Tag Archives: Arkansas Arts Center

Arkansas Arts Center – 54th Delta Exhibition

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"9 Zen Nuns" - Rod Moorhead's Grand Award winner

For the 54th year, the Arkansas Arts Center is hosting the Delta Exhibition.  Now through March 28, this showcases work by artists from Arkansas and its bordering states. This juried exhibition presents innovative and provocative works in all media and showcases current trends in art.

Columbus Museum Executive Director Tom Butler served as juror. He reviewed 900 entries from 427 artists and selected 54 pieces by 50 artists.  To be eligible to participate, one must be a resident of, or native of, Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Missouri, Louisiana, Oklahoma or Texas.

Butler’s curatorial interests include American art, drawings and photography. Butler has organized over 100 exhibitions of paintings, sculpture, graphics and contemporary crafts. He authored the catalog Lines of Discovery: 225 Years of American Drawing for a touring exhibition presented at the Arkansas Arts Center in 2007.

"Emerging Millstone" by Robyn Horn

The Arkansas artists selected are:

  • Aaron Calvert, Arkadelphia
  • Mac Hornecker, Arkadelphia
  • Cynthia Kresse, Eureka Springs
  • Zeek Taylor, Eureka Springs
  • John Willer, Eureka Springs
  • Kat Wilson, Fayetteville
  • Marian Doville, Fort Smith
  • Steven Jones, Fort Smith
  • Ed Pennebaker, Green Forest
  • John Norris, Jonesboro
  • Paula Wewers, Jonesboro
  • Deborah Allen, Little Rock
  • Melissa Bacon, Little Rock
  • David Bailin, Little Rock
  • John Bridges, Little Rock
  • Carrie Crocker, Little Rock
  • Stephen Driver, Little Rock
  • Endia Gomez, Little Rock
  • Ted Grimmett, Little Rock
  • Robyn Horn, Little Rock
  • Dixie Knight, Little Rock
  • Taylor Shepherd, Little Rock
  • Rebecca Thompson, Little Rock
  • Louis Watts, Little Rock
  • Timothy West, Little Rock
  • Emily Wood, Little Rock
  • Benjamin Krain, Maumelle
  • Heather Beckwith, North Little Rock
  • Keith Melton, North Little Rock
  • Kelly Anderson-Staley, Russellville
  • Laura Terry, West Fork

The 54th Annual Delta Exhibition is sponsored by Janet and Sam Alley. The Grand Award supported by The John William Linn Endowment Fund. The exhibition supported by the Andre Simon Memorial Trust in memory of everyone who has died of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).

Art of Architecture: William Morris and Arts & Craft Movement

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Morris

Tonight at the Arkansas Arts Center, the next installment of the Art of Architecture lecture series takes place.

Dr. Floyd Martin of UALR is discussing William Morris and Arts and Craft Movement. The lecture starts at 6pm in the Lecture Hall at the Arts Center.

William Morris, born in England in 1834, is long recognized as one of the major figures of the Arts and Craft Movement. A designer of textiles, wallpaper, furniture and books, Morris emphasized the importance of natural and organic forms in his work. Seeking inspiration from vernacular architecture and home furnishings, he schooled himself in the techniques and materials used in their construction.

Committed to making “aesthetically pleasing and well crafted things and making them available to as many people as possible”, Morris, had a profound influence on building and design. Though not an architect himself, working in collaboration with with architect Philip Webb, he played a major role in the design of his own home, known as the The Red House, a structure built in 1860 and now part of the British National Trust. Standen, another property with which Morris was associated, is a legacy of the Arts and Crafts movement and, too, part of the Trust.

Martin

Floyd Martin, the speaker, is Professor of Art History at UALR where he has taught since 1982. He has degrees in art history from Carleton College (BA), the University of Iowa (MA), and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (PhD).

Material for this lecture on William Morris was developed while Martin was on sabbatical from UALR during the spring of 2010, and able to visit the Red House for the first time, and return to Standen, a favorite country house from previous trips. In November he began a three year term as President of the Southeastern College Art Conference, an organization of college and university studio artists, art historians, and art educators, that is the second largest national organization of its type.

Art of Architecture: William E. Massie – “Physical Delineations”

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This month brings two editions of the “Art of Architecture” lecture series.  Tonight is the second as William E. Massie discusses Physical Delineations.  The program begins at 6:00pm in the lecture hall of the Arkansas Arts Center.

William E. Massie received a Bachelor of Fine Art in Architectural Studies from Parsons School of Design, New York, NY. He subsequently received a Master of Architecture from Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture. Upon graduation he worked for Robertson + McAnulty Architects and James Stewart Polshek and Partners. In 1993 he started his own company while simultaneously accepting a teaching position in the Graduate School of Architecture at Columbia University where he was appointed as the Coordinator for Building Technologies Research.

Massie is currently the Architect-in Residence / Head of Architecture Department at Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan and a Tenured Professor of Architecture at Rensselear Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY. He has taught at Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana and Parsons School of Design in New York City.

He has participated as a visiting critic at many institutions nationally including, Harvard, Yale, California Polytechnic Institute and Lawrence Technological University. In 2005 he participated as the Keynote Speaker and appointed Bruce Goff Chair at the University of Oklahoma on the future of technology and digital processes in architecture and architectural education.

The 2011-2012 Art of Architecture lecture series is sponsored by the Architecture and Design Network, with support from the Central Arkansas Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, the Arkansas Arts Center and the Fay Jones School of Architecture.

Goldilocks and Red Riding Hood take stage at Ark Arts Center

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Bears, a Wolf, and Fun are along for the journey

The Arkansas Arts Center Children’s Theatre will present Goldilocks and Little Red Riding Hood January 20 – February 5, 2012. Performances are held Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 3 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.

