Tag Archives: Department of Parks Heritage and Tourism

Last Week to see First Ladies Gowns

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OSH GownsThe Old State House Museum’s First Ladies’ Gown collection, which contains over 120 years of inaugural gowns worn by Arkansas’s First Ladies, will temporarily close to the public on September 8, 2014, so the gowns can be assessed for conservation needs. The last day to see the collection before the assessment is September 7, 2014.

“The Arkansas First Ladies Gowns at the Old State House Museum are, through the years, our most popular artifacts,” said Bill Gatewood, director of the Old State House Museum. ”Our responsibility to preserve the gowns yet make them accessible to the public creates a very challenging situation.  The Museum staff’s decision to begin conservation of the gowns exhibit must balance both considerations.”

During routine assessments this summer, Old State House Museum staff began noticing deterioration of many gowns. Two gowns were immediately removed from display for conservation, and internal discussion began about the futures of every gown. The decision was made to quickly move to have the gowns assessed.

“During a routine survey of artifacts on exhibit I noticed signs of stress on certain gowns in our First Ladies gowns exhibit,” said Jo Ellen Maack, curator at the Old State House Museum. “Upon closer inspection I determined a conservator specializing in textiles should examine the collection. My goal is to create a prioritized list of conservation needs for gowns in the exhibit. Once these needs have been identified, treatment will begin. The challenge is to do this while keeping as much of the exhibit as possible open to the public.”

The assessment will take place at the Old State House Museum beginning September 8 and the exhibit will be closed during this process. The collection will be examined by Textile Conservation Services and handled by Harold Mailand, who first examined the gowns in 1983. Mailand will examine the condition of each gown and work with the professional staff at the Old State House Museum to create a preservation strategy, and may include immediate removal of some gowns from display. The exhibit will then re-open. At a later date, more gowns may be removed from exhibit at the Old State House Museum to an off-site location to make changes in casework and lighting in the exhibit. The exhibit would be closed for several months if the Museum feels it necessary to make those upgrades..

“Even though the physical gowns may not be on permanent display at the Old State House Museum, we’re committed to providing access to information, photos and educational programs about the gowns through the Web, our publications, and any emerging media that becomes available” Gatewood said.

The First Ladies’ Gowns collection was the first exhibit to showcase Arkansas history at the Old State House Museum, debuting in 1955. The oldest gown in the collection is from 1889 and belonged to Mary Kavanaugh Oldham Eagle, the wife of Arkansas’s 16th Governor James Philip Eagle. The collection contains 30 inaugural dresses, including four from former Arkansas First Lady and United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Currently, visitors to the Museum are able to view all 30 gowns, minus the two removed earlier this year, belonging to Elizabeth Little and Ewilda Robinson. After the assessment, the ability for visitors to view all the gowns at once may change.

The First Ladies’ Gowns collection is just one of many collections the Old State House Museum is tasked with maintaining and preserving. Other textile collections curated by the Museum include Civil War flags and quilts sewn by black Arkansans.  The Old State House Museum will provide updates about the gowns on social media including Facebook, Twitter and e-mail lists.

About the Old State House Museum

The Old State House Museum is a museum of the Department of Arkansas Heritage and shares the goal of all seven Department of Arkansas Heritage agencies, that of preserving and enhancing the heritage of the state of Arkansas. The agencies are Arkansas Arts Council, Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, Delta Cultural Center in Helena, Historic Arkansas Museum, Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, and the Old State House Museum.

It takes Different Spokes at the Old State House

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spokes-small-wideDifferent Spokes is the newest exhibit at the Old State House Museum. The exhibit looks at the history of bicycling and places cycling in Arkansas within a worldwide historical context. Visitors will be able to view galleries of artifacts, historical pictures and video to learn the history of bicycles.

As cities and towns begin dedicated services and trails for cyclists, it’s important to note that the enthusiasm for bikes in Arkansas has roots that go back over 100 years,” said Old State House Museum Director Bill Gatewood. “The interest at the turn of the 20th century in bicycles was very similar to the one that we are seeing at the turn of the 21st century.”

While the exhibit mainly explores the technological advances of cycling in the past 130 years, Different Spokes also tells the story of competition, economics, and social life. The history of trail systems, cycling communities and history in Arkansas is explored in videos produced by the Old State House Museum. From an 1880 wooden bicycle built from white oak and agricultural implements to the world’s first carbon-fiber bicycles made by Brent Trimble of Berryville, Different Spokes contains artifacts that show this history from past to present. Gatewood says the Museum relied on contributions from the cycling community to present this story. The exhibit will remain on view to February 2016.

“I have not participated in any other exhibit that has had this kind of immediate response from the community,” Gatewood said. “The passion these people have for their pursuit is overwhelming, and I believe it will be reflected well in this exhibit.”

