Tag Archives: Arkansas Arts Council

Ballet Arkansas MOMENTUM this weekend

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Photo by Lily Darragh featuring Ballet Arkansas artist Amanda Sewell and Toby Lewellen

Photo by Lily Darragh featuring Ballet Arkansas artist Amanda Sewell and Toby Lewellen

With the hiring of Artistic Director Michael Bearden, a growing company of professional dancers, and plans to move studio space to Main Street, “momentum” is definitely a word to describe the activities of Ballet Arkansas these days.  Therefore it is fitting that the professional dancers of Ballet Arkansas will grace the stage of the Arkansas Repertory Theatre with a new concert, Momentum, April 25-27.

Ballet Arkansas’ Momentum will be a celebration of the beauty of ballet with Gerald Arpino’s Birthday Variations, a brand new work to the music of Bolero by Pacific Northwest Ballet Soloist Kiyon Gaines, and new works by Shayla Bott, Houston Ballet’s Melody Mennite and Ballet Arkansas Artistic Director, Michael Bearden.

“From the classic beauty of Arpino’s Birthday Variations to the raw, dynamic energy of Gaines Bolero, this program has something for everyone,” said Bearden. “It is a testament to Ballet Arkansas’ momentum and to the city’s blossoming arts community on Main Street.”

This production will be the second collaboration between Ballet Arkansas and The Arkansas Repertory Theatre. “The partnership between the ballet and The Rep has proven to be an invaluable asset to our growing company,” said Lauren Strother, Ballet Arkansas’ Executive Director. “With our new home right across the street from The Rep we look forward to many more opportunities to bring new and innovative experiences through collaboration with our neighboring arts groups in The Rep and Symphony.”

Tickets for Momentum are available through The Rep box office at (501) 378-0405 or online at http://www.balletarkansas.org. Tickets are $35 for Orchestra and First Mezzanine seating and $30 for Second Mezzanine seating. Momentum will open Friday, April 25, 2014 with an evening performance starting at 7:30 p.m. followed by a champagne reception in The Rep lobby.

Other show times include an evening performance on Saturday, April 26 at 7:30 p.m. and a matinee on Sunday, April 27 at 2:00 p.m.

Ballet Arkansas programming is made possible through the support of season sponsors Parker Audi, Footlights Dancer Store and the Arkansas Arts Council a department of Arkansas Heritage.

Governor’s Arts Awards Presented Today

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Arkansas_Arts_Council_logo_2Governor Mike Beebe will present the 2013 Governor’s Arts Awards today at a luncheon sponsored by the Arkansas Arts Council.

Sponsored annually by the Arkansas Arts Council, the Governor’s Arts Awards recognize individuals and corporations for their outstanding contributions to the arts in Arkansas. The recipients were nominated by the public and then selected by an independent panel of arts professionals from around the state. Each recipient will receive an original work of art created by Arkansas artist Stephen Driver.

The recipients are:
Arts Community Development Award – Bob Ford and Amy Herzberg (Fayetteville)
Arts in Education Award – Paul Leopoulos (North Little Rock)
Corporate Sponsorship of the Arts Award – Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard, PLLC (Little Rock)
Folklife Award – Paula Morell (North Little Rock)
Individual Artist Award – Robert Hupp (Little Rock)
Patron Award – Lee and Dale Ronnel (Little Rock)
Lifetime Achievement Award – Billie Seamans (McGehee)
Judges Special Recognition Award – Farrell Ford (Arkadelphia)

ArtLinks 2013 continues today

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The Arkansas Arts Council’s ArtLinks 2013 continues today in Central Arkansas.

Storytelling is all the buzz these days. People in businesses, nonprofits, sales, marketing, education
and advocacy are recognizing the value of story in their work.
ArtLinks 2013: What’s Your Story? focuses on the importance of finding and communicating your story to influence policy and increase support. The annualstatewide conference for artists, arts administrators,educators and community leaders is hosted by the Arkansas Arts Council.
Stephanie Garibaldi, Education Director at SpeakeasyDC, Washington’s leader in live story performances and training, will demonstrate the power of a good story told well and explain how storytelling can be used by artists and organizations to strengthen connections, raise funds, improve communications, generate audience engagement and build community.

Argenta Community Theater, 405 Main Street, North Little Rock, AR 72114

Conference Registration
8:00 – 9:00 a.m.

The Why, What and How of Storytelling
9:00 a.m. – Noon
SpeakeasyDC’s Instructor Kevin Boggs leads a three-hour program that includes demonstrations, discussion and small group activities to explore ways to build and sustain the use of storytelling within an organization. Participants will identify and develop stories that reflect the impact and value of their arts programs as tools they can use for fundraising and advocacy.

Box Lunch and Walking Tour
Noon – 2:00 p.m., Argenta Arts District

What’s Their Story?
2:00 – 3:30 p.m.
Community leaders from around Arkansas share stories of innovative arts programs. Speakers include Sonia Davis Gutierrez with Fayetteville Forward Creative Economy Action Group; Austin Barrow with El Dorado Festivals and Events, Inc.; Jon Chadwell with the Newport Economic Development Commission; and Henry Golatt with the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and the planned Arts Factory Project on Main Street.

Arkansas Arts Council celebrates 2013 Fellowship Recipients today

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Arkansas_Arts_Council_logo_2Nine Arkansas artists will be celebrated today when the Arkansas Arts Council honors the recipients of its Individual Artist Fellowship awards. The artists will be recognized at a reception from 5:30-7:30 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 6, at the Arkansas Arts Center in Little Rock.

The Arkansas Arts Council awarded nine artist fellowships in the amount of $4,000 each. Fellowships are awarded annually to artists in Arkansas in recognition of their individual artistic abilities. These fellowships enable artists to set aside time for creating their art and improving their skills. Three artistic disciplines are selected each year as categories for the awards.

