Tag Archives: Sculpture at the River Market

On Labor Day – Enjoy the Fruits of Sculptors Labors in the Vogel Schwartz Sculpture Garden

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Little Rock 2011 040Located along the banks of the Arkansas River in the heart of Riverfront Park, the Vogel Schwartz Sculpture Garden has more than 70 pieces of public sculpture.

This premiere sculpture garden is made possible through the support of the Vogel Schwartz Foundation. The art in the sculpture garden is acquired annually from proceeds of the Sculpture At The River Market Show and Sale held each April.

Little Rock 2011 044The sculpture garden features natural terraces and walkways designed by City of Little Rock’s Leland Couch, Mark Webre and John Kinkade of the National Sculptors’ Guild. The design creates a more intimate space to view smaller works within the Riverfront Park and is ideal for hosting receptions, as well as allowing visitors to enjoy the sculptures in solitude. This dynamic sculpture garden is located north of the Little Rock Marriott Hotel and east toward the River Market.

Sculpture at the River Market will present its next annual Show and Sale on April 24-26, 2015.  The Preview Party, a ticketed event held on Friday night (April 24), will introduce hundreds of sculptures from internationally recognized artists chosen for the 2015 Show and Sale in a party setting in the River Market Pavilions.  This exquisite evening, featuring food, libations, live entertainment and more, allows party guests the first opportunity to meet and visit with the artists while viewing and purchasing works.  Additionally all patrons at the Preview Party will vote for their favorite proposal from the semi-finalists works.

On Saturday and Sunday (April 25-26) admission to Sculpture At The River Market Show and Sale is free. Thousands of visitors populate the Pavilions to see and purchase works of all media, style, subject matter, and size. The sculptures will be on display in the River Market Pavilions and in the adjacent area of Riverfront Park.

Seven sculptures to be added to Riverfront Park

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Sculpture at the River MarketAt the recent Sculpture at the River Market show, seven “2014 Show Purchases” were made.

Space Race – Merle Randolph

Vixen – Pati Stajcar

Retro Trees – Dale Rogers

Hula Hoop – Janie DeDecker

Liberation – Charles Strain

Old Ringneck – Valerie Schafer

Textured Torso – Timothy Roundy


Look for these pieces to be added to the Vogel Schwartz Sculpture Garden soon.

2014 SaRM purchases 12014 SaRM purchases 22014 SaRM purchases 3

2014 Sculpture at the River Market this Weekend

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Sculpture at the River MarketHundreds of sculptures and thousands of visitors will again populate the River Market Pavilions when Sculpture at the River Market returns for the seventh year on April 26 and 27.

The sculptures will be on display in the River Market Pavilions and in the adjacent area of Riverfront Park. The works featured will include all types of media, style, subject matter, and size.

Admission to Sculpture at the River Market is free. Sculpture at the River Market Market will run from 9AM to 5PM on Saturday, April 26 and from 10AM to 4PM on Sunday, April 27.

This evening there will be a preview party where patrons will get the first chance to see the artwork, visit with the sculptors, and purchase sculptures. Tickets for the preview party are $100.   The entertainment will be provided by Dizzy 7.  Following the preview party, “Bronze and Brewskis” will take place beginning at 8:30.

On Saturday at 1PM and 3PM and again on Sunday at 2PM, Segway tours of the Vogel Schwartz Sculpture Garden will be offered.  There will also be food trucks set up in a special Food Truck Plaza next to the River Market pavilions.

The sale and show is sponsored by the City of Little Rock and the National Sculptors’ Guild. Proceeds from the sale of artwork will fund upgrades in Riverfront Park and the River Market.

Among the artists are Lori Acott, Virginia Annett, Terry Bean, Gregory Beck, Hunter Brown, Shelly Buonaiuto, Kathleen Caricof, Tim Cherry, Dee Clements, Merrilee Cleveland, Darrell Davis, Jane DeDecker, Clay Enoch, Steve Frank, Jim Green, Denny Haskew, Damian Jones, Rollin Karg, Ana Lazovsky, Bryan Massey, Ryan Mays, Julie McCraney-Brogdon, Ken Newman, James Paulsen, Ed Pennebaker, Merle Randolph, Kevin Robb, Dale Rogers, Timothy Roundy, Emelene Russell, Wayne Salge, Ted Schaal, Valerie Schafer, Adam Schultz, John Sewell, Stephen Shachtman, Kim Shaklee, Gene Sparling, Pati Stajcar, Charles Strain, Tod Switch, Darl Thomas, Michael Warrick and C.T. Whitehouse.

Easter Bunnys in the River Market

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For those who are around the River Market today, there are two “Easter” bunny sculptures they can visit.

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Rabbit Reach

In honor of that, today’s Sculpture Vulture features Tim Cherry’s Rabbit Reach.

The sculpture is located at the corner of Sherman Street and President Clinton Avenue across from the Museum of Discovery.

The sculpture is a gift from Whitlow Wyatt and the Carey Cox Wyatt Charitable Foundation. It was given in memory of George Wyatt and Frank Kumpuris.  Those two gentlemen were the fathers of Whitlow Wyatt and Dean & Drew Kumpuris.

Cherry’s sculpture was selected for this spot because of its proximity to children at the Museum and in the River Market district.  The design and size of the sculpture encourages children to climb on it and to play around the rabbit.  While some public art is situated so it cannot be touched, this one is situated to be touched as part of the appreciation experience.

Laurel Peterson Gregory’s Bunny Bump is featured in the Vogel Schwartz Sculpture Garden.  Two stylized rabbits make for an interesting piece of artwork when they are not only dancing, but also doing the butt bump while dancing. The smooth surface and color of the bronze add to the illusion. This small piece has been placed on a pedestal to elevate more to eye level.

