Tag Archives: Department of Parks Heritage and Tourism

Ballet Arkansas MOMENTUM this weekend

Posted on by
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.

Sandwich in History at LR’s Christ Church today

Posted on by

christchurch_scaledOn Friday, March 7 at 12 noon, the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program’s monthly “Sandwiching in History” program will visit Christ Church, Little Rock’s downtown Episcopal church since 1839.

Located at Capital and Scott Streets in downtown, the current sanctuary was built in 1940-41, designed by local architect Edwin Cromwell. That building replaced an 1887 structure which had burned in 1938.  The 1887 edifice itself replaced an 1840-1841 building which had been destroyed by fire in 1873.  A Parish House was constructed in 1928 adjacent to the sanctuary which is still in use today.

The “Sandwiching in History” program is a series of tours that seeks to familiarize people who live and work in central Arkansas with the historic structures and sites around us. The tours take place on Fridays at noon, last less than an hour, and participants are encouraged to bring their lunches so that they can eat while listening to a brief lecture about the property and its history before proceeding on a short tour. A representative from the property is encouraged to attend also and address the group.

The tours are organized by the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage. All tours are free and open to the public.

Lineup for April’s 11th Annual Arkansas Literary Festival Announced

Posted on by

1359064160-litfest_logoAs winter drones on, a person’s fancy may turn to thoughts of spring. Or to a good book to read by candlelight to pass the time in winter.

In any way, a certain harbinger of warmer weather will be the presence in April of the 11th annual Arkansas Literary Festival.

Prestigious award-winners, big names, writers for television shows, journalists, and artists are among the diverse roster of presenters who will be providing sessions at the eleventh annual Arkansas Literary Festival, April 24-27, 2014. The Central Arkansas Library System‘s Main Library campus and many other Little Rock venues are the sites for a stimulating mix of sessions, panels, special events, performances, workshops, presentations, opportunities to meet authors, book sales, and book signings. Most events are free and open to the public.

The Arkansas Literary Festival, the premier gathering of readers and writers in Arkansas, will include more than 80 presenters including featured authors Catherine Coulter, who has more than seventy million books in print; Congressman John Lewis, one of the key figures in the civil rights movement; best-selling authors Mary Roach, ReShonda Tate Billingsley, Curtis Sittenfeld, and artist/illustrator Kadir Nelson; musician Rhett Miller; and education expert David L. Kirp.

This year’s Festival authors have won an impressive number and variety of distinguished awards, including ten Emmy awards, multiple National Endowment for the Arts fellowships and grants, two Pulitzer Prizes, the MacArthur Foundation Fellowship (the Genius Grant), the National Book Award, the Coretta Scott King Award, the Caldecott Honor, an NAACP Image Award, an Eisner Award, a Ford Foundation Fellowship, the American Book Award, the O. Henry Prize, recognition as one of the National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35, and much more.

Their works have been included in the New York Times, Rolling Stone, Bon Appétit, Glamour, Playboy, Esquire, Vanity Fair, Slate, Mother Jones, and the Washington Post, among others.

Special events for adults during the Festival include a cocktail reception with the authors, a writing workshop with Catherine Coulter, a concert by Rhett Miller, and a presentation by an art historian which includes an Artists Buffet. Panels and sessions include genres and topics such as chocolate, lucid dreaming, graphic novels, the war in Iraq, short stories, Arkansas food, murder mysteries, football, dinosaurs, and gangsters.

Children’s special events include a storytime on the lawn of the Governor’s Mansion, a treasure hunt, a play based on The Little Engine That Could, and a Lego exhibit. Festival sessions for children will take place at both the Hillary Rodham Clinton Children’s Library and Learning Center, 4800 10th Street, and the Youth Services Department at the Main Library, 100 Rock Street.

At Level 4, the Main Library’s teen center, special events for teens include a robotics demonstration and a panel on comic book conventions.

Through the Writers In The Schools (WITS) initiative, the Festival will provide presentations by several authors for Pulaski county elementary, middle, and senior high schools and area colleges.

