Tag Archives: Joshua Asante

ArtWorks returns to Arkansas Rep tonight

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Arkansas Repertory Theatre will host its 31st annual ArtWorks auction on May 11 featuring artwork by local artists under age 40. The fundraiser also includes live music, an open bar and appetizers from local eateries.

Doors open at 6 p.m. with the live auction starting at 7 p.m. Tickets are $50 and may be purchased at TheRep.org, by calling the Box Office at (501) 378-0405 or at the door. To go along with the ‘under 40’ theme, attendees under age 40 can purchase tickets for $40.

“ArtWorks is always a really fun night that brings art enthusiasts together. This year, we are so excited to partner with these tremendously talented local artists – all who are under age 40,” said Susan Nichols, ArtWorks Coordinator. “We’re grateful for their donations and support of The Rep.”

This is the first major Rep fundraising event since the theatre began its 2019 “Rebuild the Rep” Season.

Special guest emcees will help present each piece of art. They include: Billy St. James (102.5 FM), Wess Moore (Fox 16), Donna Terrell (Fox 16), James Bobo (Rep board member) and Lance Restum (Arkansas Travelers).

Local eateries providing food and drinks include: Three Fold Noodles and Dumpling Co., Capers, Copper Grill, Golden Eagle of Arkansas, Allsopp & Chapple and Atlas Bar.

The artists with work up for auction include: Joshua Asante, Matt Bates, Trevor Bennett, Rhett Brinkley, Justin Bryant, Heather Canterbury, Matthew Castellano, Krystal Cornelius, Meagan E. Davis, Margo Duvall, John Funderburg, Robert Hinojosa, Jon Hodges, Phillip Rex Huddleston, Bethany Johnson, Layet Johnson, Kesha Lagniappe, Jack Lloyd, Rayna Mackey, Haley Naylor, Claire Nichols, Brandy Thomason McNair, Emily Parker, Jennifer Perren, Emma Presley, Adrian Quintanar, Haynes Riley, Nathaniel Roe, Lily Ryall, Sulac, Chris Swasta, Louis Watts, Eleanor Wheeler, DeQuan Fidel Whitley, Brian Wolf, Emily Moll Wood, Markeith Woods and Rachel Worthen.

§  Doors open at 6 p.m.; Live auction starts at 7 p.m.

§  Tickets are $50 ($40 for those under age 40) at the door, TheRep.org or (501) 378-0405

61st Annual Delta Exhibition opens on May 3

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The Arkansas Arts Center’s 61st Annual Delta Exhibition presents a vision of contemporary art in the American South. Founded in 1958, the exhibition provides a unique snapshot of the Delta region.

The Delta Exhibition reflects the region’s strong traditions of craftsmanship and observation, combined with an innovative use of materials and an experimental approach to subject matter. Guest juror Kevin Cole will select the artworks to be exhibited and assign the $2500 Grand Award and two $750 Delta Awards. Additionally, a $250 Contemporaries Award will be selected by the Contemporaries, an auxiliary membership group of the Arkansas Arts Center.

The exhibition is open to all artists who live in or were born in one of the following states: Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas. Art must be original, completed in the last two years, and not previously exhibited at the Arkansas Arts Center.

This year’s juror was Kevin Cole.  He is a contemporary artist best known for sculptural works, paintings, and intentional use of color. An Arkansas native, Cole’s artwork has been featured in more than 475 national and international exhibitions, including the 42nd Annual Delta Exhibition (1999) at the Arkansas Arts Center. His work can be found in notable private and public collections around the country. Among his public commissions are a fifteen-story mural commissioned by the Coca-Cola Company for the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta and a twenty-foot high by fifty-five feet long sculpture commission at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Atlanta. Cole was inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame in 2018.

The artists selected to participate in the Delta this year are:

