Twenty artists to be featured at Arts in the Air event on Petit Jean Mountain

LITTLE ROCK — There are two pieces of Maumelle resident Dennis McCann's work in the Arts in the Air exhibit that he's particularly excited about: pastel renderings of houses from the Little Rock neighborhood where he grew up.

McCann, 56, insists there's "nothing special" about the images.

"They're not big houses; they're just houses from the '40s and '50s," he said.

But for McCann - and every other artist featured in this weekend's fourth annual Arts in the Air Professional Art Exhibit and Sale on Petit Jean Mountain - their work expresses both the simple and diverse experiences that have branded them distinctly and unapologetically Arkansan.

"That's my subject matter to a certain degree - what defines me as a person," McCann said. "I think that's what this show is all about - how Arkansas is a rival to the arts."

McCann is one of 20 Arkansas artists selected to be featured in the exhibit, which will begin Saturday and will continue through Saturday, May 23, on the mountain near Morrilton.

The purpose of the monthlong event is two-fold: to support the creativity of Arkansas' artists and promote arts awareness and appreciation as well as raise funds for the Rockefeller Institute's student art education programs, including Envision U, a one-week interdisciplinary summer arts camp for high school students.

Program coordinator Julie Hall said that in past years, Arts in the Air has hosted as many as 25 artists; this year, the Rockefeller Institute chose only 20 in order to display each artist's pieces - about four to six - more effectively in the space available.

All featured artists are either living in or were born in Arkansas and are chosen by a selection committee composed of professors and museum professionals, Hall added.

A call for applicants is made in January, and the three-person selection committee reviews sample the application, artist's statement and sample images from each applicant. The committee chooses the artists in March.

"We're looking for a kind of a show that will be diverse in terms of both artistic styles and the nature of the artist represented," Hall explained. "The criteria is just basically to establish that these are artists trying to work at a professional level and [don't] just have one great piece they're showing around."

And while attendees will get the opportunity to see plenty of great art, they will also have the opportunity to further the Rockefeller Institute's endeavors. Thirty percent of the proceeds from each piece goes directly to programming at the Rockefeller Institute, Hall said.

"Supporting art ties in with Gov. Rockefeller because he played such an important part in cultivating the support of the arts in Arkansas," she added.

The event will begin on Saturday with an artists' and collectors' brunch at 11 a.m. Jed Jackson, an exhibit juror and professor of painting at the University of Memphis, will announce the Purchase Prize, Best of Show and Merit Award winners at the brunch. Collectors will also get the opportunity to meet artists and get a first look at works on display.

The opening reception will begin at 4 p.m. and include art, musical entertainment by The Betty Ward combo and refreshments.

The free exhibit will be open 5-8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays and noon to 6 p.m Saturdays through May 23.

The Arts in the Air opening will coincide with the Rockefeller Institute's annual heritage event. The heritage program, called "WR: The Rockefeller Brand on the Arts in Arkansas," will be held from 2-3:30 p.m. Sunday. It will feature a discussion of the late Gov. Winthrop Rockefeller's personal contributions and support of arts and arts education in Arkansas.

"Obviously, part of our mission is always to educate people who governor Rockefeller was and what his influence has had on the state of Arkansas," Hall said.

Brunch tickets are $50, and opening reception tickets are $10; both must be purchased in advance. For reservations to the artists' and collectors' brunch, the opening reception or the heritage event, call (501) 727-5435 or visit www.uawri.org and click on the hand print icon to view the Arts page. Overnight accommodations are available at the Rockefeller Institute's Lodge and Conference Center.

River Valley Ozark, Pages 63, 64, 64 on 04/30/2009