Nomkhubulwane in Fayetteville!
Mayor Lioneld Jordan welcomed a crowd on the Fayetteville Square to First Thursday, the monthly celebration of the cultural arts in Fayetteville that is held on the first Thursday of every month. Mayor Jordan stated, “Art and culture are a backbone of Fayetteville’s creative economy and do so much for our city, our citizens, our businesses, and our quality of life.” Mayor Jordan thanked the community for its support of the city’s creative economy and encouraged support of local artists of all genres.
Mayor Jordan was speaking in front of Nomkhubulwane, a sculpture of a life-sized female elephant made of recycled tires by South African artist Andries Botha. She is the matriarchal symbol of the Human Elephant Foundation, and she has been on a worldwide tour to encourage people to think about the interconnection of everyone and everything. Mayor Jordan stated, “Public art is an important part of the Fayetteville experience—it inspires us, and particularly when the art has another message within.”
For the next six weeks, Fayetteville is honored to be one of a few cities in the United States to host Nomkhubulwane. “Nomkhubulwane has been inspiring communities to think in new ways about what is trash and what is treasure,” Jordan said,” to stimulate creative thinking, to encourage us to think of the choices we make that impact other species, to think of the importance of wildlife and how wildlife and humans can effectively co-exist, and to think of all the ways that our choices (no matter how small) impact the future of our children and grandchildren.” Nomkhubulwane invites us to consider these questions and move Fayetteville Forward with conversations for solutions.
Mayor Jordan remarked that “it takes a village to bring a life size sculpture of an elephant to town, and Northwest Arkansas is a wonderful community full of people who are do-ers and who rise to a challenge.” Walmart generously provided the transportation from El Paso, Texas, to Fayetteville. Charlie Futral from BNSF Logistics team were invaluable in helping to secure the special trailer needed, as well as blankets to protect the sculpture and a crane to gently lift her into place. “The Bradberry’s helped get Nomkhubulwane displayed on the plaza, and Hope Bradberry in particular has been instrumental in securing funding to bring the sculpture to our community”, Jordan said. Jim and Nancy Blair are sponsoring the elephant’s first week in Fayetteville, Linda and Bob McBride are sponsoring week two, and Rosamond and David Banks are the sponsors for week three to bring this art to the public square. Mayor Jordan also thanked Michelle Halsell and Julie McQuade for their work with the project and then reminded the audience that Fayetteville Forward 2010 will be held on April 17 at the East Square Plaza beginning at 8 am., and he encouraged everyone to come and share their ideas about moving Fayetteville forward.
Fayetteville Underground: First Thursday April 1st. 5-8pm
Join us Thursday April 1st. from 5-8pm for Fayetteville Underground’s first Thursday opening reception. This April marks a full year of great art shows at Fayetteville Underground! We have a lot to celebrate, so don’t miss it!
In April we will feature the brilliant and colorful portraits by painter Basil Seymour-Davies in the Vault Gallery. San Francisco schooled artist Matthew Depper will fill the Hive Gallery with a playful and clever selection of paintings called "It Eels What it Eels" and paintings by Anthony TW Meyers will be shown in the Revolver Gallery.The E-Street Gallery will feature richly patinated and rustic jewelry by Teresa Hall.
As always there are open studios to tour, work in progress to see, and artists to meet. There will be new work by the talented underground studio artists in the back Vault gallery and the fine crafts you have come to expect in the E Street Gallery. Once again this is all a part of the cultural amenity that is the visual arts on the First Thursday of every month on the Fayetteville Square from 5-8p.m.
Tell your friends and see you there!
The Fayetteville Underground
Basement of One East Square Plaza
East side of the Historic Fayetteville Square.
Fayetteville, AR
Gallery Hours W-F 12-7pm
Saturday 10-5pm
4 galleries: Open Studios
www.fayettevilleunderground.com
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Human Elephant project coming to Fayetteville square
This article was found at the Fayetteville Flyer:
Author: Dustin Bartholomew
If you find yourself on the square over the next month or so, and you come across a 1.3 ton elephant-shaped structure in front of the Town Center, don’t freak out. It’s not an April Fool’s joke.
Her name is Nomkhubulwane (Nom-Koo-bull-wah’-nee), and she’s one of 12 other elephants created by South African artist Andries Botha for a global project called the Human Elephant Foundation. The mission of the foundation is to “create an opportunity for thinkers, individuals, and corporates to join together, stimulate their imagination, collaborate, and harness their creativity for the overall health of the planet.”
