Pine Bluff resident Kimiara Johnson’s mixed-media painting “Nola Reception Couture Gown” is among the art selected for the Small Works on Paper exhibition at the Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas.
Small Works on Paper, the annual touring visual arts exhibition, opened Sept. 24 and will be on display through Saturday, Oct. 24, at the center’s International Paper Gallery, according to the Arts & Science Center blog.
The Arkansas Arts Council coordinates the exhibition and makes it available for loan to qualifying galleries.
“I’ve always wanted my work displayed at the Arts & Science Center,” Johnson said. “I feel so honored to be included in this opportunity, as a native of Pine Bluff and as an artist in the Small Works on Paper touring exhibition.”
Her painting is a story of timeless love when two different worlds collide to become one, she said.
“The vines of the painting illustrate the obstacles the love faces, the colors illustrate the range of emotions felt as the vines fluctuate between shapes (or motions) to bridge the two worlds together. As you view the work, it begins to resemble a plant being watered with love in order to grow in the formation of a couture gown,” Johnson said.
She has been painting and designing since she was 3. Using diverse mediums, she is inspired by culture, fashion and texture, she said.
Johnson graduated from Pine Bluff High School in 2008 and attended the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. In 2011, she withdrew from the university after an accident, the injuries of which left her immobile and unable to walk.
She said she painted with the best of her abilities, which motivated her to learn to walk again and produce art. Johnson reenrolled and graduated from UAPB in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in human development and family studies.
Johnson has since been involved in state, national and international art shows. She loves to create art experiences for a range of diverse populations, especially individuals with disabilities, she said.
The Arkansas Arts Council, an agency of the Division of Arkansas Heritage, organizes the Small Works on Paper exhibition. The Arts & Science Center is a frequent Small Works host. The tour kicked off at the Arts & Science Center in January 2019.
Now in its 34th year, Small Works on Paper showcases Arkansans’ artworks in a variety of media that are no larger than 18 by 24 inches. Thirty-nine pieces are featured in this year’s show.
After the exhibition leaves the Arts & Science Center at Pine Bluff, the 2020 tour will close out its run at the South Arkansas Arts Center at El Dorado. The artists are members of the art council’s Arkansas Artist Registry, which is free and open to all artists in Arkansas.
“Small Works on Paper is an extraordinary opportunity for some of our best emerging and established Arkansas artists to showcase their artwork at locations all over our state,” said Stacy Hurst, secretary of the Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism. “We are honored to be able to support and highlight Arkansas artists’ amazing talent, skill and hard work. In our exhibition, you can view and buy artwork you’ll not find anywhere else in the world.”
Painter Jamie Adams, associate professor of art at the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts at Washington University at St. Louis juried this year’s entries.
Adams reviewed nearly 300 submitted artworks to pick the artwork for the exhibition. He also selected works to receive Purchase Awards, which are cash prizes equivalent to the value of the artwork. Purchase Award pieces become part of the Small Works on Paper permanent collection. Up to $2,000 total is available each year.
This year’s Purchase Awards honorees are:
“Proud Tower,” acrylic, and collage, by John Ahlen of Little Rock.
“Self-Portrait,” charcoal, by Martin Balsam of Little Rock.
“Ozark Gaming,” photograph, by Terra Fondriest of St. Joe.
“Post,” photograph, by Cary Jenkins of Little Rock.
“Reflections of Winter Series 1, Winter’s Kiss,” watercolor, by Charlotte Bailey Rierson of Fairfield Bay.
“Jonathan,” graphite, by Jane Rockwell of North Little Rock.
Small Works on Paper’s 2020 display is also available in a virtual exhibition at arkansasarts.org. The Arts & Science Center blog is available at https://www.asc701.org/whatsnewatascblog/2020/small-works-exhibition.
"Small Works on Paper is an extraordinary opportunity for some of our best emerging and established Arkansas artists to showcase their artwork at locations all over our state.” —Stacy Hurst, secretary of the Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism