The ACANSA Arts Festival moves into the weekend with a full day of activities.

ARTISTS IN THE PARK
12:00pm to 6:00 pm
MacArthur Park
FREE

The Arkansas Arts Center will host a visual artist day at MacArthur Park from noon to 6:00 p.m.   This event is free and open to the public.  The first two hours are dedicated to children with a variety of art activities, and entertainment by Brian Kinder, a singer/ songwriter who performs rollicking goodtime concerts for kids.

Family entertainment by a variety of musical groups will begin at 2 p.m. Bands include the Clark Family Trio, the Greasy Greens, and SOULution.  Local food trucks will offer refreshments for purchase.

Artists will produce and sell art throughout the afternoon and will have the option to participate in a friendly Quick Draw Competition during the event.  Artists will be paired off to draw each other and the winner will receive a $500 prize!

The Quick Draw competition is open to anyone.  Know an artist who would like to participate?   Please have them contact Linda Newbern at lnewbern@ACANSAartsFestival.org.

Sponsored by: Arkansas Children’s Hospital, City of Little Rock & Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau

SUSPENDED ANIMATION
7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Scottish Rite Masonic Temple
$20 to $50

In a cabaret presentation distinctly adult in its sophistication and artistry, internationally acclaimed marionette artist Phillip Huber is in full view of the audience as he controls incredibly compelling characters through a series of variety vignettes revealing humor, pathos, drama and grace.

Phillip Huber is most widely known for his work in the 3-time Academy Award nominated film “Being John Malkovich” and his work in the Disney film “Oz the Great and Powerful,” starring James Franco, Michelle Williams and Mila Kunis. Shimmering with nuance, sophistication and imagination, you won’t want to miss this opportunity to experience a world of sophisticated puppetry designed for entertaining discerning tastes.

DALLAS BLACK DANCE THEATRE
7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
NLR High School East Campus Auditorium
$10 to $50

Dallas Black Dance Theatre celebrates its 36th season as the oldest, continuously operating professional dance company out of Dallas, Texas. The ensemble, a contemporary modern dance company, consists of 12 professional, full-time dancers performing a mixed repertory of modern jazz, ethnic and spiritual works by nationally and internationally known choreographers.

Sponsored by: Arkansas Black Hall of Fame, City of North Little Rock, North Little Rock Chamber of Commerce, North Little Rock Economic Development Corporation, North Little Rock Visitors Bureau

DISFARMER
8:00 pm to 10:00 pm
Argenta Community Theatre
$30

Don’t miss this production of Disfarmer, written by award-winning Arkansas playwright Werner Trieschmann and directed by Bob Hupp of The Rep.  Disfarmer is a comedic portrait which tells the story of Mike Disfarmer, an eccentric photographer from Heber Springs, Arkansas who charged townsfolk and visitors a quarter to have their picture taken in the early forties—and caused a minor speculative mania decades later as New York gallery owners “discovered” his work and descended on the small Arkansas town.

Nothing speaks louder about Mike Disfarmer than his photographs.  Before the play, stop by  Argenta Gallery at 413 Main Street to enjoy an exhibit of Disfarmer photographs. In 1974, Peter Miller purchased the collection of Disfarmer glass negatives from Joe Albright. The Disfarmer prints in this exhibit have been archivally printed from the original Disfarmer glass negatives

Sponsored by: Peter Miller

ACANSA Late Night II – St. Paul and the Broken Bones
9:00 pm to 11:00 pm
South on Main
SOLD OUT

This Birmingham, Alabama based soul band harkens back to the region’s classic soul roots while extending the form with electrifying potency.  Lead singer, Paul Janeway, takes the soul revival to an equally outrageous place with a voice that hovers between sexy sweet and flat-out dirty.  The horn-fueled Broken Bones re-create one funky groove after another, sounding more like the truth than any band since the Seventies.

Sponsored by:  DOWNSTREAM Casino Resort with staff provided by Oxford American