John Ahlen of Little Rock, Ark.
Joshua Asante of Little Rock, Ark.
Carrie Ballinger Porter of Little Rock, Ark.
Loren Bartnicke of Auburn, N.Y.
Kenneth Baskin of Lake Charles, La.
Zachary Blair of Little Rock, Ark.
Kim Brecklein of Harrison, Ark.
Cynthia Buob of Columbus, Miss.
Debra Callahan of Jonesboro, Ark.
Olevia “Libby” Caston of Russellville, Ark.
Julie Darling of Memphis, Tenn.
Karen DeJarnette of Little Rock, Ark.
Virmarie DePoyster of North Little Rock, Ark.
Dylan Eakin of Seattle, Wash.
Ivy-Jade Edwards of Memphis, Tenn.
Scinthya Edwards of Helena, Ark.
DebiLynn Fendley of Arkadelphia, Ark.
Bryan Frazier of Little Rock, Ark.
Janet Goodyear of Eureka Springs, Ark.
John Green of Little Rock, Ark.
Alice Guffey Miller of Monticello, Ark.
Heather Christine Guenard of Cabot, Ark.
Pam-ela Harrelson of Dallas, Texas
Carol Hart of Fayetteville, Ark.
Amber Imrie of Sunnyvale, Calif.
Sherry Leedy of Kansas City, Mo.
Mark Lewis of Tulsa, Okla.
Jason McCann of Maumelle, Ark.
Keith Melton of North Little Rock, Ark.
Daniella Napolitano of Little Rock, Ark.
Dale Newkirk of Hammond, La.
Kevin O’Brien of Ocean Springs, Miss.
Mark Payne of Pine Bluff, Ark.
Rashawn Penister of Pine Bluff, Ark.
Yelena Petroukhina of Little Rock, Ark.
Jason Rankin of Little Rock, Ark.
Zachary Roach of Memphis, Tenn.
Jay Sage of Oklahoma City, Okla.
Ray Scott of Little Rock, Ark.
Sandra Sell of Little Rock, Ark.
Hunter Stamps of Lexington, Ky.
Laura Terry of West Fork, Ark.
Holly Tilley of Little Rock, Ark.
Mabry Turner of Little Rock, Ark.
Katelyn Vaughan of Monroe, La.
Michael Warrick of Little Rock, Ark.
Laura Welshans of Little Rock, Ark.
Nancy Wilson of Little Rock, Ark.
Emily Wood of Little Rock, Ark.

Friday events for the 2019 Arkansas Literary Festival

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The Arkansas Literary Festival’s Author! Author! party is tonight (Friday, April 26).  But before that, some of the current festival authors visit future authors.

Many authors have participated in the Fest’s Writers in the Schools (WITS) initiative over the years. The authors travel to schools in the Central Arkansas region speaking directly to students. While today’s students are already authors, interacting with these published authors gives them the opportunity to be inspired by people who have persevered through writers block, frustrations, rejections, successes, and excitement.

This year’s WITS presenters include Higgins Bond, Rick Campbell, Andrés Cerpa, Geffrey Davis, Elizabeth Eckford, Laurie B. Friedman, Lillian Li, Carla Killough McClafferty, Roman Muradov, Chigozie Obioma, Ian S. Port, Joe David Rice, and Maurice Carlos Ruffin.  Sponsored by Wright, Lindsey & Jennings LLP

Then tonight at 7pm is the aforementioned Author! Author! party on the top floor of the CALS Main Library building in Library Square.  It gives attendees the chance to toast the Arkansas Literary Festival authors at this fête featuring hors d’oeuvres and libations. Books will be available for purchase during the party geared for adults. Tickets are $25 in advance and $40 at the door.

Later at 10:30pm is “The Birth of Loud” Concert. Loosely inspired by Ian S. Port’s new book about the “guitar-pioneering rivalry that shaped rock ‘n’ roll,” Isaac Alexander and Joshua Asante each take the stage, guitar in hand, followed by a mighty set featuring singer/songwriter Bonnie Montgomery and her guitarist. $5 at the door (415 Main Street in Argenta)

SESSIONS :: JOSHUA ASANTE X NIRVANA UNPLUGGED tonight at South on Main

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ISessions :: Joshua Asante x Nirvana Unpluggedn honor of her April birthday, Amy Bell is curating April Sessions by choosing her favorite local musicians to cover her favorite artists. For the second Wednesday in April,  Joshua Asante will transport us to the early 90’s with the music from the Nirvana Unplugged album.

Show starts at 8 pm. Tickets cost $12 cover day of show. Tickets do not guarantee a seat. To reserve a table, please call (501) 244-9660. You must purchase advance tickets to confirm your reservation.

ABOUT JOSHUA ASANTE

Musician, photographer, a sometimes poet; art informs most aspects of Joshua Asante’s life. Joshua is a guitarist and lead vocalist for two bands, Velvet Kente and Amasa Hines. The latter of two released their first full-length album, All The World There Is, to widespread critical acclaim in early 2014. Whether he is behind a camera lens or onstage with a band, or even alone a poet; the aim remains the same. Clarity, positivity, and ascension through art.