Support for the Literary Festival is provided by sponsors including Central Arkansas Library System; Friends of Central Arkansas Libraries (FOCAL); Arkansas Humanities Council; Department of Arkansas Heritage; Fred K. Darragh Jr. Foundation; Mosaic Templars Cultural Center; ProSmart Printing; KUAR FM 89.1; Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau; Arkansas Democrat Gazette; Sync; Arkansas Life; William J. Clinton Presidential Center; Oxford American; Landers FIAT of Benton; MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History; Arkansas Times; Wright, Lindsey & Jennings LLP; University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service; Historic Arkansas Museum ; Christ Church, Little Rock’s Downtown Episcopal Church; Witt Stephens Jr. Central Arkansas Nature Center; Arkansas Library Association; Goss Management Company, LLC; Henderson State University; Hendrix College Project Pericles Program; Pulaski Technical College; Arkansas Arts Center; River’s Edge Media; Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre; Rockefeller Elementary School; Gibbs Elementary School; Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum and Educational Center; Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow; Arkansas Governor’s Mansion; Hendrix College Creative Writing; University of Arkansas at Little Rock English Department; University of Arkansas at Little Rock Department of Rhetoric and Writing; Pyramid Art, Books & Custom Framing/Hearne Fine Art; Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack; Literacy Action of Central Arkansas; National Park Service Central High School National Historic Site; Tales from the South; and Power 92 Jams. The Arkansas Literary Festival is supported in part by funds from the Arkansas Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Author! Author!, a cocktail reception with the authors, will be Friday, April 25, at 8 p.m.; tickets are $25 in advance, and $40 at the door, and go on sale at ArkansasLiteraryFestival.org beginning Tuesday, April 1. Author! Author! tickets will also be available for purchase at the Main Library and River Market Books & Gifts, 120 River Market Avenue.

The Arkansas Literary Festival is a project of the Central Arkansas Library System. The Festival’s mission is to encourage the development of a more literate populace. A group of dedicated volunteers assists Festival Coordinator Brad Mooy with planning the Festival. Jay Jennings is the 2014 Festival Chair. Other committee chairs include Katherine Whitworth, Talent Committee; Lisa Donovan, Youth Programs; and Amy Bradley-Hole, Moderators.

For more information about the 2014 Arkansas Literary Festival, visit ArkansasLiteraryFestival.org, or contact Brad Mooy at bmooy@cals.org or 501-918-3098. For information on volunteering at the Festival, contact Angela Delaney atadelaney@cals.org or 501-918-3095.

Little Rock’s 9th Street and Ark Rep’s CLYBOURNE PARK focus of Mosaic Templar FRIDAY Lunch Program

Posted on by

ClybourneRescheduled from earlier in the week, as part of the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center lunchtime “It’s in the Bag” lecture program, members of the Ninth Street Community and Clybourne Park cast members will discuss how Arkansas Rep’s production of Clybourne Park relates to issues of race, property, history and legacy in our own communities.

The “It’s in the Bag” Lunch ‘n Learn Series offers a chance to learn about a host of topics designed to educate, inspire and entertain. Mosaic Templars Cultural Center provides soda and water, and attendees bring their own lunch. “It’s in the Bag” Lunch ‘n Learn Series is free and open to the public.

For decades, Little Rock’s Ninth Street with the hub of African American business and social life in Little Rock.  This can be traced back to 1854 when the family of Chester Ashley gave land to a group of black Methodists so that they could erect a church at 8th and Broadway.

Through urban renewal efforts and changing migration patterns as well as the integration of previously all-white businesses, Ninth Street lost its identity as an important hub for Little Rock’s African American community.  With the opening of the Mosaic Templar’s Cultural Center and efforts to restore the Dreamland Ballroom on the top floor of Arkansas Flag and Banner, efforts are underway to remind others of the important role this area played in Little Rock’s history.

The program begins at 12 noon.  Mosaic Templar’s Cultural Center is located at 9th and Broadway in downtown Little Rock.

The Mosaic Templar’s Cultural Center is an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage.

Preserve Our Past Art and Essay Invitational for students in grades 5-8 announced

Posted on by

ahpp logoStudents in grades five through eight throughout Arkansas are invited to participate in the 23rd annual “Preserve Our Past” art and essay invitational sponsored by the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage, AHPP Director Frances McSwain announced earlier this month.

