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Arts Live Theatre, and nonprofit coroporation and Northwest Arkansas’ only dedicated Children’s and Youth Theatre Company, will be hosting the second annual Arts Live Theatre Awards on Saturday, May 31st at 6pm at the Town Center in downtown Fayetteville. The event is the signature fund raising event for Arts Live.

The theme of this year’s event will be “An Evening With The Stars” where actors and students who have appeared in Arts Live productions and have participated in Arts Live classes will be recognized for their outstanding contributions. Award recipients are voted on by their peers by ballots with the actor receiving the most votes receiving the award. Awarded categories include Outstanding Contribution by an Actor and Actress, Outstanding Contribution by a Support Actor and Actress, Outstanding Contribution by a Featured Actor and Actress, Outstanding Technical Contribution, The Arts Live Spirit Award and the Arts Live “Newbie’ Award.

In addition to the awards ceremony there will be a Red Carpet, Paparazzi, a Silent Auction, Hors D’oeuvres, local celebrity presenters and a photo booth.
Tickets are $10 for youthes 18 and under and $15 for adults. Tickets may be reserved by calling Arts Live Theatre at 479.521.4932, online at www.artslivetheatre.com or at the door the evening of the event.

The event is sponsored in part by the Pat and Williard Walker Charitable Foundation, Masons, Chik Fil A, Toothpicks, Joses, Edy’s Ice Cream, Harps and Dancenhance Entertainment. Arts Live is funded in part by the Arkansas Arts Council and by coporate and individual donations. Arts Live offers a series of classes for grades kindergarten through High School and professional quality mainstage productions and will be producing Seussical The Musical as the production for its summer Musical Theatre Conservatory Camp for ages 11-18. For information regarding Arts Live and its programming, visit www.artslivetheatre.com

Fayetteville Painter Megan Chapman featured at Blue Moon Gallery, Hot Springs Arkansas

“Evidence of the Disappearance” an exhibit of abstract, oil and mixed media paintings by Fayetteville artist, Megan Chapman will be featured for two months beginning June 6 – July at the Blue Moon Gallery in Hot Springs Arkansas. The gallery is located at 718 Central Avenue in the downtown Historic Arts District. The opening reception will be held June 6th from 5-9pm, during first Friday gallery walk. The artist will be present. This exhibit includes thirty two new paintings never before exhibited. Chapman’s work has been featured in solo exhibitions at Remy Fine Art in Ft. Smith, the DDP gallery in Fayetteville, Julie Wait Designs in Rogers, Mullins Library, at the University of Arkansas, and at Gallery Fraga in Bainbridge Island, Washington. Chapman’s work was recently on display in the Arkansas World Trade Center in Rogers, Arkansas. Her mixed media abstracts have been well received, and can been seen in the Fayetteville Shogun Sky bar’s permanent collection, and in other corporate collections. Most recently two of Chapman’s paintings were published in Studio Visit, a national juried exhibition in print.

Megan Chapman was born in Fayetteville, Arkansas. She received her B.F.A. in painting from the University of Oregon. Chapman has shown her paintings over the past ten years in Arkansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Washington; her paintings have appeared in various publications, and are in private and corporate collections around the country.

About the concept behind the title and the exhibition, Chapman says…”When I paint I listen to music on my headphones, and the music is always a constant source of inspiration and helps me to dive into the work and away from this world; the paintings that result are the only “evidence” of this time spent “away.” My work is always about my love of color, the subtle changes that occur when colors overlap, react, and create something new. I also love textures and how layers of color and texture come together. I have been exploring different motifs that I find natural and comforting. These shapes are repetitive at times, and often peek out from a hidden space in the painting or brazenly take the foreground. These shapes reflect my love of design as well as “mark making” and how I enjoy the imperfect smudge of charcoal or the gritty pencil line as it floats along the painted surface. Intuitively, I bring these elements together to create an otherworldly atmosphere.”