Artists announced for 61st Annual Delta Exhibition at the Arkansas Arts Center.

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The Arkansas Arts Center’s 61st Annual Delta Exhibition will feature work by 49 exceptional artists from the Mississippi Delta region. The exhibition will be on view May 3 through June 30, 2019.

Guest juror Kevin Cole selected 50 artworks by 49 artists, representing 10 states. The works were chosen from more than a thousand entries by 408 artists.

Showcasing artists living and working in Arkansas and its border states, the Annual Delta Exhibition presents a vision of contemporary art in the American South. Founded in 1958, the exhibition features work in an array of media to provide a snapshot of the Delta region now – while reflecting on the region’s strong traditions of craftsmanship and observation.

The 61st Annual Delta Exhibition will be the last major exhibition on view before the Arkansas Arts Center’s upcoming renovation and expansion project. Groundbreaking on the transformational renovation project is scheduled for this fall. Continuing its long and illustrious history, the Delta Exhibition will pop up at locations across Central Arkansas and beyond while the Arts Center’s MacArthur Park building is under construction.

Cole, the show’s juror, is an Atlanta-based artist best known for sculptural works, paintings, and intentional use of color. An Arkansas native, Cole’s work was featured in the 42nd Annual Delta Exhibition (1999) at the Arkansas Arts Center. Cole was inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame in 2018.

Artists featured in the 61st Annual Delta Exhibition include:

  • John Alhen of Little Rock, Ark.
  • Joshua Asante of Little Rock, Ark.
  • Carrie Ballinger Porter of Little Rock, Ark.
  • Loren Bartnicke of Auburn, N.Y.
  • Kenneth Baskin of Lake Charles, La.
  • Zachary Blair of Little Rock, Ark.
  • Kim Brecklein of Harrison, Ark.
  • Cynthia Buob of Columbus, Miss.
  • Debra Callahan of Jonesboro, Ark.
  • Olevia “Libby” Caston of Russellville, Ark.
  • Julie Darling of Memphis, Tenn.
  • Karen DeJarnette of Little Rock, Ark.
  • Virmarie DePoyster of North Little Rock, Ark.
  • Dylan Eakin of Seattle, Wash.
  • Ivy-Jade Edwards of Memphis, Tenn.
  • Scinthya Edwards of Helena, Ark.
  • DebiLynn Fendley of Arkadelphia, Ark.
  • Bryan Frazier of Little Rock, Ark.
  • Janet Goodyear of Eureka Springs, Ark.
  • John Green of Little Rock, Ark.
  • Alice Guffey Miller of Monticello, Ark.
  • Heather Christine Guenard of Cabot, Ark.
  • Pam-ela Harrison of Dallas, Texas
  • Carol Hart of Fayetteville, Ark.
  • Amber Imrie of Sunnyvale, Calif.
  • Sherry Leedy of Kansas City, Mo.
  • Mark Lewis of Tulsa, Okla.
  • Jason McCann of Maumelle, Ark.
  • Keith Melton of North Little Rock, Ark.
  • Daniella Napolitano of Little Rock, Ark.
  • Dale Newkirk of Hammond, La.
  • Kevin O’Brien of Ocean Springs, Miss.
  • Mark Payne of Pine Bluff, Ark.
  • Rashawn Penister of Pine Bluff, Ark.
  • Yelena Petroukhina of Little Rock, Ark.
  • Jason Rankin of Little Rock, Ark.
  • Zachary Roach of Memphis, Tenn.
  • Jay Sage of Oklahoma City, Okla.
  • Ray Scott of Little Rock, Ark.
  • Sandra Sell of Little Rock, Ark.
  • Hunter Stamps of Lexington, Ky.
  • Laura Terry of West Fork, Ark.
  • Holly Tilley of Little Rock, Ark.
  • Mabry Turner of Little Rock, Ark.
  • Katelyn Vaughan of Monroe, La.
  • Michael Warrick of Little Rock, Ark.
  • Lauren Welshans of Little Rock, Ark.
  • Nancy Wilson of Little Rock, Ark.
  • Emily Wood of Little Rock, Ark.

