SPECIAL EVENT

Pyramid marks its 28th year with book signings, art show

Pyramid Art, Books & Custom Framing celebrates its 28th anniversary this weekend and next as a hub for black Arkansas writers and artists.
Pyramid Art, Books & Custom Framing celebrates its 28th anniversary this weekend and next as a hub for black Arkansas writers and artists.

Get Garbo Hearne talking about literature, or art, and the tenor of her normally serene voice rises noticeably.

"It's amazing how many people in this state have written books and don't have a place to sell them," Hearne says.

Pyramid Art, Books and Custom Framing Birthday

1001 Wright Ave., Little Rock

Marathon reception, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday

Art gallery opening, book signing, 5 :30 p.m. June 24

Admission: Free

(501) 372-5824

pyramidbks.net

For nearly three decades, her business, Pyramid Art, Books & Custom Framing, has provided just such a platform for black Arkansas authors and artists. It hasn't always been an easy road -- Pyramid is one of only 48 black-owned independent bookstores remaining in the country, Hearne says -- but the unique operation brings exposure to voices who might otherwise never be heard.

On Saturday, Pyramid will celebrate its 28th year in business with a marathon reception from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. for more than a dozen Arkansas authors with readings, discussion and book signings. Among them are Karen Coleman, whose young adult novel Frozen Dreams tells the story of a young figure skater who must overcome sickle cell anemia to reach her dreams. Fort Smith poet Darneisha Airhart will read from her work, Wild and Whirling Winds. And 9-year-old Derrick Holmes Jr., will present his first book, Atomic Robot, a short work bound by construction paper.

The celebration continues at 5:30 p.m. June 24 with an art gallery opening by black Arkansas artists, including Pine Bluff native Kevin Cole, and a book signing by author Maria Hoskins of Mayflower. Hoskins will also participate in storytelling time with children at 10:30 a.m. June 25.

Hearne was a nurse on maternity leave in 1988 when a quest to decorate her home with the work of black artists required trips out of state to Houston and Dallas. An El Dorado native, Hearne vented to her California-born husband, Dr. Archie Hearne, about the difficulty of finding artwork in Arkansas that represented their backgrounds.

"He said, 'There's not much here, why don't we do it?'" she remembers. "So we did it."

Hearne, named for the actress Greta Garbo, has witnessed a lot during her years running the store and gallery, at 1001 Wright Ave., Little Rock, in the historic Dunbar neighborhood. The 2008 election of Barack Obama led to a surge in demand for books about the country's first black president and calendars bearing the first couple's photos.

She says readership among people under 40 has declined with the internet, and competition from Amazon.com has made business more competitive than ever, reinforcing the necessity of strong customer service for survival. In addition to custom framing, Hearne has added an appraisal service and an outdoor sculpture garden next door.

But the primary mission of providing a platform for Arkansas writers continues.

Author Hoskins recalls walking into the bookstore in December 2013, in search of a children's book that would remind her of the family holidays at her grandmother's house in Mayflower. After searching for a while, Hoskins told Hearne that nothing in the selection quite fit her needs.

"So Garbo challenged me to write one: 'Just go write it,'" Hoskins says. "So I did."

Hoskins, a former college athlete at the University of Central Arkansas and Philander Smith College, took Hearne's challenge as if from a coach. After her husband and daughter went to sleep that night, she went to work. Eventually, Hoskins' children's book turned into three books, with a fourth one in the works. Each is illustrated by an Arkansas artist. Hoskins' third book, Down Home in Arkansas: A Family Reunion Story, is illustrated by Morrilton native Wade Hampton. Interested readers can find out more about her book at seasons2dream.com.

Weekend on 06/16/2016

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