LITTLE ROCK — There are many reasons to be happy that the University of Arkansas at Little Rock's art faculty has two showcases for their work.
One has nothing to do with art.
"Small Works" at the Arkansas Studies Institute has readily available parking, something that is always a challenge at UALR and made worse by construction near the Fine Arts Building, where the "Art Faculty Biennial" is hanging.
Both shows have works to recommend a visit. At "Small Works," Carey W. Roberson's vision of altered reality, I blinked, an oil and inkjet on paper, brought Warren Criswell's series of Falling paintings to mind. Win Bruhl's linocut Tranquility radiates that quality and more. Delita Martin's charming woodcut Study of a Boy and Dominique Simmons' charged intaglioprint on paper, The Devil Is in the Details - a tornado sucking up everything - are memorable. Also of interest is UALR gallery director Brad Cushman's mixed media Tandem Walk.
Stepping into the "Biennial" at UALR's Gallery I, one comes face to face (literally) with Gerald, III, a fabulous graphite and pencil portrait by the gifted A.J. Smith. The 46-by-36 inch work has a commanding presence. Four smaller Gerald works, beautifully executed silverpoints, are part of the show.
Marjorie Williams-Smith is showing two stunning botanical silverpoints.
One can almost smell rain cleansed air when viewing Tom Clifton's colored pencil pieces Arkansas Summer After the Rain 1 and 2. Louise M. Halsey's colorful and aptly-titled Was Paul Klee My Real Father? is a wool tapestry.
Simmons' storm stories continue at the "Biennial." Her work has a hint of Francis Bacon. The monoprint She Did Not See It Coming is compelling, its subject unaware of funnel clouds overhead. It's a piece that works on many levels.
Roberson's two altered- and hyper-reality pieces have an Edward Hopper quality, an element of folkloric fantasy and spiritual depth.
Be sure to spend time with Bruhl's exquisite oil pastels and Elizabeth Noble's Strategic Modification, a work of oil and dress patterns on canvas of a woman putting on lipstick. David H. Clemons shows striking craftsmanship in Palliative Measures mixed media sculptures; and Mia Hall's desk of cast concrete, maple and other materials is a marvel.
"Small Works," Arkansas Studies Institute, 401 President Clinton Ave., Little Rock. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday. (501) 320-5791.
"Art Faculty Biennial," Gallery I, Fine Arts Building, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, 2801 S. University Ave. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, 2-5 p.m. Sunday. (501) 569-8977.
NEWTON COUNTY ART
"Ozark Mountains Artists of Newton County" at Norton Arts Showcase is an enticing preview of the Newton County Studio Tour, to be held Sept. 18-20.
High points of Norton's show include Janine Croxford's Family Jewels, a mannequin covered with a riot of colorful beads. Chuck Hazard's clay sculpture Obelisk I, the nicely executed (and, at $50, bargain-priced) framed photographs of Michael Dougherty, and the always amazing watercolors of William Mc-Namara are part of the show.
Studio tour information, a printable map and more are available at ozarkmountainartists.com.
Norton Arts Showcase, 1206 Main St., Little Rock, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, or by appointment. (501) 372-1886.
TALKING EGYPT
"World of the Pharaohs" guest curator William H. Peck opens a lecture series on Egyptian history Thursday at the Arkansas Arts Center Children's Theatre. Doors open at 6 p.m. for a reception; the lecture begins at 6:30. The series is being held in conjunction with "World of the Pharaohs: Treasures of Egypt Revealed," which opens Sept. 25.
Thursday's talk is on Egypt and the Egyptians: An Introduction to the World of the Pharaohs. Peck, an art historian and Egyptologist, will discuss daily life, kingship, religion and the afterlife by highlighting objects in the exhibition.
Other lectures:
Oct. 22: Super Power Politics in the Age of the Pharaoh: Ramses II, Warrior and Diplomat by Peter J. Brand, associate professor at the University of Memphis.
Nov. 12: Revealing the Secrets of the Pharaohs: Conservation of the Ancient Egyptian Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston by Laura Lipscei, assistant conservator in Objects Conservation at the museum.
Feb. 11: Excavating in the Shadow of the Pyramids and More: The MFA Egyptian Collection and the History of the Harvard-MFA Expedition by Rita Freed, who will discuss how famed archaeologist George A. Reisner uncovered the treasures in the Egyptian Collections of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. She was curator for the Ramesses the Great exhibition.
March 18: Seaport of the Pharaohs to the Land of Punt: Recent Excavations at Mersa/Wadi Gewasis, Egypt by Kathryn Bard, associate professor of archaeology at Boston University, who will discuss her find of nautical items belonging to the first female pharaoh, Hatshepsut.
April 27: Ancient Egyptian Mummies by Salima Ikram, professor of Egyptology at American University in Cairo.
Tickets are $5 at arkarts.com or call (501) 372-4000. Arts Center members may attend for free, but must reserve tickets.
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Style, Pages 32 on 08/25/2009