The Old State  House Museum is a division of the Department of Arkansas Heritage.

Last weekend for Young Arkansas Artists exhibit at Ark Arts Center

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This weekend is the last chance to see the 53rd Young Arkansas Artists exhibition in the Alice Pratt Brown Atrium and the Sam Strauss Sr. Gallery at the Arkansas Arts Center.

“At the Arkansas Arts Center, we believe that the arts have the ability to educate and empower our children while cultivating a positive form of self-expression,” said Arkansas Arts Center executive director Todd Herman. “We strive to promote quality arts education initiatives and achievement in the visual arts and through this exhibition, we are offering a wonderful platform to celebrate artwork created by our very own Arkansas youth.”

First presented in 1961, the 53rd Young Arkansas Artists exhibition is a celebration of both the creative achievements of young artists and the youthful spirits of Arkansans. Now in its sixth decade, this annual children’s art exhibition showcases artwork by Arkansas students from with hopes to ensure learning, inspiration and creative expression are occurring in our state’s classrooms. In 2013, teachers from 127 schools across Arkansas submitted 508 works for consideration. Of those, 102 works were selected for inclusion in the exhibition.

The exhibition is open to all Arkansas students from kindergarten through 12th grade. Art must be original and completed within the current 2013-2014 school year. Original works in all media including drawings, paintings, prints, photographs, collages, crafts, and sculpture are eligible. Teachers may submit only one artwork per grade level per school or program. Entries must be made through a public, private or home school teacher or instructor of an art program. All artists whose works are selected will receive notification on March 18 and the deadline for delivery of all selected entries is April 11.

arkartsWorks will be selected for the exhibition by the Arkansas Art Educators Association. A juror selects one Best of Class and two Honorable Mentions for each grade, and each winning artist’s school receives a monetary award to supports its art program. Selected works from the exhibition travel to schools and other venues around the state as part of the Arkansas Arts Center’s State Services Program. The juror will also select the following awards: one Middle School and one High School level Art and the Written Word Award, the Ray Smenner Best in Show Painting Award and the Mid Southern Watercolorists Best in Show watercolor award.

The 53rd Young Arkansas Artists exhibition is sponsored by Barbara and Steve Bova, Dale and Lee Ronnel, The Philip R. Jonsson Foundation and The Central Arkansas Library System. Awards for the exhibition are sponsored by Arkansas Children’s Hospital.

Today there will be a Family Festival and Awards Ceremony in celebration of the 53rd Young Arkansas Artists exhibition on May 10 from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Activities for kids of all ages will be offered and awards will be presented at 1 p.m. in the Lecture Hall. The events are free for members and exhibition artists, $5 for a non-member individual and $20 for a non-member family. Guests are similarly invited to enjoy a matinee performance of Sleeping Beauty at 2 p.m. in the Children’s Theatre that will also be held on May 10.

For more information, visit arkansasartscenter.org/yaa or call (501) 372-4000.

Celebrate Arkansas’ Quest for Statehood at Old State House and Historic Arkansas Museum today

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OSH logohamlogoTomorrow is Arkansas’ 178th birthday.  Two state museums are helping people get in the mood by giving them a one day head-start on festivities.

The Old State House Museum and Historic Arkansas Museum are partnering to mark Arkansas’s 178th birthday with the annual Arkansas Statehood celebration, The Quest for Statehood, on Saturday, June 14, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Visitors will be given a chance to view and participate in a living history of  1836 Arkansas. Costumed interpreters will transform The Old State House and Historic Arkansas Museum to portray Arkansas as it was 178 years ago.

Several games and activities will be offered, including a large-scale game of commerce and trade that will provide an immersive experience. Living historians will portray the townspeople of 1836. These include a tavern keeper, phrenologist, carpenter, shop keeper, owner of a ladies’ emporium, silhouette artist and more.

The Old State House Museum and Historic Arkansas Museum are agencies of the Department of Arkansas Heritage.

 

BLACKBIRDS film is one of the highlights of 2014 LR Film Festival on Friday

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LRFF2014 OpenFriday during the Little Rock Film Festival is a full day for film lovers.

The spotlight film today is the documentary The Night the Blackbirds Fell. Brian Campbell and Will Scott’s film looks at the strange occurrence that took place on New Year’s Eve, 2010. At midnight, thousands of blackbirds fall from the sky. Not far away, 100,000 drum fish wash up dead on the banks of the Arkansas River. Hazmat crews comb the region collecting the birds, while community members worry and wonder what happened. Mainstream media the world over generate curiosity and hysteria around the mysterious wildlife deaths, as internet “experts” declare it a sign of the apocalypse.

