Start the New Year off right by visiting the various sites participating in 2nd Friday Art Night. Downtown from 5pm to 8pm tonight, there are museums and galleries staying open later with great art, music and refreshments.
Here are a few highlights:
Christ Church (509 Scott Street) features an exhibit entitled “Beating Hooves.” Featuring pen and ink drawings by Mary Shelton, this exhibit focuses on horses and jockeys in the horse racing milieu. It is a perfect way to get in the mood for racing season at Oaklawn. The exhibit runs through March 3.
Old State House (300 West Markham) will offer live music by Geoffrey Robson and David Gerstein. These two master musicians will perform duos for violin and cello, featuring works by Beethoven, Schubert, and Zoltan Kodaly. Robson is violinist and associate conductor of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra. Gerstein is principal cellist of the ASO.
Historic Arkansas Museum (200 East Third Street) opens a new exhibit entitled “Marty Smith: Perfect Balance.” It will be in the second floor gallery. Continuing exhibits include “Beyond the Expected: Norwood Creech, Paulette Palmer and Edward Wade, Jr.,” “Recent Acquisitions: A Collection Vision, 2008 – 2012,” and “We Walk in Two Worlds.
The Butler Center for Arkansas Studies of the Central Arkansas Library System is also opening a new exhibit tonight. In the Clinton for Arkansas exhibition, selected materials from the Bill Clinton State Government Project depict Clinton’s political career in Arkansas and its impact on the state. Items representing both politics and policy are featured, including materials from his run for Congress in 1974 and his term as attorney general, as well as from his twelve years as governor. In addition, the exhibition highlights campaign memorabilia from 1974 through his second presidential bid in 1996.
In this month of gratitude, it is a good time to visit some of the stops along the way on 2nd Friday Art Night and be grateful for creative expression which makes life more enjoyable.