The 12 elephants created by Botha are being displayed at various locations around the world. Currently, a full herd of 9 elephants made from recycled wood are located in Belgium, a fallen elephant made from recycled cider casks is in France, and an elephant made from recycled leadwood is located in Holland.
Nomkhubulwane, the elephant that will be on display in Fayetteville, was created from recycled truck tires. She’ll be in town from April 1 through May 18 before traveling to other destinations in North America. At some point, the idea is to reunite the entire herd in one place.
“The Human Elephant Foundation is a visionary and collaborative organization that initiates, co-ordinates and facilitates discussion and innovative problem solving to create a better, respectful and sustainable world,” reads the website for the project.
Nomkhubulwane will make her Fayetteville debut at 5:30 p.m. April 1 during First Thursday in front of the Town Center where Mayor Lioneld Jordan will make a special proclamation in her honor.
For more information on the Human Elephant foundation, visit humanelephant.org
for more information, visit the Fayetteville Flyer
Local Landscapes by Community Photographers on Display at the Massey
BENTONVILLE, Ark., March 18, 2010 – Crystal Bridges celebrates the natural beauty and abundant local talent of Northwest Arkansas in Looking at Our Landscape, a juried community photography exhibition. More than 100 community members, from children aged 12 to adults over 80, submitted photographs that range from a close-up view of a hummingbird sipping nectar from the rare Royal Catchfly flower to an inspiring rural landscape shot on the way home from a slumber party, entitled Arkansas Will Lead Me Places.
Beginning April 1 all 305 submissions will be presented in an online gallery and the jury-selected 50 featured works will be on view in the Massey, Crystal Bridges’ temporary gallery located at 125 W. Central Ave. in downtown Bentonville. The public is invited to an opening celebration of the exhibition from 5 – 7 p.m. Friday, April 2. A number of featured artists and jurors will be present at the opening, which is part of Bentonville’s First Friday celebration.
The exhibition’s photographs capture the sparkling waters of the Kings and Buffalo Rivers, the faceted rock formations at Tanyard Creek and the barns and pastures of back roads Arkansas, among many other regional treasures.
“We were pleased with the variety and quality of work submitted,” said Manuela Well-Off-Man, assistant curator and jury member. “People from all walks of life participated and the selections we made reflect their interests, from beautiful natural settings to historical sites that they wanted to share with others.”
Documentation of culturally significant sites includes Ron Lutz’ photograph of the “Signal Tree” in downtown Eureka Springs, its trunk tied down long ago to signal the presence of a freshwater spring, and Paul Clark Lawrence’s image of a traditional grave shelter in Kilgore Cemetery.
Many participants responded to changes in the landscape. Elizabeth and Quin Withey photographed a graffittied remnant of the 1907 Oklahoma Row hotel, part of the Monte Ne resort submerged after Beaver Lake was created in the 1960s, while Richard Wells’ Suite View of the Past documents the dialog between a dilapidated barn and the Embassy Suites hotel in Rogers, Ark.
Juror Don House, a professional photographer whose work has been published nationally and featured in exhibitions around the country, said: “There were more than 300 entries and there wasn’t a single one that shouldn’t be in the mix. We have a community full of very talented people, and this exhibition allowed them to express what it is about this area that they love. I think that’s really important.”
Other community members who served on the jury were RuAnn Ewing, an artist and educator from Hindsville, Ark. who helped to establish the Ozark Natural Science Center; Terry Russell, an artist and owner of Blue Moon Studio in Eureka Springs who recently retired from teaching art at Eureka Springs High School; and Dr. Gerald Klingaman, an emeritus professor of horticulture at the University of Arkansas who currently serves as director of operations at the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks. In addition to Manuela Well-Off-Man, other Crystal Bridges staff members who served on the jury include Chris Crosman, chief curator; Scott Eccleston, manager of parks and grounds; Ben Edwards, exhibitions coordinator; Kate Loague, head of communities programs; and Janelle Redlaczyk, youth and families program coordinator.
Looking at Our Landscape was organized as a regional response to Heroes of Horticulture, an exhibition featuring photographs of threatened heritage landscapes located throughout the United States. On display at the Massey through March 21, Heroes of Horticulture was organized by the George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film in collaboration with The Cultural Landscape Foundation of Washington, D.C.
“We’re very pleased by the community response,” said Chris Crosman. “We hope many people will drop by to enjoy the local landscapes, and local talent, on view at the Massey.”