A talented but struggling college student, in search of a thesis project, stumbles into the falling blackbirds and inadvertently his thesis topic. He decides to find out just what the hell is going on. Is it the end times, a military experiment, natural gas fracking, or fireworks? Join him in a mysterious whodunnit “divine comedy” that integrates live interview footage into graphic novel style animation to learn what really happened; and beware of falling blackbirds. Produced with support from the Arkansas Humanities Council, Department of Arkansas Heritage, Inspired Media, and the UCA Foundation.

Among the other films screening today are:

Golden Rock Narrative contenders:

  • Big Significant Things (Bryan Reisberg)
  • Five Star (Keith Miller)
  • Fort Tilden (Sarah Violet Bliss & Charles Rodgers)
  • Kumiko: The Treasure Hunter (David & Nathan Zellner)
  • Little Accidents (Sarah Colangelo)

Golden Rock Documentary contenders:

  • Manny (Leon Gast and Ryan Moore)
  • The Notorious Mr. Bout (Tony Gerber & Maxim Pozdorovkin),

Other featured films:

  • Actress (Robert Greene)
  • Man Shot Dead (Taylor Feltner)
  • Manakaman (Stephanie Spray & Pacho Velez)
  • Ne Me Quitte Pas (Sabine Lubbe Bakker, Niels van Koevorden)
  • Rich Hill (Tracy Droz Tragos & Andrew Droz Palermo)

World Shorts

  • “Multifariousness” – “Sketch” by Stephen T. Barton, “X-RAY MAN” by Kerri Yost, “Breaking Night” by Yolonda Ross, “Yearbook” by Bernardo Britto, “MASTER MUSCLES” by Efrén Hernández, “Pity,” by John Pata and “One Armed Man” by Tim Guinee.
  • “Our Times” – “The Usual” by Dawn Higginbotham, “Families Are Forever” by Vivian Kleiman, “Confusion Through Sand” by Danny Madden, “Distance” by Aimee Long, “Little Black Fishes” by Azra Deniz Okyay, and “Broke” by Benham Jones
  • “Mental and Physical” – “By the Sea” by Robert Machoian, “LE PLONGEON” by Delphine Le Courtois, “Strike: The Greatest Bowling Story Ever Told” by Joey Daoud, “Insomniacs” by Charles Chintzer Lai, “Dog Food” by Brian Crano, “The Lipstick Stain” by Dagny Looper and “Into The Silent Sea” by Andrej Landin

There will also be a welcome reception for the filmmakers, as well other parties throughout the evening.

For more information, visit www.littlerockfilmfestival.org.  When attending events use the hashtag #LRFF2014 on social media posts.

53rd Young Arkansas Artists Exhibit at Arkansas Arts Center through July 27

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The Arkansas Arts Center, the state’s leader in international, visual and performing arts, presents the 53rd Young Arkansas Artists exhibition, on view May 9 – July 27, in the Alice Pratt Brown Atrium and the Sam Strauss Sr. Gallery.

“At the Arkansas Arts Center, we believe that the arts have the ability to educate and empower our children while cultivating a positive form of self-expression,” said Arkansas Arts Center executive director Todd Herman. “We strive to promote quality arts education initiatives and achievement in the visual arts and through this exhibition, we are offering a wonderful platform to celebrate artwork created by our very own Arkansas youth.”

First presented in 1961, the 53rd Young Arkansas Artists exhibition is a celebration of both the creative achievements of young artists and the youthful spirits of Arkansans. Now in its sixth decade, this annual children’s art exhibition showcases artwork by Arkansas students from with hopes to ensure learning, inspiration and creative expression are occurring in our state’s classrooms. In 2013, teachers from 127 schools across Arkansas submitted 508 works for consideration. Of those, 102 works were selected for inclusion in the exhibition.

The exhibition is open to all Arkansas students from kindergarten through 12th grade. Art must be original and completed within the current 2013-2014 school year. Original works in all media including drawings, paintings, prints, photographs, collages, crafts, and sculpture are eligible. Teachers may submit only one artwork per grade level per school or program. Entries must be made through a public, private or home school teacher or instructor of an art program. All artists whose works are selected will receive notification on March 18 and the deadline for delivery of all selected entries is April 11.

arkartsWorks will be selected for the exhibition by the Arkansas Art Educators Association. A juror selects one Best of Class and two Honorable Mentions for each grade, and each winning artist’s school receives a monetary award to supports its art program. Selected works from the exhibition travel to schools and other venues around the state as part of the Arkansas Arts Center’s State Services Program. The juror will also select the following awards: one Middle School and one High School level Art and the Written Word Award, the Ray Smenner Best in Show Painting Award and the Mid Southern Watercolorists Best in Show watercolor award.

The 53rd Young Arkansas Artists exhibition is sponsored by Barbara and Steve Bova, Dale and Lee Ronnel, The Philip R. Jonsson Foundation and The Central Arkansas Library System. Awards for the exhibition are sponsored by Arkansas Children’s Hospital.