The 61st Annual Delta Exhibition is sponsored (at this time) by Isabel and John Ed Anthony; Bank OZK; Philip R. Jonsson Foundation; Mrs. Lisenne Rockefeller; Dianne and Bobby Tucker; Terri and Chuck Erwin; Friday, Eldredge & Clark, LLP; the AAC Contemporaries; Phyllis and Michael Barrier; Robert Chandler; Sandra and Bob Connor; East Harding Construction; Barbara Rogers Hoover; and Don A. Tilton, The Capitol Group. Reception support is provided by Catfish Farmers of America. The Grand Award is supported by The John William Linn Endowment Fund. The exhibition is supported by the Andre Simon Memorial Trust in memory of everyone who has died of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).

Concert in support of ARKANSAS LIFE set for January 15 at 7pm at White Water

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Join musicians, artists, and friends of Arkansas Life magazine this Tuesday night in an effort to save this stellar publication! Great music courtesy of Joshua Asante, Phillip Huddleston, and Hot Springs’ own Ghost Bones will kick off at 7pm.

Your $10 donation at the door will go towards future subscriptions. Many fans greatly admire and appreciate the hard working and thoughtful folks who make this magazine so special. This is a chance for to come together to show them support!

Arkansas Life was founded in 2008 and is published 12 times yearly by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. The increasing budgetary difficulties of print media have put the magazine under very serious threat of shutting down unless a significant amount of readers become paid subscribers by January 15th.

A $20 annual subscription can be purchased here: https://subscribe.wehco.com/adg/arklife/

Arkansas Life digs deep into The Natural State, unearthing surprising stories and exposing readers—both natives and novices alike—to new facets of a familiar place.

The 2016 Arkansas Arts Council “Works on Paper” artists announced

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Arkansas_Arts_Council_logo_2The Arkansas Arts Council recently announced the 37 Arkansas artists who were selected for the 2016 Small Works on Paper touring exhibition.

Now in its 29th year, Small Works on Paper is a juried visual art exhibition that showcases artwork no larger than 18 x 24 inches by Arkansas artists who are members of the Arkansas Artist Registry, an online gallery showcasing the artwork of Arkansas artists.

Forty works are featured in the show that will travel to 10 galleries throughout the state in a yearlong show. The exhibition will make its first stop Jan. 5-29 at the Batesville Area Arts Council’s Gallery on Main on 226 E. Main St.

The entries were juried by Kati Toivanen, professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Ten artists were selected by Toivanen to receive purchase awards. Purchase award winners receive the cash amount equivalent to the value of their selected works. Funded by entry fees, the purchase award pieces become part of the exhibition’s permanent collection.

The artists selected to receive purchase awards are Kathy Attwood of Eureka Springs; Margo Duvall, Amy Edgington and Robert Reep, all of Little Rock; Clarke Galusha of Norphlet; Matt Kaye of Camden; Penny Jo Pausch of Jonesboro; David Rackley and Rachel Trusty of Russellville; and Steven Vickers of Van Buren.

The complete list of artists is below.

  • John W. Ahlen, Little Rock
  • Joshua Asante, Little Rock
  • Kathy Attwood, Eureka Springs
  • Sandy Barksdale, Cotter
  • James Berg, Hot Springs
  • Susan Chambers, Little Rock
  • Melissa Cowper-Smith, Morrilton
  • Warren Criswell, Benton
  • Margo Duvall, Little Rock
  • Amy R. Edgington, Little Rock
  • L.S. Eldridge, Rogers
  • Thad Flenniken, Royal
  • Janet Gade-Malone, Hot Springs
  • Clarke Galusha, Norphlet
  • Angela Greene, North Little Rock
  • Lori Halley, Springdale
  • Gwen Haverland, Van Buren
  • Matt Kaye, Camden
  • Kimberly Kwee, Little Rock
  • Tim LaTourette, Fayetteville
  • Brian Madden, Little Rock
  • Jason McCann, Maumelle
  • Kasten McClellan Searles, Little Rock
  • Stephanie McLeod, Springdale
  • Robin Miller-Bookhout, North Little Rock
  • Penny Jo Pausch, Jonesboro
  • Laura Raborn, Little Rock
  • David Rackley, Russellville
  • Robert Reep, Little Rock
  • Sabine Schmidt, Fayetteville
  • Cathryn H. Slater, Little Rock
  • Stacy Spangler, Little Rock
  • Tod Swiecichowski, Little Rock
  • Rachel Trusty, Little Rock
  • Steven G. Vickers, Van Buren
  • John Watson, North Little Rock
  • Judy Wright Walter, Texarkana

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