Several artists from the River Valley & Ozark Edition coverage area will be featured at the fifth annual Delta Visual Arts Show in downtown Newport on Saturday. The event is sponsored by the Blue Bridge Center for the Delta Arts.
The show will open to the public from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with a reception from 4-6 p.m. This year’s show features 146 artists from five states and 60 Arkansas communities, featuring primarily artists who grew up in the Delta, live or have lived in the Delta or who produce Delta-themed work.
Local participating artists include the following:
• Ronald Almond of Maumelle
“I will have oil paintings ranging from Impressionist and Expressionist landscapes and abstracts,” he said. “This will be my second year to exhibit.”
Retired from the U.S. government and the Arkansas National Guard after 32 years, Almond is a member of TheArtGroup in Maumelle.
• Amy Green of Maumelle
Originally from Newport, Green holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism from Ole Miss. She works full time as the creative services manager at Pulaski Technical College in North Little Rock. She also does freelance graphic design for area businesses, as well as jewelry design.
She said she started making jewelry two years ago as a way to deal with the grief she felt upon the death of her grandmother, Ruby Herring of Newport.
“This will be my first time to show at the Delta Visual Arts Show,” Green said. “I’m very excited to be showing with such a group of talented artists. I will be showing my handmade jewelry. Pieces include rings,
earrings, bracelets and necklaces.”
• Louise Harris of Maumelle
This is the third year for Harris to take part in the show at Newport.
“It’s a good experience,” she said. “It’s good for the artists. We really enjoy the public that comes through. We get a lot of good feedback.”
Harris is an oil painter and will show a “wide variety” of her work, from roosters and sunflowers to landscapes “in a wide variety of painting styles, too,” she said.
Harris is a member of TheArtGroup in Maumelle and of the Arkansas League of Artists.
• Jaclyn Holland of Heber Springs
“I will be exhibiting my photography and graphic-design work, along with watercolor and oil paintings and pencil drawings,” Holland said.
She is a recent graduate of Arkansas State University at Beebe, where she studied graphic design.
“I look forward to continuing to learn and to grow as an artist and exploring art in its many forms,” she said.
• Steve Jones of Conway
“This will be my first time showing at any show,” Jones said. “I am a wood-turner, and I will be showing French rolling pins and doorstops.
“I have worked with wood for 47 years, starting in Cub Scouts building Pinewood Derby cars and woodcarving. In 1981, I completed an apprenticeship to become a journeyman industrial carpenter and was certified by the U.S. Department of Labor and the Associated Builders and Contractors of Arkansas.”
For the past 25 years, Jones has been the building and sites coordinator for the Arkansas Economic Development Commission.
“My expertise is in industrial construction, property and community development,” he added.
• Aline McCracken of Concord
“This will be my third time to participate in the show,” said McCracken, who was born in Stuttgart. “I will have paintings, drawings, collages and sculpture.
“What I love most about the show is the wonderful way Newport people support the artists with their time and energy. Last year, the mayor found my car for me and drove it to the depot so I could load it after the show. Last year, a woman kept coming by my table and talking about my sculpture. She went home without one, but when her name was drawn for one of the door prizes, she came back and took one of them home.”
McCracken is primarily a watercolorist but is also a recognized sculptor. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Memphis College of Art and a Master of Fine Arts degree from Ole Miss. She has taught art at all levels, from kindergarten to graduate school.
• Brenda Morgan of Dardanelle
Morgan, a self-taught artist, works in oil and pencil. She specializes in nature, wildlife and equine art. In an artist’s statement, Morgan explains why she likes oil: “I love the way oils blend. It makes painting feathers and fur a delight.”
This will be the second year for her to be a part of the Delta Visual Arts Show.
“It’s a good show, a good experience,” she said.
• Tammey Ring of Heber Springs
Ring will be participating in the Delta Visual Arts Show for the second time.
“I was the 100th artist accepted last year,” she said. “I am absolutely looking forward to it again this year.”
Primarily self-taught, Ring works on canvas, as well as wood, and uses a lot of color in her artwork.
She has four daughters, and they create art as well.
“I will be representing all four of my girls —Iana Sinkutch, 27; Chloe Sinkutch, 18; Jade Ring, 12; and Emma Ring, 8,” she said. Ring and her daughters paint under the title of Bliss and Whimsy.
• Elisha Smith of Maumelle
“This is my first time participating in this event,” she said. “I’m super excited. I’ll be traveling to Newport with TheArtGroup in Maumelle.”
Smith, who is self-taught, will exhibit contemporary-abstract art. She uses a variety of textures, bold colors and mixed media to give her paintings a dramatic effect. She said she “strives to create paintings that will make bold statements and leave a lasting impression on buyers and viewers.”
• Camella Wade of Russellville
“This will be my third time participating in the art show,” Wade said. “I started when I was a senior at Lyon College in Dustyn Bork’s printmaking class. I returned last year with my husband. My husband, our unborn son and I will be attending again this year.”
Wade will display prints, photographs and linoleum 3-D paintings. She graduated from Lyon College in 2001 and does photography and commissioned art in Russellville.
• Lori Weeks of Maumelle
Originally from Heber Springs, Weeks has more than 30 years of experience as an artist. She is best known for her collection of impressionistic poppy-field paintings using unique color schemes and textures. She works in oils and acrylics.
Weeks worked for an advertising agency for more than 17 years. She is now a full-time artist.
This is her fourth year to participate in the Newport show.
“I always look forward to the Newport Delta Show,” she said. “This is one of the most well-planned and best-attended art events in the state. It’s something everyone will enjoy.”
Weeks is a member of TheArtGroup in Maumelle.
“The show has really grown over the last few years,” said Jon Chadwell, executive director of the Newport Economic Development Commission, one of the show’s sponsors. “We started with 17 artists in 2009 located in one building. This year, we will have 148 artists in three buildings and three tents, plus a lot of auxiliary activities.”
The show will be held at the Iron Mountain Train Depot on Front Street, the Newport Business Resource Center on Hazel Street, the Old Post Office on Hazel Street and in three tents that will serve as art galleries.
“Artists will have their work on display, and visitors will be able to meet the artists, as well as purchase pieces,” Chadwell said. “This is a unique opportunity to own an original piece of art and to understand how the artist produced the piece.”
Several artists will be working at their booths during the show. In addition to an opportunity to visit with artists and purchase artwork, there will also be workshops throughout the day.
Chadwell said the Blue Bridge Center for the Delta Arts project is a joint project of the Iron Mountain Regional Arts Council, the Downtown Revitalization and Improvement Volunteer Effort (DRIVE), the city of Newport, the Newport Economic Development Commission, Merchants and Planters Bank, Suddenlink Communications and hundreds of local volunteers. Development of the show was facilitated by the Clinton School of Public Service in Little Rock. Funding for advertising is supplied through the Ozark Gateway Tourist Council.
For more information on the Delta Visual Arts Show, contact Chadwell at (870) 503-0793 or director@newportaredc.org.