The artwork on display will be enhanced by a full schedule of educational programs for adults, children and families. To download Crystal Bridges’ Spring 2010 Program schedule visit the exhibition Web site, http://lookingatourlandscape.org. An online gallery of all submissions and an illustrated checklist will be posted to the site after the exhibition opens April 1. The checklist will include a map developed by Tom Paradise, a professor of cartography in the Department of Geosciences at the University of Arkansas, which highlights selected sites featured in the exhibition.
information found at http://crystalbridges.org/2010/03/18/local-landscapes-by-community-photographers-on-display-at-the-massey/
Local Landscapes by Community Photographers on Display at the Massey
BENTONVILLE, Ark., March 18, 2010 – Crystal Bridges celebrates the natural beauty and abundant local talent of Northwest Arkansas in Looking at Our Landscape, a juried community photography exhibition. More than 100 community members, from children aged 12 to adults over 80, submitted photographs that range from a close-up view of a hummingbird sipping nectar from the rare Royal Catchfly flower to an inspiring rural landscape shot on the way home from a slumber party, entitled Arkansas Will Lead Me Places.
Beginning April 1 all 305 submissions will be presented in an online gallery and the jury-selected 50 featured works will be on view in the Massey, Crystal Bridges’ temporary gallery located at 125 W. Central Ave. in downtown Bentonville. The public is invited to an opening celebration of the exhibition from 5 – 7 p.m. Friday, April 2. A number of featured artists and jurors will be present at the opening, which is part of Bentonville’s First Friday celebration.
The exhibition’s photographs capture the sparkling waters of the Kings and Buffalo Rivers, the faceted rock formations at Tanyard Creek and the barns and pastures of back roads Arkansas, among many other regional treasures.
“We were pleased with the variety and quality of work submitted,” said Manuela Well-Off-Man, assistant curator and jury member. “People from all walks of life participated and the selections we made reflect their interests, from beautiful natural settings to historical sites that they wanted to share with others.”
Documentation of culturally significant sites includes Ron Lutz’ photograph of the “Signal Tree” in downtown Eureka Springs, its trunk tied down long ago to signal the presence of a freshwater spring, and Paul Clark Lawrence’s image of a traditional grave shelter in Kilgore Cemetery.
Many participants responded to changes in the landscape. Elizabeth and Quin Withey photographed a graffittied remnant of the 1907 Oklahoma Row hotel, part of the Monte Ne resort submerged after Beaver Lake was created in the 1960s, while Richard Wells’ Suite View of the Past documents the dialog between a dilapidated barn and the Embassy Suites hotel in Rogers, Ark.
Juror Don House, a professional photographer whose work has been published nationally and featured in exhibitions around the country, said: “There were more than 300 entries and there wasn’t a single one that shouldn’t be in the mix. We have a community full of very talented people, and this exhibition allowed them to express what it is about this area that they love. I think that’s really important.”
Other community members who served on the jury were RuAnn Ewing, an artist and educator from Hindsville, Ark. who helped to establish the Ozark Natural Science Center; Terry Russell, an artist and owner of Blue Moon Studio in Eureka Springs who recently retired from teaching art at Eureka Springs High School; and Dr. Gerald Klingaman, an emeritus professor of horticulture at the University of Arkansas who currently serves as director of operations at the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks. In addition to Manuela Well-Off-Man, other Crystal Bridges staff members who served on the jury include Chris Crosman, chief curator; Scott Eccleston, manager of parks and grounds; Ben Edwards, exhibitions coordinator; Kate Loague, head of communities programs; and Janelle Redlaczyk, youth and families program coordinator.
Looking at Our Landscape was organized as a regional response to Heroes of Horticulture, an exhibition featuring photographs of threatened heritage landscapes located throughout the United States. On display at the Massey through March 21, Heroes of Horticulture was organized by the George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film in collaboration with The Cultural Landscape Foundation of Washington, D.C.
“We’re very pleased by the community response,” said Chris Crosman. “We hope many people will drop by to enjoy the local landscapes, and local talent, on view at the Massey.”
The artwork on display will be enhanced by a full schedule of educational programs for adults, children and families. To download Crystal Bridges’ Spring 2010 Program schedule visit the exhibition Web site, http://lookingatourlandscape.org. An online gallery of all submissions and an illustrated checklist will be posted to the site after the exhibition opens April 1. The checklist will include a map developed by Tom Paradise, a professor of cartography in the Department of Geosciences at the University of Arkansas, which highlights selected sites featured in the exhibition.
