Summertime rife with art exhibitions, installations
It looks like a hot summer for art. Here are some exhibitions that are open or soon will be that invite us to chill in the beauty of art and the comfort of air conditioning:
“60th Anniversary Delta Exhibition,” Arkansas Arts Center, through Aug. 26
This year’s Delta seems subdued compared to previous years, but there’s plenty of good work to enjoy. Lisa Krannichfeld’s painting New Skin took the Grand Award, a well-deserved triumph. The Little Rock resident won a Delta Award in 2015. Aaron Calvert won an honorable mention for his colorful stoneware Always Facing South Bear, a work that is whimsical and thoughtful.
Don’t miss Marjorie Williams-Smith’s exquisite The Messenger, an astonishing and remarkable self-portrait that is haunting and richly accomplished. Tip: If you’re tall, lower your view to look up at the work. The meticulously executed copper point, aluminum point, silverpoint, Conte crayon and graphite work on black acrylic gessoed paper will reward patient viewers.
Especially powerful is Donna Pinckley’s Black Feller? To each his own, an archival pigment print. Her work invites us to consider social realities as it humanizes its subjects.
Also at the Arts Center, “Robert Baines: Living Treasure and Fabulous Follies” opened Friday. This exhibit of jewelry by Baines, a master goldsmith and archaeometallurgist, showcases his use of ancient techniques in new ways that “push the boundaries of what wearable art can be.” It continues through Oct. 7.
Arkansas Arts Center, East Ninth and Commerce streets, Little Rock. Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. Info: (501) 372-4000 arkansasartscenter.org
“The Beyond: Georgia O’Keeffe & Contemporary Art,” Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, through Sept. 3
Organized by Crystal Bridges, this exhibition of O’Keeffe originals and works by contemporary artists is dedicated to
showing O’Keeffe’s influence. That influence shows strongly in the work of Loie Hollowell and Sharona Eliassaf. Hollowell’s luscious Yellow Mountain and The Land’s Part also show a kinship to Agnes Pelton’s metaphysically inspired work.
The magnetic, wall-size untitled abstract by Pearl C. Hsiung — paint on medium density fiberboard — mixes vibrant and more reserved colors to hypnotic, meditative effect. In the curves, it seems to suggest human form. Kim Keever’s abstract Chromogenic prints are rich in color and share a sensuality with O’Keeffe’s floral works.
With some of their other choices, the curators seem to be stretching their premise pretty thin. Still, it’s an intriguing concept.
But O’Keeffe steals this show, with several of her best-known masterworks on display, plus her 1946 sculpture Abstraction. Particularly moving is her sublime, late-in-career masterpiece, The Beyond. Painted as her eyesight deteriorated from macular degeneration, The Beyond is a haunting contemplation of the vastness and potency of existence that hints at something beyond death.
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, 600 Museum Way, Bentonville. Admission: $10, free for members. Hours: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday, Saturday-Sunday; 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Wednesday-Friday. Info: (479) 418-5700; crystalbridges.org
“Small Works,” Christ Episcopal Church, through Sept. 30
S.R. Shepherd, known for her baskets and illustrations, elevates an intimate show of small, mixed media works.
Shepherd’s skillfully executed angel paintings, in oil and some with gold leaf, are luminous and vibrant, with elements of sci-fi and folklore that make Other Worlds especially memorable. Uncorrupted stands for justice, while Vaquero Angel touches on current social issues.
Others participating in the show are Sue Henley, Glenda Josephson, Herb Monoson, Patty Monoson, Dee Schulten and Scotty Shively.
Christ Episcopal Church, 509 Scott St., Little Rock. 9 a.m.4 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-noon Friday, open all day Sunday. (501) 375-2342
“A Legacy of Brewers,” Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, through Oct. 27
This “Legacy” is a fascinating look at three generations of the prolific Brewer family — Nicholas Brewer (1857–1949), Adrian Brewer (1891–1956), and Edwin Brewer (1927–2002). They had a significant impact on Arkansas and this exhibit includes portraits and, especially, landscapes.
Nicholas Brewer, a noted landscape artist, arrived in Arkansas in the early 20th century. His son Adrian, also a landscape and portrait artist, is especially well-known for his 1941 painting of the American flag, Sentinel of Freedom. It is in this exhibition, on loan from the U.S. Naval Academy Museum at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.
Adrian’s son, Edwin, taught art at the Arkansas Arts Center Museum School and Little Rock University before it became University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He was the founder of the Arkansas Art League in the 1950s and helped create the Artmobile for the Arkansas Arts Center.
While you’re at the Butler Center, don’t miss “A Matter of Mind and Heart: Portraits of Japanese American Identity,” the latest in a two-year examination of Japanese internment camps in Arkansas.
Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, 401 President Clinton Ave., Little Rock. Hours: 9 a.m.6 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Info: www.butlercenter.org, (501) 320-5790
“Summer Exhibition,” Greg Thompson Fine Art, through Aug. 11
If you need more of the Brewer family, Edwin Brewer’s lovely, charged landscape Untitled hangs as part of this well-chosen exhibition.
