SPECIAL EVENT: Painting Party to color alley and 'wow factor'

People may not have noticed, but a downtown Little Rock alley has been undergoing quite the face-lift.

Baker's Alley, located behind the Arkansas Repertory Theatre, has been the focus of one of the Downtown Little Rock Partnership's city improvement projects.

What was once a drab, narrow stretch of asphalt and concrete is now an outdoor art display and it's about to get a lot more colorful, thanks to stencils, spray paint and a lot of volunteers.

Starting at 9 a.m. Saturday, everyone's invited to participate in the Painting Party.

The partnership's communications director, Anderson Penix, explains, "We're going to take stencils that are either 6-inch or 8-inch circles, and we're going to use spray paint and paint different color circles up and down the alley on the asphalt."

Coffee, pastries and doughnuts, as well as supplies, will be provided for the "artists."

The alley already has a Guy Bell mural and alley-facing doors are decorated with reproduced artwork. The circles are just another way to add color and brighten up the space.

It's a bit of an experiment for the Downtown Little Rock Partnership, Penix says, "to see what some hard work, some concentration, how it can transform an area that people don't think of as a gathering space."

With the addition of hanging lights and chairs and tables, they hope people will start to use the space to visit, eat and relax, rather than just walking or driving by.

RSVPs for the party are encouraged so they can get an accurate count for refreshments and supplies, but they're not required. Everyone is welcome.

People who want to help give the alley the "wow factor" should wear old shoes and clothes they don't mind getting a little splattered.

"This should be a fun, community-driven exercise to see what adding color and art to a tucked-away space can do. What can it inspire other people to do?"

Weekend on 11/07/2019