ACANSA a 5-day arts celebration

The Exchange perform from 7-8:30 p.m. Friday at the Albert Pike Memorial Temple.
The Exchange perform from 7-8:30 p.m. Friday at the Albert Pike Memorial Temple.

Nestling itself in pockets of Little Rock and North Little Rock, the ACANSA Arts Festival returns for a second public celebration of the arts.

The five-day festival, named after a Siouan word meaning “Southern place,” features dance, theater, visual arts and live music performances by local, regional and nationally known acts and artists.

“What we’re trying to do is bring access to art that people in central Arkansas would otherwise have to travel to see,” says Lisa Brannum, ACANSA’s associate director of promotions.

ACANSA opens at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra performing in Little Rock’s Creative Corridor — on Main Street between Capitol Avenue and Sixth Street. Conductor Philip Mann’s original score for the opening was written in dedication to Creative Corridor residents, Brannum says. Arkansas first lady Susan Hutchinson hosts this free event, which offers a $35 VIP reception in the Arkansas Repertory Theatre’s black box and an after-party from 7:30-9:30 p.m. at McLeod Fine Art.

Brannum explains that local arts organizations are not considered competition to ACANSA, which has a mix of free and ticketed events for all ages. Instead, many have partnered with the event to host galleries, plays and more. The Arkansas Arts Center, The Rep and the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra are considered “foundation groups” for the festival, she says.

“It’s really exciting because they have never worked together before like they are now,” she says.

While 2,200 people attended last year’s debut, the event’s goal for 2015 is to attract more than 5,000, Brannum says. She says the event seeks to aid tourism and benefit local businesses.

ACANSA presents educational opportunities through offerings such as Lunch and Learn Days, which take place Wednesday through Friday and touch on subjects such as painting, pottery and historic structures.

“If you experience art — whether it’s a play or a musical or a look at a painting — it changes you somehow, almost in the way travel does,” Brannum says.

Thought-provoking play Blood at the Root, directed by Arkansas native Steve Broadnax, shows at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday at the Argenta Community Theater. The production is based on the Jena Six, six black Louisiana teens who were charged in the beating of a white student.

ACANSA will present the works of Arkansas artist Alonzo Ford at a reception Friday, and local music groups Amasa Hines and the Saint Mark Baptist Church choir perform Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

The event prides itself on being a place in the region where various types of art meet, but not all acts are entirely Southern or Arkansan. New York-based jazz ensemble The Hot Sardines play at the Clinton Presidential Center’s lawn at 8 p.m. Thursday, and five-piece a cappella group The Exchange — whose members are known for getting their start on NBC competition The Sing-Off — will perform at the Albert Pike Memorial Temple from 7-8:30 p.m. Friday. The Urban Bush Women, a New York group that brings marginalized stories to light through dance, perform at North Little Rock Middle School from 7-9 p.m. Saturday.

Many ACANSA schedules list a pop-up gallery from Sept. 11 through Sunday, but that isn’t taking place this year, Brannum says. ACANSA organizers are already researching performers and works for next year’s event, she says.

“The South is a mindset, and it’s a pride, but it’s also a vitality and hopefully a happiness — a sparkle,” Brannum says. “There’s so many beautiful places in our state, and there’s so many beautiful places in central Arkansas. And as a Southerner, I feel privileged to have that around me every day, but I want people to have a reason to come here to experience that.”

Ticket prices for ACANSA vary by event. A silver festival pass is $250, and a gold festival pass is $350. For tickets and more information, visit acansaartsfestival.org.

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