Please join us to welcome Megan Chapman at her opening reception of “Evidence of the Disappearance” June 6, from 5-9 PM at Blue Moon Gallery.  The exhibit will continue through July. For further information please call the Blue Moon Gallery at 501-318-2787 or visit the website at www.bluemoonartgallery.com

Blue Moon Gallery
718 Central Ave.
Hot Springs, AR  71901
501-318-2787
www.bluemoonartgallery.com

George Dombek donated a 40″ x 40″ watercolor from his Ozark Portrait series to the University of Arkansas Libraries May 19. The painting, entitled Medal of Honor, comes from a series of works titled “Ozark Portraits,” which feature bygone common household and farm tools. Dombek says, “The subjects are pieces of farm equipment; primarily exhaust pipes and oil cans, usually worn and rusty. As the series progressed the subjects began to take on life-like forms, thus the name Ozark Portrait. For instance, a group of cans became a ‘family’; grandmother, grandfather and their triplet grandchildren. Now I’ve reached a point where I have specific people in mind when I do a new Ozark Portrait piece.”

Originally from Paris, Arkansas, Dombek received a Bachelor’s degree in architecture (1974) and a Master’s of Fine Arts in painting (1975) from the University of Arkansas. Dombek went on to teach architecture and art at universities in Arkansas, Ohio, Florida, Saudi Arabia and Italy. The donated painting will hang in the Fine Arts Library. Dombek says, “While going to school at the University of Arkansas, few days went by that I didn’t spend some time in the Fine Arts Library. The library played an important part in my education; as important as the classes or aspects of my career as a student. It is fortunate that the University has a separate library that contains fine art. The University gave me a great gift, and my intention is to return the favor. It was a great experience – the happiest time of my life.”

Over a forty year period Dombek has generated an impressive catalog of work. Predominantly working in watercolor, he refers to his distinctive style as abstract realism. His works appear in over 800 museum, corporate and private collections and have been exhibited in more than 150 solo and group shows, including shows at the Arkansas Arts Center, the Butler Institute of American Art, the Carnegie Museum of Art, the San Francisco Museum of Art, the Birmingham Museum of Art, and the Oakland Museum.

His more than eighty awards include: recognition from the National Endowment for the Arts, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Arkansas Arts Council, Florida Arts Fellowships from the Florida Arts Council, and most recently, a New York Studio Residency from the Marie Walsh Sharpe Art Foundation, and a Pollack-Krasner Award.

Dombek now divides his time between his Brooklyn, New York, studio and his self-designed home and studio in the Arkansas Ozarks. The Dombek Studio is located at 844 Blue Springs Road, east of Fayetteville, near Highway 45. For more detailed directions or to view examples of Dombek’s work, visit www.georgedombek.com” href=”http://www.georgedombek.com/”>www.georgedombek.com. In May, the public is invited to view Dombek’s work and tour his studio and grounds from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Dombek’s studio is also open by appointment during the periods when he is in town.

A resolution requesting that the Fayetteville A&P Commission contribute to funding the Fayetteville Arts Festival at the same $35,000 level as last year is on the table. It is on the agenda for the City Council meeting on May 20th. If you have an opinion about continued funding for the arts festival, you can contact your Aldermen (it can be as short as “Please support the resolution to fund FAF08 at tonight’s meeting!”) or show up at City Hall TONIGHT! to speak to the resolution.

The meeting begins at 6 pm in room 219. If you scroll to page four, you can see that this is the final item on the agenda:

www.accessfayetteville.org/government/city_clerk/documents/Current%20Final%20Agenda.pdf

The Butcher Detels Duo — Betty Butcher, left, and Claire Detels — play “El Capitan” by John Phillip Sousa during the Four-Hand Piano From Vienna to Arkansas performance Saturday at the Fayetteville Public Library. The duo performed a number of pieces from artists ranging from Mozart to Col. Sanford C. Faulkner. The performance was sponsored by the Arkansas Arts Council and the library. ANTHONY REYES Northwest Arkansas Times

Publication:Northwest Arkansas Times;     Date:May 18, 2008

Call to Artists: A call for 2D and 3D submissions for a group exhibition featuring the works of the Top 4 emerging artists selected via the votes cast by art enthusiasts from around the world during “CURATE THIS!”. Physical submission receive deadline is June 12, 2008. Email submissions will be accepted according the guidelines listed below through June 10, 2008. A fee of $25 allows for the submission of 4 works. Artists from all countries are eligible to submit works.