Goldilocks and Little Red Riding Hood take the stage together in this exciting musical production. These two classic stories are told by a friendly, ever‐present quartet of singers that perform fun and catchy tunes written by Children’s Theatre composer Lori Isner.

“In this adaptation of Goldilocks and Little Red Riding Hood, we have approached these two very old stories in a new and fresh way,” said Artistic Director Bradley Anderson. “We have used music as a way to make the wolf and bears less threatening and more, well, just plain humorous. The musical element of our adaptation is more than just a silly way to tell some once‐scary stories. Rather, it gives the play a universal appeal and is a delight for audiences of all ages.”

Rachel Haislip is the flaxen-haired heronie and Katherine Campbell is the crimson-clad leading lady.  Others in the cast include Josh Rice, Anna Holman, Mark Hansen, Mattingly Bartole, Aleigh Morton and Nate Buursma.

Goldilocks and Little Red Riding Hood is adapted by Bradley Anderson with music by Lori Isner.  Alan Keith Smith directed and designed the scenery for the production.  Others on the creative team include Miranda Young (props), Erin Larkin (costumes) and Adam Britt (lighting).

Tickets are $14 for adults and $11 for children. Call 501-372-4000 or visit http://www.arkarts.com

Fabcraft the focus of January 17 Art of Architecture lecture

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Perez

This month brings two editions of the “Art of Architecture” lecture series.  Tomorrow night (Tuesday, January 17), Santiago R. Perez will discuss Fabcraft: Crafting the Future with Digital Fabrication.  The program begins at 6:00pm in the lecture hall of the Arkansas Arts Center.

Santiago R. Pérez is the 21st Century Chair in Integrated Practice and Assistant Professor of Architecture at Fay Jones School of Architecture, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.  He will discuss recent work emerging from the new advanced fabrication, or FabLab, facility, which Pérez directs, at the Fay Jones School of Architecture.

The FabLab is under development in conjunction with the acquisition of new computer-controlled equipment, including a 5-axis CNC (computer numerically controlled) mill and steel plasma cutter, and the anticipated arrival of a fully articulated robot. These new initiatives are part of the ongoing research and teaching focus of Perez, who joined the school’s faculty in fall 2010.

Pérez will introduce the public to emerging digital fabrication projects, methods and tools, highlighting both current projects and recently exhibited or published work. The presentation will focus on innovation utilizing digital fabrication, computer numerically controlled tools and rapid prototyping. In particular, Pérez will discuss the relationship between traditional craft culture and making, and advanced, computationally assisted fabrication, toward a new confluence that he has termed “fabcraft.”

The term fabcraft can be understood as a new merger of craft and fabrication that combines the best of both worlds – the insights gained from knowledge of traditional craft processes, mixed with computational design and digital fabrication. The emergence of these robotic and computationally assisted tools in architecture is revolutionizing both the teaching and practice of architecture, and the increasing academic focus on making as an integral part of the design process.

The 2011-2012 Art of Architecture lecture series is sponsored by the Architecture and Design Network, with support from the Central Arkansas Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, the Arkansas Arts Center and the Fay Jones School of Architecture.

iPhotos 2011: The Good

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Like many people, the Little Rock Culture Vulture has an iPhone and takes many iPhotos. Today’s entry, and the next two, will highlight some of his favorite personal iPhotos taken in Little Rock during 2011. The are divided into the Good, the Odd and the Arty.

Today focuses on The Good. These 11 from ’11 are presented chronologically.

Allsopp Park snow - February 2011

 

A sidewalk near MacArthur Park at night - March 2011

Kids playing by Dickinson Fountain at Arkansas Arts Center - April 2011

 

Jordan Johnson in a rare moment of sitting still on grounds of Clinton Library - May 2011

 

Ducks crossing street in downtown Little Rock - May 2011

 

Little Rock Sky - June 2011

 

After at party in black box at Arkansas Repertory Theatre - June 2011

 

Setting sun reflected on Arkansas River - June 2011

 

Downtown reflection - June 2011

Bill Worthen joining with a band at 2nd Friday Art Night at Historic Arkansas Museum - July 2011

 

Snow along Kavanaugh - December 2011

 

On Stage at Children’s Theatre: A Frog and a Toad

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The charming Tony nominated musical A Year with Frog and Toad returns to the Arkansas Arts Center Children’s Theatre for the 2011 holiday season.  It continues through this Sunday, December 18. 

Based on Arnold Lobel’s Frog and Toad stories, it was written by brothers Willie and Robert Reale.  One of the show’s original producers was Lobel’s daughter Adrienne.  Lobel’s son-in-law Mark-Linn Baker was one of the original actors.  The production premiered at the Children’s  Theatre Company in Minneapolis and then played Off Broadway before transferring to Broadway.  The Broadway production received three Tony nominations: Best Musical, Best Book and Best Score.

The cast is led by Mark Hansen and Dennis Glasscock as the title characters respectively.  The other parts are played by Paige Herschell, Vanessa Sterling and Chris Straw.  The set design is by Miranda Young, costume design by Erin Larkin, lighting design by Adam Britt and Lori Isner is the musical director.

Children’s Theatre alum Scott Ferguson is the guest director of this production.  He was a fixture on the Children’s Theatre stage in the 1980s as a teen. Since then he has received recognition as a director and author.  His work Schoolhouse Rock Live!has been performed Off Broadway, nationwide and on the Arts Center stage.  Based in Chicago, he is Artistic Director, Theatrebam Chicago; Collective Member/Director of Project Development, Bailiwick Chicago; a director and teacher at the National High School Institute of Northwestern University; Artistic Associate, About Face Theatre and a residency artist and teacher for Urban Gateways: Center for Arts In Education.