“The Artist” Reception/Documentary Premiere
Date: Thursday, April 1, 2010
Time: 5:00pm – 7:00pm
Location: Anne Kittrell Art Gallery
Photographs by Diana Michelle
Featuring artwork by Tim West
Thursday 4/1 Events:
Gallery Talk with Diana and Tim: 2pm AKAG
Documentary Premiere "Westland": 5pm University Programs Theater (Arkansas Union 4th floor)
Opening Reception: 5:30-7pm AKAG
“The Artist” is a photographic documentary of the life of a reclusive artist, Tim West. Michelle stumbled upon West when looking for a place to photograph in the woods. She saw an interesting bike fence and left a note for the owner, which happened to be West. West wrote her a letter saying if she honked 3 times, he would come out from the woods. Since then, Michelle has been documenting the man, his way of life, and his art.
West was born in 1937 in Santa Fe, N.M. and graduate from Southern Illinois University with a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Fine Arts. West’s works could be found internationally in museums, but he landed in rural Arkansas. At 72 years old, West explains his art as “a long walk to an unknown destination,” and his life as not having “any good explanation for how I lived or why.”
The event is free to the students and public. This event is put on by the Anne Kittrell Art Gallery Committee. Information about University Programs events can be found at http://www.uark.edu/up or by calling (479) 575-INFO.
Fayetteville Underground turns 1 year old!
Fayetteville Underground First Thursday Opening Reception April 1st 5-8pm: Fayetteville Underground turns 1 year old!
Join us Thursday April 1st. from 5-8pm for Fayetteville Underground’s first Thursday opening reception. This April marks a full year of great art shows at Fayetteville Underground! In April we will feature the brilliant and colorful portraits of painter Basil Seymour-Davies in the Vault Gallery. The E-Street Gallery will feature rustic jewelry by Teresa Hall. San Francisco schooled artist Matthew Depper will fill the Revolver Gallery with a playful and clever collection of paintings called "It Eels What it Eels" and paintings by Anthony TW Meyers will be shown in the Hive Gallery.
In the Vault: Between You and Me, Paintings by Basil Seymour-Davies
All the pieces tell a story. All the graphic information supports the narrative derived through the act of contemplating the relationship, shared experiences, and certain commonalities between subject and artist. Usually these graphic images are developed through a series of loose associations and as a result trigger a vague sense of some set of ideas. In the end, the initial narrative is not important. It is the lingering residues that matter. It is the impression of some insight into a person or place’s story that allows one to freely explore and interpret it. And by this process establishes the connections to make the story one’s own.
Basil Seymour-Davies spent his impressionable adolescent years in Bangkok, Thailand. He grew up staring in awe at the enormous hand painted billboards and movie posters that were are a part of a rich Thai tradition. When he decided to pursue painting in his late twenties he inevitably reverted back to the images of the larger than life figures and story vignettes he saw in the city streets as a kid. He currently lives and works in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
In the E-Street Gallery: Jewelry by Teresa Hall
As an evolving mixed metal artist, I have finally found artistic satisfaction that combines my passion for painting landscapes and torching, bending, and soldering metals. The results are rich patinas that I use to create a rustic style of art to include jewelry as well as wall pieces. My main source of inspiration has always been the landscape, especially inspired by the desert areas of New Mexico, where I spent several years in the early 1980′s.
I have always been a fan of form and function with regards to art, and as a self-taught jewelry designer and trained painter, I nowconsider myself to be a mixed metal artist with a focus on the rustic and organic forms abstracted from nature. My fascination began with an accidental walk around a junkyard some fifteen years ago where I discovered an array of metals and the intriguing patinas that were a result of weather, age, etc. I began experimenting with the manipulation of metals by hammering, torching and soldering forms to achieve desirable colors and shapes that I incorporated into large format wall hangings, as well as smaller investigations which I continue to explore in the form of jewelry. I consider the art of jewelry design to be closely related to sculpture, as my pieces involve building and balance to achieve a comfortable and aesthetically pleasing piece of jewelry that can be worn on a daily basis. In addition, there is a lot of satisfaction in transforming salvage into what I consider a rustic style of functional art.
It is my hope to transcend through the building process the spirit of nature as my art has always been inspired by the landscape. I live and work in Northwest Arkansas, but I spent quite a bit of time in Santa Fe, which still is the inspiration for many of my pieces because the copper patinas remind me of the peaceful, natural erosions found in the desert. Even though my pieces appear rough to the eye, they are very comfortable and smooth to wear. I am drawn mostly to bracelets because I believe they have an empowering feeling that I hope to share.
In the Hive Gallery: It Eels What it Eels, Paintings by Matthew Depper
Matthew Depper studied graphic illustration at the Academy of Art University San Francisco.
His latest body of work is a collection of stylized sea creatures painted on convex wood panels.
