United Way plans Peanut Butter Drive
United Way of Southeast Arkansas is hosting Peanut Butter Drive through Dec. 13 at the RSVP office located in the Donald W. Reynolds Center building at 211 W. Third Ave., Suite 235 in Pine Bluff. There will be a basket to collect all jars if no one is in the office.
The Peanut Butter Drive is intended to provide school children with a sweet, nutritious treat while they are on school break during the holiday season, according to a release from the United Way of Southeast Arkansas.
A Christmas Story tickets are on sale
Tickets are now on sale for the Arts and Science Center for Southeast Arkansas production of A Christmas Story, based on the writings of Jean Shepherd. Sponsored by Relyance Bank, performances are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Dec. 13 and 14 and 2 p.m. Dec. 15. Tickets, available online at https://artssciencecenter.tix.com/Schedule.aspx?OrgNum=4544 are $13 for members, $17 for nonmembers, and $8 for students. The center is at 701 S. Main St., No. 4903.
Lyon professor's art to be displayed
Ian Campbell, an assistant professor of art and director of the Kresge Art Gallery at Lyon College, will display a new exhibition at the Arts and Science Center for Southeast Arkansas, 701 S. Main St., No. 4903.
Entitled Refugia: Photos by Ian Campbell, the show, sponsored by the Kline Family Foundation, will display Campbell's works using organic materials and photographic developing processes to create semi-abstract images reminiscent of early photography.
The lumen prints and photograms which make up the exhibition are cameraless photographic prints made by placing objects (such as plants, insects and fungi) on silver-gelatin photo paper and exposing them to sunlight, and, in some cases, toning them with chemicals. Campbell created the prints during his artist residency at the University of Notre Dame Environmental Research Center in the remote woods of Michigan's Upper Peninsula in June 2018.
The show is scheduled to run from Thursday to Feb. 1. An opening reception is scheduled from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. Thursday.
Center to feature metalpoint works
Also opening Thursday at the Arts and Science Center for Southeast Arkansas is Metalpoint: A Classic Artform, by Marjorie Williams-Smith, a nationally known metalpoint artist and professor emeritus of art. She retired in 2017 from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, where she taught for 33 years. In March, she was presented with the 2019 Governor's Arts Award: Individual Artist. The annual awards recognize individuals and corporations for their outstanding contributions to the arts in Arkansas.
Metalpoint, which at first glance may resemble marks made by graphite pencil uses a stylus that holds fine pieces of metal such as copper or silver. Williams-Smith captures classic forms of nature in the shimmer of the medium using fine, precise lines. Williams-Smith has been working with metalpoint since 1986 and is nationally known for her drawings of flowers and other botanicals. Her exhibition includes earlier work to pieces created this year.
The show is scheduled to run from Thursday to Feb. 8at the center, 701 S. Main St., No. 4903. An opening reception is scheduled from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. Thursday.
Students get OK to work at polls
All 39 polling sites in Jefferson County will be open March 3 for primary elections, and the Election Commission can use two students at most sites to assist as election clerks and voting machine operators after a change in state law now permits high school students to participate in elections as pages at polling sites, Jefferson County Election Commissioner Stuart Soffer said.
All students will be appointed as election officials, administered an oath of office and all will receive training before Election Day. Election Day hours at the polls will be 6:45 a.m. until 7:45 p.m. with breaks and meal periods. The emphasis for those selected will be an understanding of political neutrality in conducting elections.
To be considered, students must notify the Jefferson County Board of Election Commissioners by Jan. 9.
State Desk on 11/18/2019