Also eye-catching are Sammy Peters’ challenging and involving abstract expressionist mixed media work Question: articulated; experience; Joseph Piccillo’s breathtaking graphite on canvas work Untitled (Equestrian piece), capturing the front half of a horse in midjump; and Dolores Justus’ vivid Strength in Numbers.
The surrealistic canvases of Kendall Stallings are always inviting and The Break is one of his best.
Greg Thompson Fine Art, 429 Main St., North Little Rock. Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday. Info: (501) 664-2787 gregthompsonfineart.com
“Backstage Pass: Baron Wolman and the Early Years of Rolling Stone,” William F. Laman Library, through Aug. 10
Rock fans will find the photography of Baron Wolman, chief photographer of Rolling Stone magazine from 1967 to 1970, mesmerizing. Wolman’s 35 images, which include contact sheets and magazine covers, feature now-classic shots of Jimi Hendrix, Big Brother and the Holding Company featuring Janis Joplin, Tina Turner, George Harrison, Frank Zappa and more.
Especially memorable is a February 1968 image of Hendrix
at Fillmore West in San Francisco, which shows the artist’s passion and deep connection to his music — and an Ike and Tina Turner live shot in 1967, also in San Francisco.
Arkansans will especially savor a wonderful portrait of a thoughtful Johnny Cash, taken in 1967.
William F. Laman Library, 2801 Orange St., North Little Rock. Hours: 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday-Saturday. Info: (501) 7581720, lamanlibrary.org.
“Identity Theft,” art by Chukes, Hearne Fine Art, through Sept. 22
Through mixed media paintings and fired clay installations, the artist Chukes seeks to present “what happens when people and nations become stripped of their indigenous identity,” according to a news release from the gallery. The artist also seeks to confront negative stereotypes in his work.
Chukes will present an art talk at 2 p.m. Aug. 18.
Hearne Fine Art, 1001 Wright Ave., Suite C, Little Rock. Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday. Info: (501) 372-6822, hearnefineart.com
“Recent Works of Jeanie Hursley and John Kushmaul,” Gallery 26, through Sept. 8
Jeanie Hursley and John Kushmaul are superb landscape artists.
Hursley often explores the intersection of human construction and the natural world, exploring that interaction and the resultant tension. Kushmaul examines the Little Rock urban ’scape, based on photographs he takes of downtown.
Gallery 26, 2601 Kavanaugh Blvd., Suite 1, Little Rock. Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Info: (501) 664-8996, gallery26.com
“ALA Members Show,” Matt McLeod Fine Art Gallery, through Aug. 17
For those who like the variety of a multi-artist exhibition, the Arkansas League of Artists brings its membership show to the Matt McLeod Gallery. The organization, which meets monthly at the North Little Rock Community Center, offers competitions, workshops, art scholarships and more.
Matt McLeod Fine Art Gallery, 108 W. Sixth St., Suite A, Little Rock. Hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday. Info: (501) 7258508, mattmcleodgallery.com
OPENINGS
“American Perspectives on Modernism,” Windgate Gallery, University of Arkansas Pulaski Technical College, 3000 W. Scenic Drive, North Little Rock, opens Aug. 13
American modernism seems to be red-hot in Arkansas. After the Arkansas Arts Center’s John Marin exhibition and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art’s Stuart Davis and Georgia O’Keeffe exhibits, this show of works by Davis, Marin, Max Weber, Marsden Hartley, Charles Sheeler and others should be fascinating.
A touring exhibit from the collection of the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts in Kalamazoo, Mich., the exhibition opens with a reception at 6 pm. Aug. 17, with a gallery talk by Jen Padgett, assistant curator at Crystal Bridges.
The exhibit hangs through Oct. 19.
Windgate Gallery, University of Arkansas Pulaski Technical College, 3000 W. Scenic Drive, North Little Rock. Hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday. Info: (501) 812-2715, uaptc.edu
“New Works,” with Matthew Lopas, Alice Andrews, Dennis McCann, Eleanor Dickinson, Boswell Mourot Fine Art, opens with a reception at 6 p.m. Aug. 11.
Four strong artists should make a most interesting exhibition. It will hang through Sept. 1.
Boswell Mourot Fine Art, 5815 Kavanaugh Blvd., Little Rock. Hours: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday. Info: (501) 664-0030
“Art for a New Understanding: Native Voices, 1950s to Now,” Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, opens Oct. 6
Crystal Bridges has organized this exhibition of contemporary indigenous art from the United States and Canada. It will feature some 75 works of art by artists from the 1950s to today including Kay WalkingStick, Fritz Scholder, Edgar Heap of Birds and Kent Monkman. Works to be presented include painting, drawing, photography, video, sculpture, sound, installation and performance art.
The show will run through Jan. 7.
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, 600 Museum Way, Bentonville. Hours: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday, Saturday-Sunday; 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Wednesday-Friday. Info: (479) 418-5700; crystalbridges.org Email: ewidner@arkansasonline.com