The 2010 Small Works on Paper art exhibition
- Ongoing: until Saturday, January 30, 2010
- Tuesday: 2:00pm
- Wednesday: 2:00pm
- Thursday: 2:00pm
- Friday: 2:00pm
- Saturday: 11:00am
- Where: Searcy Art Gallery on 300 E. Race St., Searcy, AR
- Cost: Free
- Age limit: Not available
LITTLE ROCK, AR – The 2010 Small Works on Paper art exhibition has begun its statewide tour in Searcy this month, featuring 39 pieces of work by 39 Arkansas artists. Presented annually by the Arkansas Arts Council, the exhibition is now on display through Jan. 30 at the Searcy Art Gallery on 300 E. Race St.
A public reception to kick off the tour is slated for 1-3 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 16, at the Searcy Art Gallery. The reception is free and will include talks by the artists.
Now in its 23rd year, the Small Works on Paper exhibition showcases up to 40 small-sized visual works (no larger than 24 x 24 inches) by Arkansas artists in a year-long traveling show to 10 galleries, often in rural areas or small towns. The juror, a professional from the arts community, selects the artwork and designates pieces for purchase awards.
To view the touring schedule and a list of the artists, visit http://arkansasarts.com/programs/swop.aspx.
More than 300 entries were submitted for this year’s Small Works on Paper exhibition, said Joy Pennington, director of the Arkansas Arts Council. “We were very pleased this year with the variety of work,” Pennington said. “From contemporary to traditional, there is something that will appeal to everyone.”
The exhibition was juried by Suzanne Bloom, a professor of art at the University of Houston. Bloom holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and a Master of Fine Arts degree in painting from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. She is the recipient of two fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and has served as juror for numerous national and local organizations.
Bloom said it took her several days and much deliberation to finalize her selections for the exhibition. “Given the diversity and overall quality of the work submitted, I began to wish that the number of works I could select was 80 rather than up to 40,” she said. ”Perhaps the hardest part of the jurying process was choosing the purchase awards.”
Four artists were selected to receive purchase awards ranging from $200 to $1,000 each. The award winners are James P. Bell of Fort Smith, John Bridges of Little Rock, Evan Lindquist of Jonesboro and Dennis McCann of Maumelle. Purchase award winners receive the cash amount equivalent to the value of their selected works. Funded by entry fees, the purchase award pieces become part of the exhibition’s permanent collection.
The Arkansas Arts Council was established in 1966 to enable the state of Arkansas to receive funds from the National Endowment for the Arts. In 1971, Act 359 (A.C.A. § 13-8-101 et seq.) gave independent agency status to the Arts Council, with an executive director and a 17-member council appointed by the governor. In 1975, the Arts Council became an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage.
As an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage, the Arkansas Arts Council shares the goals of all its agencies, of preserving and enhancing the heritage of the state of Arkansas.
The other agencies are: Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, the Delta Cultural Center in Helena, Historic Arkansas Museum, the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center and the Old State House Museum. Funding for the Arkansas Arts Council and its programs is provided by the state of Arkansas and the National Endowment for the Arts.
This event was posted Jan. 21, 2010 and last updated Jan. 21, 2010