The three categories for this year are Literary Arts: Playwriting; Performing Arts: Directing of Narrative and Documentary Films; and Visual Arts: Creating Contemporary and Traditional Crafts.

The fellowship recipients were selected by a jury of out-of-state professional artists, writers, performers and art administrators.

Literary Arts: Playwriting

Kelley Smith Pruitt, Little Rock – In a Year’s Time

Clinnesha D. Sibley, Fayetteville – Tell Martha Not to Moan

Werner Trieschmann, Little Rock – Disfarmer

 

Performing Arts: Directing of Narrative and Documentary Films

Joshua H. Miller, Little Rock – Pillow

Mark Thiedeman, Little Rock – Last Summer

Nathan Willis, Little Rock – “The Van”

 

Visual Arts: Creating Contemporary and Traditional Crafts

Ed Pennebaker, Osage – blown glass, stone and metal work

Timothy LaTourette, Fayetteville – wood, lighting and printmaking

Adam Posnak, West Fork – functional ceramic with stark black, white and red imagery

 

The Arkansas Arts Council is an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage.

DennyWest Music Festival at Wildwood Today

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Wildwood-Park-for-the-Arts-e1352227810968What do Ukulele Bill, REAL Entertaining, Mister Morphis One Man Band, the Hartley Family Bluegrass Band, Posey Hill, the Mulligan Brothers, and BettySoo all have in common? On Saturday, October 5, they’re all playing an outdoor concert at Wildwood Park for the Arts, 20919 Denny Road in West Little Rock. DennyWest, Wildwood’s one-day outdoor Americana acoustic music festival, features children and family entertainment from 1 to 5 pm. At 6:30 pm, Mister Morphis One Man Band & Reed Balentine, Voice of the Wind, lead off the evening’s entertainment, followed by Posey Hill and the Mulligan Brothers. Austin’s BettySoo and Canadian Doug Cox finish the evening with a duo concert from their “Across the Borderline” album.

Gates open for lunch and free hayrides around the lake at noon. Tickets for the afternoon events are $10 for adults, $5 for children 12 and under, and free for kids 5 and under. Evening tickets, starting at 5 pm, are $20 for adults, $10 for teens, $5 for children 12 and under.

BettySoo and Doug Cox conducted a free songwriting workshop at UALR on Friday afternoon. The UALR Department of Music co-hosted the workshop. BettySoo’s appearance and the songwriting workshop are sponsored in part by Mid-America Arts Alliance (MAAA.org), a regional arts organization that supports the arts and touring in Arkansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas. All the daytime artists, as well as Posey Hill, are supported by the Arkansas Arts Council, an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage. Bylites is providing sound and lighting for the concerts.

Event Schedule
11 am – Park Gates Open for lunch

1 – 5 pm – Children’s & Family Concert featuring
Ukelele Bill
REAL Entertaining
Mister Morphis One Man Band
Hartley Family Bluegrass Band

6:30 – 10 pm – Evening Concert featuring
Mister Morphis and Reed Balentine: Voice of the Wind
Posey Hill
The Mulligan Brothers
BettySoo and Doug Cox: Across the Borderline

Ark Arts Council announces 2013 Fellowship Recipients

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Arkansas_Arts_Council_logo_2Last week, the Arkansas Arts Council announced the recipients of its Individual Artist Fellowship awards. The artists will be recognized at a reception from 5:30-7:30 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 6, at the Arkansas Arts Center in Little Rock. The reception is open to the public. Space is limited and reservations are required. RSVP by calling (501) 324-9766.

The Arkansas Arts Council awarded nine artist fellowships in the amount of $4,000 each. Fellowships are awarded annually to artists in Arkansas in recognition of their individual artistic abilities. These fellowships enable artists to set aside time for creating their art and improving their skills. Three artistic disciplines are selected each year as categories for the awards.

The three categories for this year are Literary Arts: Playwriting; Performing Arts: Directing of Narrative and Documentary Films; and Visual Arts: Creating Contemporary and Traditional Crafts.

The fellowship recipients were selected by a jury of out-of-state professional artists, writers, performers and art administrators.

Literary Arts: Playwriting

Kelley Smith Pruitt, Little Rock – In a Year’s Time

Clinnesha D. Sibley, Fayetteville – Tell Martha Not to Moan

Werner Trieschmann, Little Rock – Disfarmer

 

Performing Arts: Directing of Narrative and Documentary Films

Joshua H. Miller, Little Rock – Pillow

Mark Thiedeman, Little Rock – Last Summer

Nathan Willis, Little Rock – “The Van”

 

Visual Arts: Creating Contemporary and Traditional Crafts

Ed Pennebaker, Osage – blown glass, stone and metal work

Timothy LaTourette, Fayetteville – wood, lighting and printmaking

Adam Posnak, West Fork – functional ceramic with stark black, white and red imagery

 

The Arkansas Arts Council is an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage.

Arts Council announces Gov Arts Award recipients

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Arkansas_Arts_Council_logo_2The Arkansas Arts Council has announced the recipients of the 2013 Governor’s Arts Awards.

They are:
Arts Community Development Award – Bob Ford and Amy Herzberg (Fayetteville)
Arts in Education Award – Paul Leopoulos (North Little Rock)
Corporate Sponsorship of the Arts Award – Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard, PLLC (Little Rock)
Folklife Award – Paula Morell (North Little Rock)
Individual Artist Award – Robert Hupp (Little Rock)
Patron Award – Lee and Dale Ronnel (Little Rock)
Lifetime Achievement Award – Billie Seamans (McGehee)
Judges Special Recognition Award – Farrell Ford (Arkadelphia)

The awards will be presented in the fall.