‘FOUR’

From June 18-21, 2008 art enthusiasts from around the world will view the works submitted by emerging artists from all corners of the globe and vote to choose the top 10 emerging artists of 2008 working in 2D and 3D mediums including, but not limited to, painting, sculpture, mixed-media, drawing, printmaking, fiber, textiles and photography. BECA gallery will be enlisting the input of art enthusiasts from around the world via ‘CURATE THIS!’, an event which allows anyone from anywhere in the world with an internet connection and email access to select 10 artists and their works to be featured at www.becagallery.com and in the upcoming publication titled, ‘CURATE THIS!’. Of the top 10 artists selected, the top 4 artists who have received the highest number of votes will have their works exhibited at ‘FOUR’, the gallery’s 3rd international contemporary art exhibition opening August 2, 2008 at BECA gallery located at 527 Saint Joseph Street, New Orleans in the heart of the New Orleans warehouse arts district. The opening of the exhibit, ‘FOUR’, coincides with White Linen Night, the largest annual visual arts event in New Orleans.

‘FOUR’ EXHIBITION DATES: August 2 – September 28, 2008.

Complete information, submission guidelines and submission sheet may be downloaded from: http://becagallery.typepad.com/my_weblog/call-to-artists.html

Plenty of people have been saying for months (in some cases, much longer than that) that Fayetteville can’t just sit on its pretty little hind end and do nothing about swirling rumors that the Walton Arts Center — ground zero for the performing arts in Northwest Arkansas — may choose to relocate much of its operation to a new facility elsewhere.

Benton County? Maybe. Somewhere more accessible than Dickson Street? Possibly.

If you happen to be the sort of person that goes by Deep Throat’s famous words of advice for Woodward and Bernstein (“Follow the money”) then suggestions that WAC leaders may opt for Benton County don’t come across as entirely misplaced.

To our way of thinking there has been too much talk and not enough work toward bringing about a successful campaign to keep the Walton Arts Center right here in Fayetteville, and preferably expanded right on Dickson Street. Fayetteville and the University of Arkansas took the lead back in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s to make the center a reality. Sixteen years ago, that effort spurred the revitalization of Dickson Street and downtown Fayetteville just in time for more than a decade’s worth of economic boom times.

But those times seem long gone. Area taxpayers probably aren’t in a mood to vote for any big expenditures to expand the Walton Arts Center at its current site — even though its representatives say that’s exactly what the popular concert hall needs. Which is what worries us. If growth to house big Broadway shows and star acts is inevitable, something in Fayetteville will have to give. Room for the WAC (located at the intersection of West Avenue and Dickson Street) will have to be made. A parking deck will have to built. Several millions of dollars (much of it public dollars) will have to be spent. But so far we’ve seen too little movement to bring talk of moving — regardless of what any feasibility study may suggest — to an end.

Which explains our pleasure with Mayor Dan Coody’s continued attention to this matter. On Monday Fayetteville’s top elected leader invited Dennis Hunt with Stephens Inc. to a meeting of the Advertising and Promotion Commission. The purpose? To discuss restructuring the city’s Hotel and Restaurant Gross Receipt Tax Refunding Bonds to create enough capital improvement funds (perhaps several million dollars) to make some difference.

According to Hunt, a restructuring may be the only way Fayetteville could raise a decent amount of money without raising taxes. Restructuring the bonds in question would also require voter approval. Either way, there’s no way of knowing at this early date how much money will be required, although more is probably a safe bet.

First, thanks, mayor, for putting up a fight for Fayetteville. No, bringing in somebody to talk things over doesn’t begin to qualify as a solution to what’s becoming an increasingly complicated problem — but it’s something. The community can’t just sit waiting until the WAC’s leaders announce their plans. Coody has kept a fire burning in the search for options.

As much as we are enthusiastic about the development of Crystal Bridges, Alice Walton’s art museum in Bentonville, and proud of the commercial development Rogers has created en masse along Interstate 540, it’s also clear that Fayetteville has the cultural foundation that can best be exploited through development of an expanded Walton Arts Center and a larger cultural arts district. The spirit of art lives well in Fayetteville. It doesn’t have to be manufactured. That’s why the natural place for the Walton Arts Center was in the heart of Fayetteville back then, and today as well.