The title of the series,"It eels what it eels," reflects the typically clever and playful nature of Matthew’s art.
In the Revolver Gallery: Paintings by Anthony TW Myers
Growing up terrorizing a small town in Oklahoma, Anthony spent most of his childhood exploring abandoned structures, getting dirty in creeks, and pestering his fellow neighbor kids. During his perilous escapades, he’d hoped to discover a new unrecorded aquatic species, a real live ghost, or most importantly a true friend that was at least half as crazy as he was. Whether or not these aspirations ever became a reality is hardly relevant. His childhood ambitions stewed and fermented in his soul and his head throughout his life. They evolved and spun into all humanly possible directions getting expelled and contorted through drawings, mud sculptures with yarn hair, homemade forts, puppets, and finger paintings in the process. If the neighborhood kids didn’t fear Anthony’s capabilities, they might have envied them. But mostly, they ended up loving him because he brought something unique and priceless to the town and to the world.
Tomorrow’s T2 Artist’s Forum: Mauritius
Please join us for a special T2 Artist’s Forum.
WHEN: Tuesday, March 16, 6:30pm
WHERE: Fayetteville Public Library
WHO: Director Kimberly Senior and the cast of Mauritius. Kyle Kellams, moderator.
ADMISSION: Free to the public
Join Chicago director Kimberly Senior and the cast of TheatreSquared’s Mauritius for a special reading from the show and a behind-the-scenes conversation moderated by Kyle Kellams of KUAF.
ABOUT THE PLAY
The stakes are high when estranged half-sisters inherit a book of rare stamps that may include the "crown jewel" of the stamp-collecting world. The battle for possession takes a dangerous turn when three rival collectors enter the sisters’ world. They’re quirky and intense and willing to go to any lengths to stake their claim on the find. Mauritius is a gripping blend of sharp comedy and heart-pounding drama. By Theresa Rebeck.
KIMBERLY SENIOR (Director), of Chicago, has directed more than 40 theatrical productions and served as program director for Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s First Look Repertory of New Work. Her production of The Overwhelming at Next Theatre Company was named one of the top ten productions of 2009 by The Chicago Tribune. She is the founder and former artistic director of Collaboraction. Her credits include Uncle Vanya, The Cherry Orchard, Three Sisters, Fuddy Meers and Knives in Hens (Strawdog Theatre Co.—Artistic Associate); All My Sons and Dolly West’s Kitchen (TimeLine); Bold Girls (Seanachai); Patty Red Pants (Blackbird); and Mouse Cop (Noble Fool), among others. She is adjunct faculty at DePaul University, where she teaches Theatrical Collaboration, and Columbia College, where she teaches Chekhov, Dramaturgy and Text Analysis.
Mauritius plays March 26—April 11 at Walton Arts Center’s Nadine Baum Studios. Tickets at theatresquared.org or (479) 571-2728.
TheatreSquared is Northwest Arkansas’s professional theatre company, dedicated to creating exceptional theatre and innovative educational programs.
Stop ‘n Go Festival
Sarah Klein (from San Francisco) is hosting the "Stop ‘n Go" Festival (our first stop-motion and video festival) at the Fine Arts Center gallery on the UA campus this Monday, 3/15 at 7pm. This in a program that has toured internationally, and it’s great.
Free popcorn & drinks!
Sarah is also giving a talk on her own work on Tuesday 3/16 @ 7pm in the Fine Arts Building, room #213.
UA Tuba/Euphonium Ensemble PR, March 13
The Fulbright College department of music will feature the UA Tuba /Euphonium Ensemble in concert on Saturday afternoon, March 13 at 4:00 p.m. in the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall. The ensemble will be performing works by Shostakovich, Hartley, Smalley, Nelhybel, and Stevens. The ensemble is composed of current tuba and euphonium students and is directed by Dr. Benjamin Pierce.
Current ensemble members are Debbie Aulerich, Gregory Battista, Balz Graber, Brad Helton, Daniel Jordan, Lee Larry, A. J. Miller, Matthew Shipes, Cameron Storm, Jordan Wilhelm, John Banks, Cory Davis, Dustin Gilliland, Jacob Grewe, John Lindecker, Jordonn Smith, and Justin Stowe.
The Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall is located in the Fine Arts Building on the UA campus. Free parking is available in the parking deck, which can be accessed from Stadium Drive and is located directly to the west of the Fine Arts Building. The admission is free and the public is invited to attend. For more information, please call the department of music at (479) 575-4701 or visit us on the web at http://music.uark.edu.