Freedom in Dreams: Eric Freeman and Kim Garner and Altered States: Works by Tod Crites
- Ongoing: until Sunday, November 8, 2009
- Sunday: 1:00pm
- Monday: 9:00am
- Tuesday: 9:00am
- Wednesday: 9:00am
- Thursday: 9:00am
- Friday: 9:00am
- Saturday: 9:00am
- Where: HISTORIC ARKANSAS MUSEUM, Little Rock
- Cost: Not available
- Age limit: All ages
Historic Arkansas Museum's Trinity Gallery for Arkansas Artists is proud to present Freedom in Dreams: Eric Freeman and Kim Garner, on display now through November 8, 2009. There will be a free opening reception on September 11, 5 8 p.m., in conjunction with downtown Little Rock's 2nd Friday Art Night. Also opening on September 11 is Altered States: Works by Tod Crites, on display in the Second Floor Gallery from September 11 to November 8, 2009. Live music will be provided by Michael Carenbauer and Joe Vick. The artists from both exhibits will be present and their works will be available for purchase in the Museum Store. As part of 2nd Friday Art Night, a free shuttle is available to transport visitors to other Art Night venues. Shuttle service ends at 8:30 p.m. Freedom in Dreams pairs the works of two Arkansas artists: Eric Freeman who was raised in Pine Bluff and currently lives in Little Rock, and Kim Garner of Crossett. Freeman explores mediums that lend themselves to a quick, instinctual approach, where freedom is paramount and surprises abound. He began his series, The Elephant Paintings, after a health scare. "For me The Elephant Paintings are about action, seizing the moment, letting go, moving forward, embracing change, experimenting; feeling and moving through fear and opening to the joy, the beauty-the urgency of life," Freeman writes. "Painting them helped heal me." The abstract works are mostly done in vivid latex enamel on plywood, with other media often present. Kim Garner's art represents his passion, mental toughness and personal belief in being an agent for change. He writes, "I want my work to be alive, to have energy and above all, not be boring." Garner's works are oversized, loose sketches: "I will always continue to pursue my first love, drawing," he says. "I like to blend my pencil techniques, especially my own marks, in a relentless pursuit of something new." Altered States features the works of Tod Crites, who tends toward highly-stylized and abstract representations of people and environments. His brushwork is expressive, and his color palette bright and stimulating. Crites' background as a designer plays an influential role in his paintings, ironically offering some visual organization to his abstracted images and rebellious techniques. Crites was born in Newport and raised in North Little Rock.
Historic Arkansas Museum is open 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 1 - 5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission to the galleries and parking are free; tours of historic grounds are $2.50 for adults, $1 for children under 18, $1.50 for senior citizens. The Historic Arkansas Museum Store is open 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 1 - 4 p.m. on Sunday.
Historic Arkansas Museum is an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage, which was created in 1975 to preserve and enhance the heritage of the state of Arkansas. Other agencies of the department are Delta Cultural Center in Helena, Arkansas Arts Council, Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, Mosaic Templars Cultural Center and Old State House Museum.
This event was posted Sept. 8, 2009 and last updated Sept. 8, 2009
