Artists are sought for street mural
Officials at the Downtown Little Rock Partnership are seeking an artist or team of artists to create a mural on the pavement at the intersection of Main and 13th streets in Little Rock’s SoMa neighborhood.
The project is being supported by a grant through the Asphalt Art Initiative of Bloomberg Philanthropies.
The Downtown Little Rock Partnership is accepting responses to a request for qualifications through March 25.
For more information, visit the nonprofit’s website.
Williams named food rescue head
Grant Williams has been named the new executive director of Potluck Food Rescue.
Williams, who will start working on Monday, “brings a deep commitment to addressing food insecurity and sustainability in our community,” a recent news release from the North Little Rockbased organization said.
He succeeds Sylvia Blain in the role.
In January, the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance announced that Blain would succeed the nonprofit’s outgoing Chief Executive Officer Kathy Webb.
Webb, who also serves as the current vice mayor of the city of Little Rock and represents Ward 3 on the city’s Board of Directors, is set to retire from the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance at the end of this month.
Twin blue-eyed lemurs born at zoo
Twin blue-eyed black lemurs were born at the Little Rock Zoo at the end of February, according to a recent zoo newsletter.
Parents Willie and McKinnon had not borne offspring previously. The species is critically endangered.
Twins are born just 4% of the time among blue-eyed black lemurs, according to the zoo.
The father, Willie, “is genetically valuable, meaning his genes are not well represented in the lemur population,” the newsletter said. “The birth of these twins helps increase the lemur genetic diversity, which is critical for a healthy lemur future.”
Bureau wins state honors in tourism
The Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau was named Tourism Organization of the Year during the Arkansas Governor’s Conference on Tourism held in late February in Jonesboro.
According to a news release issued by the visitors bureau earlier this month, the organization received two so-called Henry Awards at the conference.
In addition to winning Tourism Organization of the Year for its development of a 10-year tourism master plan, the visitors bureau also won the Natural State Tourism Development Award for a video series called Experience Little Rock in Color.
“These are incredibly prestigious recognitions in our industry,” Convention and Visitors Bureau President and Chief Executive Officer Gina Gemberling said in a statement. “Tourism is the second largest industry in Arkansas, and the awards recognize the significance of the work done to grow this large and important part of our economy. It’s fiercely competitive.”
Farmers market to start in May
The 50th edition of the Little Rock Farmers Market opens on May 4, according to a recent news release from the Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Hours will be from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays from May 4 through Sept. 7 at the River Market District pavilions.
The theme for the 2024 season is “Back to Our Roots” to commemorate the anniversary, according to the news release.
“This year’s theme and focus will align with our mission to directly support the local community and economy,” farmers market manager Elizabeth Rush said in a statement. “Vendors will include farmers, produce brokers, locally prepared food products, art, and handcrafted specialties which may include anything from pottery to personal care items.”
Although the farmers market originally began in 1974, it has been held at the River Market District pavilions since 1996, the news release said.