Arkansas will always be the Natural State, but for the time being it is becoming the Virtual State. Hiding from covid-19, we are all forced to spend more time online, seeking shared experiences even as we hunker down alone or with our immediate families.
Our yards, patios, balconies and porches are sanctuaries from which we can still visit places in the state that either aren't open to the public or aren't convenient to get to right now. We've told you before about the Little Rock Zoo's Virtual Safari series, but it's worth repeating. Every day at 2 p.m. on the zoo's Facebook page (facebook.com/zoolr/), take a virtual tour of different parts of the zoo and meet the animals. Thanks to a news release from Arkansas Tourism, we know there are other ways to have virtual fun in our state.
For example, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission has its own virtual nature center set up at agfcnaturecenter.com. The commission's goal is to keep teaching people about the outdoors. Visitors can learn fishing tips and see recipes for cooking their catch, among many other things.
Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge in Eureka Springs is doing virtual tours and things like Virtual Kids Craft Days, which begins at 1 p.m. Friday at facebook.com/TurpentineCreekWildlifeRefuge/. Staff members will assist children in making wildlife-related art, and they'll offer to set up Zoom calls so parents can join in the fun with their children. In addition to the Facebook events, Turpentine has lots of video of its big cats on its website, turpentinecreek.org.
When music is needed to calm things down in a house full of the socially distanced, click into the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra's Facebook page for relaxing and beautiful concerts. It's a great way to introduce yourself to classical, if you aren't already a fan, and to teach children about its value as well. Visit facebook.com/arkansassymphony/.
Ballet Arkansas is offering a weekly series called Encore featuring past performances visitors can watch at home each weekend. Just visit balletarkansas.org/encore to watch and explore. You can even donate to help keep the organization going. What's more, you can take ballet classes online with the Ballet's learn from home experience.
Have you never been to Little Rock's Esse Purse Museum? You don't have to wait for it to reopen, just look around the only purse museum in the nation via essepursemuseum.com.
In Hot Springs, the Mid-America Science Museum has extended through May its online learning initiative. Every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, the museum will post 30 recorded classes at 1 p.m. On Saturdays, it's the regular "Scientots" class for kids 6 and under. Tuesdays and Thursdays are for all ages of children. It's all happening at facebook.com/MidAmericaScienceMuseum/.
Little Rock's Museum of Discovery is posting "At Home Discoveries" videos on its Facebook page, facebook.com/MuseumofDiscovery/.
Check out how they did things in the olden days at The Historic Arkansas Museum. Via its Facebook page, facebook.com/historicarkansasmuseum/, the museum has several videos available on gardening, blacksmithing and clothes washing before washing machines.
The Old State House Museum, oldstatehouse.com, is posting live videos on its Facebook page each Tuesday. It is also working on a virtual tour and plans to make its educational programs available online. Check out facebook.com/oldstatehousemuseum/.
Revisit Civil War battlefield history at peri.toursphere.com, where Arkansas' Pea Ridge Campaign can be experienced from Pea Ridge National Military Park. There are images, videos and audio along with text about the battlefield and the men who fought there.
Last but not least, Arkansas Tourism points out the Hampson Archeological Museum State Park in Wilson features "a nationally renowned collection from the Nodena site," which was a village that thrived in what is now Mississippi County. Take a virtual tour at hampson.cast.uark.edu.
TOMORROW MAYBE?
Catch Epiphany "Big Piph" Morrow's one-man show, The Glow, originally performed for the 2018 Acansa Festival of the South.
"A Stanford-educated international emcee, community builder, poet and hip hop creative, Big Piph has appeared as a TED speaker and has performed as a solo artist and frontman for the jazz and funk-infused, hip-hop ensemble, Big Piph & Tomorrow Maybe. He has traveled the world providing workshops and performances relayed through the lenses of purpose, humor, creativity, race, and a global perspective," according to an Acansa news release.
In the video, he performs with fellow musicians Dee Dee Jones and La'Chaz Holloway. Watch it here: vimeo.com/403821530.
GARAGE MAKEOVER
Mac and Ashley Murphy decided to put some of their free time to good use — clean out the garage.
As they finished, they stared at the empty space and had a vision right out of Xanadu — the 1980 roller disco movie starring Olivia Newton-John and Gene Kelly.
"The kids sometimes rollerblade in the house," says Mac Murphy of their children Maddox, 13, and Phoenix, 7.
"So we turned the garage into a skating rink for the kids," he says.
How did they do it?
"Phoenix has a Frozen karaoke machine with a cool disco light on top," Murphy says. "I taped it to the garage door opener upside down and turned it on."
With an assortment of music via Bluetooth, the rink was in business.
"I told the kids Ashley and I are the best parents ever," he said, laughing.
"Phoenix likes the little girl pop songs, she and Maddox also like the weird songs from the Minecraft video game."
So far, both children love it, Murphy says.
"We'll keep it open, nightly, as long as the customers are interested."
— Ellis Widner
A STITCH IN TIME
The Historic Arkansas Museum may be closed during the coronavirus pandemic, but that doesn't mean that creativity has to be quarantined.
The museum is inviting the public to contribute a digital quilt block for a virtual community quilt.
"In keeping with Arkansas quilting tradition, [the museum] hopes the project will be an expression of beauty, color and uniqueness for the people of Arkansas," according to a news release about the project.
A block can be made with whatever supplies that are on hand, but it must be a square. The squares can reflect a unique story, family tradition or "whatever brings someone solace and strength during these times of isolation," according to the museum.
To submit a digital quilt block, use a blank square outline and any choice of art supplies to create a design. Digitize the image by taking a photo of the block or by scanning it. If photographed, the picture must be taken straightforwardly.
Email submissions to info@historicarkansas.org or send a direct message to Historic Arkansas Museum's Facebook page, facebook.com/historicarkansasmuseum/.
A deadline to submit will reflect the lifting of statewide social and travel restrictions, at which time a final day for submissions will be announced by the museum. The unveiling of the virtual community quilt will happen concurrently with the reopening of the museum.
— Sean Clancy
COLOR ON CONCRETE
Beauty and blooms are popping up in unexpected places ... like driveways. And streets.
A concrete driveway in Little Rock's Midtown neighborhood became an artist's canvas recently, with a stained-glass-like pattern created with vibrant chalk of various colors and other tools. The sunny day made the design almost luminous.
At another home in the area, a man and child were at work collaborating on a driveway design, using masking tape to outline a geometric pattern and filling in with colorful chalk. The artistic expression is a worldwide trend in these strange times.
— Ellis Widner
LAST RESORT
And when nothing else will do, go to what looks like a virtual clearinghouse of things to do when you are bored. Visit this strange website — bored.solutions — and see a screen full of title bubbles to click on: "Learn to Beatbox"; "Play Dress Up"; "Learn to Play Piano"; or "Attend Yale For Free." It's all free and fascinating, and you may find yourself falling into a hole for hours. Go play.
Do you have ideas or suggestions for Alternative Entertainment? Email them to
alternativeentertainment@adgnewsroom.com
Style on 04/07/2020