Today there will be a Family Festival and Awards Ceremony in celebration of the 53rd Young Arkansas Artists exhibition on May 10 from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Activities for kids of all ages will be offered and awards will be presented at 1 p.m. in the Lecture Hall. The events are free for members and exhibition artists, $5 for a non-member individual and $20 for a non-member family. Guests are similarly invited to enjoy a matinee performance of Sleeping Beauty at 2 p.m. in the Children’s Theatre that will also be held on May 10.

For more information, visit arkansasartscenter.org/yaa or call (501) 372-4000.

Arkansas Arts Center programs are supported in part by: the City of Little Rock; the Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau; the City of North Little Rock; and the Arkansas Arts Council, an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Dogs, Cats, Rabbits, Puppets, Kings and Robbers Hightlight 2014-2015 Season of Arkansas Arts Center Children’s Theatre

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aac_logo_childrens_theatreAs the state’s leader in international, visual and performing arts, the Arkansas Arts Center Children’s Theatre announces a sensational lineup of productions for the 2014–15 season.

“Our 2014-15 season has a diverse and innovative line-up of talented actors and compelling stories that reflect our continued tradition of bringing joy and laughter into the hearts of our audience,” said Arkansas Arts Center Children’s Theatre artistic director Bradley Anderson. “Our upcoming season will offer something for everyone and we can’t wait to bring our audience back for six consecutive productions sure to delight children of all ages.”

The Arkansas Arts Center Children’s Theatre will open the 2014-15 season with Go, Dog. Go! September 17 – October 5, 2014. Watch the stage explode with a delight of color, motion, music and dogs in this captivating adaptation of P. D. Eastman’s famous canine extravaganza. Go, Dog. Go! is adapted for the stage by Stephen Dietz and Allison Gregory.

Magic and morality abound this fall when Pinocchio takes the stage on October 24 – November 9, 2014. One day, by a stroke of incredible luck, this commonplace piece of lumber found its way into the skilled hands of Geppetto the wood carver. And so, the world’s most famous marionette, Pinocchio, was born. Come join the fun as the little puppet runs away to discover the world. The audience will enjoy the fun and share Geppetto’s delight as his little Pinocchio learns an important lesson. The production is written by Alan Keith Smith based on the story by Carlo Collodi.

Spend quality time with the family this holiday season with The Velveteen Rabbit on November 28 – December 21, 2014. The audience will be thrilled with this Christmas themed childhood favorite as the story of a stuffed rabbit and his quest to become real through the love of his owner come to life on stage. The Velveteen Rabbit is written by Alan Keith Smith and based on the story by Margery Williams.

arkartsTake a break from the winter wonderland to see the world famous Grimm’s fairy tale Rumpelstiltskin take the stage January 21 – February 8, 2015. Watch as the miller whose bragging mouth was nearly as grand as the king’s greed gets his lovely daughter into a bit of a mess. The story takes the audience on an adventure while the characters facing life-altering decisions, broken promises and an array of mysterious events through the power of friendship, the destructive nature of vanity and greed and the value of forgiveness. Rumpelstiltskin is adapted for the stage by Alan Keith Smith.

Ever been stuck inside when the weather is blue? The Cat in the Hat has fun in store for you as one of the most familiar and beloved picture books of the last half century erupts with fun on the Children’s Theatre stage on March 5 – March 29, 2015. Sally and her brother are miserably bored on a rainy day until they cross paths with the Cat in the Hat and he’s just in time to show the kids a Thing or two about fun. The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss is adapted for the stage by Katie Mitchell.

Just in time for spring, audiences will rally with Robin Hood and his merry band as they outwit and outclass the nasty Sheriff of Nottingham in The Legend of Robin Hood on stage April 24 – May 10, 2015. Join the Children’s Theatre on a glorious adventure with charm and wit that never fails to rouse our hearts in the age-old battle of good versus evil. The Legend of Robin Hood is written by Alan Keith Smith.

Current presenting sponsors for this Children’s Theatre season are Landers Fiat, Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Centennial Bank, JPMS Cox and the media partner is Little Rock Family magazine.

Tickets are $12.50 for children and adults and $10 for Arkansas Arts Center members. Season ticket packages are available. For more information, visit arkansasartscenter.org or call (501) 372-4000.

 

GENERAL INFORMATION

Contact: (501) 372-4000

Location: Arkansas Arts Center – 9th and Commerce, Little Rock, AR 72202

Gallery Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday – Saturday

11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday

Closed Monday & Major Holidays

 

Arkansas Arts Center programs are supported in part by: the City of Little Rock; the Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau; the City of North Little Rock; and the Arkansas Arts Council, an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage and the National Endowment for the Arts.