How is all this going to play out? We wish we knew the answer to that. But the way things happen in any community is through leadership, not just allowing the winds of change to blow. As the Walton Arts Center evaluates its future, we certainly hope the intangibles that are so crucial to the success of artistic endeavors earns as much appreciation and weight in a location decision as does the more tangible elements of where the money and current development is.

Hopefully, the mayor’s efforts will help.

Publication:Northwest Arkansas Times;     Date:May 17, 2008

BY SUSANNAH PATTON Northwest Arkansas Times
Posted on Friday, May 16, 2008

The Fayetteville Arts Festival may be another casualty of a tight budget year if its organizers can’t gather enough financial support.

The festival did not receive any funding this year from the Fayetteville Advertising and Promotion Commission, which granted the festival’s funding request of $ 35, 000 in 2007. The commission denied more than $ 240, 000 in funding requests in April, citing a budget shortfall. Read more…

from:  The Iconoclast 5/16/08 8:02 AM

Last year, the Fayetteville Arts Festival drew about 9,000 visitors to our city to explore and enjoy the wonders of local artists — poets, painters, performers, and many more talents. Most of us enjoy the arts and the festival for the experience and because they are an essential part of what makes Fayetteville unique. That should be enough, but it is not. Despite the tremendous volunteer effort to produce and promote the Fayetteville Arts Festival, it is in danger of dying because of a lack of funding. Read more…

BY BRETT BENNETT, Northwest Arkansas Times

Fayetteville High School librarians and art teacher John Remmers celebrated the 10th anniversary of the painting of Leonardo da Vinci by the library entrance Wednesday evening.

The mural, “Leo in Our Library,” was designed with da Vinci standing in front of a bookshelf.

Most of the books on the shelves within the painting were left untitled when it was painted. Over the years, students have been allowed to write in titles of books they have read.

Remmers said the painting is distinguished from other murals in the school by “the fact that it isn’t finished after all these years.” There are still a few books left that can be filled in with new titles.

“Also, you’ve had so many non-art students who’ve been able to participate,” he said.

The image of da Vinci was derived from an image of him in the painting “The School of Athens” by Raphael, according to librarian Sarah Roberson. The bookshelf concept was derived from an advertisement portraying cats in front of a bookshelf.

Titles added to the mural include classic fiction, modern literature and religious texts such as the Bible and Koran. Some of the titles include “Lord of the Flies,” “Out of Africa,” “Something Under the Bed is Drooling” and “The Cat in the Hat.”

Author Terry Trueman signed his faux copy of “Stuck in Neutral” on the bookshelf when he visited the school this year.

School board member Susan Heil, who attended the reception, read a proclamation from Mayor Dan Coody declaring Wednesday “John Remmers Day.”

Roberson and fellow librarian Cassandra Barnett said all of the titles are real books with a few exceptions that have been allowed. One of the exceptions is “The Jedi Creed” by a student who was a “Star Wars” fan.

“They refer to it in ‘Star Wars’ like a real book,” Roberson said.

Another phony title is a student’s way of paying homage to the art teacher. It is titled “The Wrath of Remmers.”

There has been much debate on the future of the school building and location, and mural preservation is a detail that hasn’t escaped the staff ’s attention. Last month, the school board received, but took no action on, a committee’s recommendation to relocate the school from its current location on Stone Street to 73 acres along Morningside Drive.

Barnett said they hope to hire a billboard company to make a replica of the da Vinci mural so if the school is moved a copy of it can be placed on the wall at the new library.

The da Vinci mural is one of many in the school that has been painted by art students over the years. Staff hope to make a digital record of those murals.

Other murals include Superman exiting a phone booth by the auditorium, a painting with an immigration theme in the cafeteria, and a mural with angelic and demon-like figures fighting near the main office.

The school’s Bulldog Lobby by the front entrance features a mural showing cultural changes throughout history wrapped around a handicap ramp and a torch with the school’s motto under the main staircase.

Remmers said he has been asked frequently about mural preser vation but hasn’t developed a strong opinion on it.

“I guess I have to subscribe to impermanence,” he said.

The last mural officially done as a class project was a life sciences mural on the third floor in 2006. Remmers said the 2006-07 schedule change from a sixperiod to seven-period day took away class time that could be devoted to mural projects.