ARKADELPHIA Creating a sense of community
Caddo River Art Guild artists featured in exhibit through Dec. 17
By BY WAYNE BRYAN Staff Writer
This article was published December 6, 2009 at 3:14 a.m.
TRI-LAKES AREA — Arkansas art lovers can see more than 50 works from 21 regional artists in an exhibition now open through Dec. 17 at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia.
The artist are members of the Caddo River Art Guild, a nonprofit organization promoting the arts and artists in the Arkadelphia and Bismarck area. The exhibition, which beganin November, includes paintings in oil, watercolor and acrylic, prints, photography and metal sculpture.
“The art department at Ouachita wanted to make a stronger connection with the local artists,” said Donnie Copeland, an assistant professor of visual arts at OBU, who organized the exhibition. “We wanted to create a sense of community with the artists and beyond that there had not been an opportunity to bring such a large display of the guild’s work together.”
Copeland is also a member of the guild that was formed by five local artists in 2007.
“The five of us traveled around together and we went to a tour of artists studios in Mountain View. We had so much fun,” said Rita Earles, one of the founders. “We decided we could do a tour ourselves with artists in our area and the guild grew out of that, after the fact.”
The group now has 50 members from Clarkand Hot Spring counties. The group includes artists, both amateur and professional, as well as people who are interested in or just appreciate art.
The guild holds monthly meetings on the third Thursday at the Arkadelphia Recreation Center.
Their third Round About Studio Tour was in October and was their largest yet.
“The main purpose is to have a treasure hunt of studios throughout the area, so our visitors and patrons can enjoy a lovely weekend driving through the hills and being out to see the actual studios where our artists compose their work,” said Farrell Ford, another guild founder and its current president. “That is all part of the fun.”
This year’s tour attracted visitors from 40 Arkansas citiesand eight states, according to the guild’s latest newsletter. Planning for the 2010 tour set for next October is already under way.
Earles said there is a surprisingly large arts community in between Bismarck and Arkadelphia.
“There are a lot of artists, andwe are still finding more and more,” Earles said. “Maybe it is the influence of the two universities, or the nearness to Hot Springs, where they do such a good job of promoting the arts. Maybe people just have time on their hands.”
The exhibit is at the Hammons Gallery in the Mabee Fine Arts Center at OBU. Visitors can meet the artists at a reception 4-6 p.m. Wednesday. For information about the Caddo River Art Guild or the exhibit, call (870) 245-3612.
- wbryan@ arkansasonline.com
Tri-Lakes, Pages 133 on 12/06/2009
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