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Bunny Bump

The sculpture was completed in 2009 and installed in 2010.  Gregory has been featured at the Sculpture at the River Market show.  (The photo was taken during a December snow. Hopefully there will be no more of that this year.)

This upcoming Saturday and Sunday (April 26 & 27), the next Sculpture at the River Market will take place in the River Market pavilions. There are preview parties on Friday, April 25. For more information, visit the website.

Dizzy 7 Kick Off Jazz in the Park 2014

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jazzinparkJazz in the Park is back in Little Rock for the second season! This year, Jazz in the Park will be split into two sets, the first kicking off in April. Jazz in the Park is a free, family-friendly event featuring jazz in downtown Little Rock.

The Dizzy 7 plays music that ranges from Motown to Big Band, Latin to Dixie. It features a full rhythm section, a three-man horn section, and female and male vocalists. Dizzy 7 is composed of accomplished musicians who love what they do.

Dizzy7Logo-Small1The event is completely free, but no coolers are allowed. Beer, wine, soft drinks and water will be available for sale, with a portion of the proceeds going to benefit Sculpture at the River Market. Lawn chairs and blankets are welcome, and there is some seating in the natural stone amphitheater at the History Pavilion.

This event is sponsored by Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau and the River Market, with special thanks to Arkansas Sounds Music Festival and the Central Arkansas Library System.

Jazz in the Park takes place Wednesday nights in April from 6pm to 8pm. They will take place in the History Pavilion near the Junction Bridge and the River Market.

 

Ted Schaal Receives 2013 Sculpture at the River Market Public Art Monument Commission

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Ted-Schaal-RenderingAt the recent “A Night in the Garden” party, guests chose the recipient of the third annual public art monument design competition.  The three finalists were Lorri Acott’s On the Shoulders of Giants, Mark Leichliter’s Through the Looking Glass and Ted Schaal’s Open Window.  At stake was a $60,000 commission and placement of the sculpture in Riverfront Park.

The winner was Schaal.

Ted Schaal graduated from Colorado State University, class of 1992, with a BFA concentrating on fiber arts and sculpture. He has been working as an artist and craftsman in Loveland since 1993. Ted chooses to produce his work in bronze and stainless steel so that his pieces will withstand the harshest of natural elements and should last for many generations.

Between 1993 and 2005 Ted’s work focused on functional designs in the form of boxes, treasuries and reliquaries. You will find mountain scenes, native flowers and Art Deco inspired designs embellishing the intricately carved exterior. Some special pieces have hand-woven tapestries adorning the interior walls. “I sculpt functional forms that are designed to enhance the everyday experiences of the user by creating a special and sometimes sacred interaction with the personalized contents of each piece.”

In 2004, he began using his corrugated texture to create strong geometric vessel forms. They are non-functional purely decorative objects for the home. The final compositions are reminiscent of artifacts from antiquity, designed to raise questions about their origins as well as their implied functions.

Recently, Ted has been exploring strong geometric forms in combination with a primitive corrugated texture, smooth and polished surfaces. The goal is an interesting juxtaposition of materials and surface textures. Moving away from the utilitarian boxes and non-functional vessels of his past, Ted’s new work is purely sculptural emphasizing strong horizontal balance, tension, and negative space. Larger forms frame and direct the viewer toward a focal point or focal space. “Functional objects have size limitations whereas sculpture does not.”

Ted publicly exhibits his work in galleries and juried exhibitions in Colorado, Arkansas, Kentucky, Kansas and Texas. He has established a collector base that stretches from New Hampshire to California and across the Oceans to Hawaii, Spain and Japan. His public placements include: The Compass Rose with Solstice Markers (2004) Washington University, St. Louis, MO. The Mirage Monument (2008) Cerritos Sculpture Garden, Cerritos, CA. The Mirage (2007) Sculpture Garden at Riverfront Park, Little Rock, AR.

A list of award winning exhibitions includes: “2005 Bacchus 4th Annual Juried Art Exhibition and Auction,” Denver CO. – Best of Show, 3D. “2005 Conifer Arts Festival,” Conifer CO. – Best of Show, Sculpture. “34th Annual CHUN Capitol Hill Peoples Fair,” Denver CO. – Best of Show, Sculpture. “7th Annual Colorado Arts Festival,” Denver CO. – Best in Show. “2005, 2006, 2007 Englewood Arts National Juried Art Show,” Englewood CO. “The 1993 Wood, Glass, Fiber, Metal and Clay Art Show,” Steamboat Springs CO. – First Place Hope Chest, Second Place Circle.

The 2011 recipient was Chapel for The Center.  Last year, Arkansan Bryan Massey won with Nautilus.

Jazz in the Park: The Happy Tymes Jazz Band

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jazzinparkThe Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau continues Jazz in the Park tonight. The featured musicians are The Happy Tymes Jazz Band.

The Happy Tymes Jazz Band was formed in 1982 and has been entertaining audiences ever since. Based in Little Rock, this New Orleans style Dixieland jazz band has played at jazz festivals all over the country – from Sacramento Calif., to Tampa, Fla. They also play in private clubs, corporate conventions and for private parties throughout the country.

Jazz in the Park takes place Wednesday night in June and July from 5:30pm to 7:30pm. They will take place in the History Pavilion in Riverfront Park (between the Junction Bridge and Peabody Park).

Beer & Wine will be available for sale – to benefit Sculpture at the River Market…so no coolers, please. Free to attend!

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