow and mature into the excellent, comprehensive university that it has become,” said Chancellor Anderson. “The faculty and staff of UALR deserve more credit than they will ever receive for their tireless efforts to help students achieve the dream of a college education that will enable students to adjust to a changing future and support themselves and their families.”

University of Arkansas System President, Donald R. Bobbitt will form a search committee in the coming weeks with the goal to complete the search by July 1, 2016.

One of the achievements he was most passionate about was the founding in 2011 of the Institute on Race and Ethnicity, a center designed to move Arkansas forward on the broad front of racial and ethnic justice through education, research, dialogue, community events, and reconciliation initiatives.

As professor, dean, provost, and chancellor, Anderson always related success of the university to success of the students UALR served. As chancellor, he launched numerous initiatives to recruit and retain more students and to reach out to underserved student populations. His signature is on more than 26,836 diplomas and the university’s fall-to-fall retention rate is the highest it has ever been.

“Joel is a true gentleman who cares about the university more than himself”, said Dr. Dean Kumpuris, chair of the UALR Board Visitors.  “He has no ego and has sought our advice and support more than he probably had to,” “His primary goal has been to shepherd the university to a better place, which he has done. We are lucky to have had him as a leader for so many years.”

Anderson, who grew up on a farm east of Swifton in northeast Arkansas, received a BA degree in political science from Harding University, an MA degree in international relations from American University, and a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Michigan. He also completed the Institute for Educational Management at Harvard University.

“The university has good momentum. I need time to catch up on a backlog of books and also to see my grandchildren more often,” Anderson said.  “All the while I will watch with pride as UALR grows and changes.”

Highlights of his service as chancellor include:

  • The Windgate Charitable Foundation awarded UALR a grant of $20.3 million for a new Visual Arts and Applied Design center.

  • Since 2003, UALR has purchased the University Plaza shopping center which is now home of KUAR-KLRE Public Radio as well as the current home of the applied design center.

  • As part of the Coleman Creek Greenway project, the Trail of Tears Park was completed in 2011 to recognize the historical significance of the location on the south end of campus where the Choctaw and Chickasaw tribes stopped for water along Coleman Creek.

  • Establishment of a Dance major, the only one in the state, within the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance.

  • Much of the campus’s infrastructure has undergone substantial renovations including the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall. Likewise, there has been an added emphasis on the promotion and maintenance of public art on campus.

  • Chancellor Anderson served as a “Scholar in Residence” in 2010 at the Center on Community Philanthropy at the Clinton School for his work on issues of race and ethnicity.

  • Dr. Anderson launched the Institute on Race and Ethnicity in 2011 to move Arkansas forward on the broad front of racial and ethnic justice through education, research, dialogue, community events, and reconciliation initiatives.  One of their projects has been the annual Civil Rights Heritage Trail installation.

  • In 2015, as part of its 40th anniversary celebration, the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation honored Chancellor Anderson as one of 40 Community Leaders in the categories of community, education, nonprofits, and prosperity.

New Deputy Director for Arkansas Heritage announced

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DAH Dep DirStacy Hurst, director of the Department of Arkansas Heritage (DAH), announced today that she has named Rebecca Burkes as the new deputy director for DAH. Burkes holds an M.S. in operations management from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, and a Juris Doctorate from the Baylor University School of Law.

“I am very happy to bring Rebecca on board to help lead and manage DAH,” said Hurst. “Her skills in managing organizations and people will be a tremendous asset to us. Our seven separate agencies, operating under the larger umbrella of Heritage, will benefit greatly from her skills.”

Burkes most recently was an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School, Madison. Previous to that, she lived in Northwest Arkansas, where she practiced law in Fayetteville (1993-95), was corporate counsel at Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., in Bentonville (1995-98) and was vice president and chief counsel for the Burkes Company, a diversified real estate development, construction and brokerage company (1998-2011).

The Department of Arkansas Heritage, through its seven agencies, seeks to recognize the state’s heritage and to enhance Arkansas’s quality of life through the discovery, preservation and presentation of the state’s cultural, natural and historic resources. The agencies are Arkansas Arts Council, Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, Delta Cultural Center, Historic Arkansas Museum, Mosaic Templars Cultural Center and Old State House Museum.