Students can enter an artwork or essay based on a historic Arkansas property that is at least 50 years old, focusing on how those places reflect Arkansas history or why it is important to preserve the state’s historic sites. All entries must be postmarked by April 1, 2014.

First-, second- and third-place winners in each category will receive a trophy and winners in the art division will have their artwork framed, while those awarded honorable mention will receive ribbons. All students who enter will receive a certificate. Winning entries will be displayed at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center in Little Rock throughout May, which is Arkansas Heritage Month.

For more information or an entry form, write AHPP Art and Essay Invitational, AHPP, 1500 Tower Building, 323 Center Street, Little Rock, AR 72201, call (501) 324-9786, send an e-mail inquiry to shelle@arkansasheritage.org, or download the form at http://www.arkansaspreservation.com/preservation-services/youth-education/Pop.aspx. Please include your name and mailing address on any phone or e-mail messages.

The Arkansas Historic Preservation Program is the Department of Arkansas Heritage agency responsible for identifying, evaluating, registering and preserving cultural resources. Other agencies are the Arkansas Arts Council, the Delta Cultural Center in Helena, the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, the Old State House Museum, the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission and the Historic Arkansas Museum.

18th Big Boo!-seum Bash Tonight

Posted on by

bigbooseumFor the 18th year, Little Rock Museums have joined together to present BIG BOO!-seum Bash Thursday, October 24, 2013 from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. This FREE event provides a safe alternative to door to door trick-or-treating. Each location will offer games, story-telling, candy and fun!

Participating members of the Greater Little Rock Museum Consortium will host BIG BOO!-seum Bash at the following locations:

  • Central Arkansas Library System (Main Branch)
  • Central High School National Historic Site
  • Curran Hall Visitors Center
  • Historic Arkansas Museum
  • MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History
  • Museum of Discovery
  • Mosaic Templars Cultural Center
  • Old State House Museum
  • Witt Stephens Jr. Central Arkansas Nature Center

Visitors can drive to each location, where FREE parking is available.

Participants can start at any location where Game Cards will also be issued at each site. Visit all nine participating locations to qualify for the Grand Prize-Flat Screen TV (additional information listed on Game Cards). 

New this year, each site will offer a prize drawing for kids who visit that site.  Be sure to register at each of the sites visited.  For instance, the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History will draw for a FREE boys or girls bicycle.

Labor Day Museum Monday: Historic Arkansas Museum

Posted on by

hamlogoSeveral Little Rock museums are offering a break from the heat on this Labor Day.

Historic Arkansas Museum is kicking off its new touring experiences today from 10am to 4pm.

Someone’s always home.

There’s a brand new way of doing things at Historic Arkansas Museum. Come see what it’s all about on Labor Day, September 2, 10 am – 4 pm.
Self-guided tours at your own pace include more hands-on activities, more pioneer demonstrations and more fun.
Bring a picnic to enjoy on the grounds. HAM will be making lemonade in the kitchen of the historic Brownlee House and we’d love to share!
There’s a brand new way of doing things at Historic Arkansas Museum. Visit the Museum from Wednesdays through Sundays and create your own experience when you visit the historic houses and grounds. Everything is at your pace as you guide yourself through the past. And there’s more going on! More costumes, more cooking, more pioneer demos, more hands-on activities.

Over the past few years, HAM has added a few new things—big things—like a working kitchen, a blacksmith shop and a two-story print shop. They are putting those big things to great use. Some days there are costumed staff working in the kitchen, perhaps pickling or maybe cooking with a Dutch oven. Other days there may have the blacksmith forging nails and chain links in the shop. Or maybe there is someone in the print shop helping visitors seal letters with wax. Or all of those things on one day, along with a rotating cast of 19th century characters who will greet you like it’s 1849 (or ’27, or ’19). Each day will offer different hands-on and interactive experiences, with no two days being exactly the same.

The staff-guided tours are still offered on Mondays and Tuesdays, but even they have changed—they are now offered every half-hour, instead of on the hour (except during the noon lunch hour). We also offer cellphone audio tours, and 360 degree visual tours on your computer or smartphone, every day.

 Historic Arkansas Museum is an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage.