ENTERTAINMENT NOTES: October brings art, films, poetry — and more

St. Joseph Orphanage in North Little Rock is the focus of the October Sandwiching in History virtual tour.
(Special to the Democrat-Gazette)
St. Joseph Orphanage in North Little Rock is the focus of the October Sandwiching in History virtual tour. (Special to the Democrat-Gazette)

Elsewhere in entertainment, events and the arts:

History sandwich

The Arkansas Historic Preservation Program will tour, virtually, St. Joseph's Orphanage on Camp Robinson Road in North Little Rock, noon Friday via Facebook Watch Party on the program's Facebook page, tinyurl.com/y2hqzoyg. Historians will be available to answer questions. It's part of the program's monthly Sandwiching in History series. Call (501) 324-9150 or email info@arkansaspreservataion.com for more information.

'Black Athlete' art

"Brothers by One: The Black Athlete and Social Justice," mixed-media paintings by Little Rock Central High faculty member Rex DeLoney highlighting the ways Black athletes have used celebrity and media coverage to draw attention to social justice problems, opens today at the Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas, 701 S. Main St., Pine Bluff. It will remain up through Jan. 2. Hours are 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday. Admission is free. Sponsor is Simmons Bank. Call (870) 536-3375 or visit asc701.org.

The center is also offering a virtual Live@5 concert with the Port City Blues Society Players — Dave Sadler (guitar, vocals), Roscoe Willis (bass), George Scaife (guitar, vocals), Gene Cooper (keyboards) and Dave Miller (drums) — 5-6 p.m. Friday via the center's Facebook page, facebook.com/asc701. It's part of the center's monthly Live@5 concert series. A virtual donation box will be available; donations go toward supporting the center's programming.

"Untitled (Man with child)," 2020, digital print by Ebony Blevins, is part of the "Let Us March On" exhibition at Hendrix College in Conway.
(Special to the Democrat-Gazette)
"Untitled (Man with child)," 2020, digital print by Ebony Blevins, is part of the "Let Us March On" exhibition at Hendrix College in Conway. (Special to the Democrat-Gazette)

'March' exhibit

"Let Us March On," which documents and contextualizes the Black Lives Matter movement in Arkansas, is the inaugural exhibit, on display through Jan. 22, in the Window Gallery of the Windgate Museum of Art at Hendrix College, 1600 Washington Ave., Conway. The exhibit consists of documentary photographs, artwork, artifacts, interactive items and narrative text. The gallery is visible at all times from the exterior of the museum. Call (501) 328-2383 or email cheatham@hendrix.edu.

In conjunction with the exhibition, a related series of films and panel discussions, titled "Black Representation Matters: In Film and Beyond," continues with an online screening of the 2018 documentary "Dreamland: Little Rock's West 9th Street," 7 p.m. Friday. Access to the livestream is free but requires a reservation; visit watch.eventive.org/brmathendrix.

The remainder of the series (all streams at 7 p.m.; panel discussions will follow):

◼️ Oct. 16: "The Watermelon Woman" (1997)

◼️ Oct. 23: "I Am Not Your Negro" (2016)

◼️ Nov. 6: "Moonlight" (2016).

Price, Still lecture-recital

Linda Holzer, pianist and professor of music at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, will present a lecture-recital focusing on Arkansas composers Florence Price and William Grant Still at 6 p.m. today online via Zoom. The lecture is part of a series by the Celebrate! Maya Project called the "Build a Better World Through the Arts & Literature," in partnership with the Arkansas Humanities Council and focusing on writer Maya Angelou's philosophy of community building through arts and literature. Visit tinyurl.com/yxo3un4k to register and obtain a Zoom link.

Conway Arts Fest

Conway Alliance for the Arts' 14th annual Conway ArtsFest, which continues online through Saturday with the theme of "We Create Conway," offers livestreamed events through conwayarts.org:

◼️ 7-8 p.m. today: "Students Create Conway," hands-on printmaking activity and a virtual art exhibit of work by college students

◼️ 2-4 p.m. Saturday: "ArtsFest Live," performances from The Lantern Theatre, Red Curtain Theatre, artist Jessica Jones and Lady J and the Trebled Souls

◼️ 7-8 p.m. Saturday: "Black Artists Showcase," festival grand finale, featuring area Black performing and visual artists. Mary Rowe, the "Afroshoujo," will headline.

Polarization panel

Psychologists Glen White and Jerry Henderson and University of Arkansas at Little Rock faculty member April Chatham-Carpenter will discuss aspects of political polarization, including its causes, influences, effects and solutions, 6-7:30 p.m. Monday via Zoom. Mary Hunt will moderate the panel. It's the latest in a series of Braver Angels of Central Arkansas public programs, sponsored by the Central Arkansas Library System and the department of applied communication at the UALR. Register and obtain a Zoom link at tinyurl.com/y5y4h922.

“Untitled” by Dan Thornhill is on display at the Justus Fine Art Gallery in Hot Springs through October.
(Special to the Democrat-Gazette)
“Untitled” by Dan Thornhill is on display at the Justus Fine Art Gallery in Hot Springs through October. (Special to the Democrat-Gazette)

Spa City gallery

New works by Robyn Horn and Dan Thornhill, plus artwork by Jeri Hillis, Dolores Justus, Tony Saladino, Sandra Sell, Stephen Selzler, Gary Simmons and Gene Sparling, go on display with a 5-8 p.m. Friday reception at Justus Fine Art Gallery, 827A Central Ave., Hot Springs. (Due to covid-19 precautions, no refreshments will be served and attendees are asked to wear masks and maintain recommended social distancing.) The exhibition will remain up through October, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Wednesday-Saturday and by appointment. Call (501) 321-2335 or visit justusfineart.com.

Poet's Porter Prize

Arkansas poet Geffrey Davis is the recipient of the 2020 Porter Fund Literary Prize, presented annually to "an Arkansas writer with a substantial and impressive body of work that merits enhanced recognition," according to a news release. He will receive the $2,000 prize at a virtual award ceremony, via Zoom, at 7 p.m. Oct. 22. Davis is the author of "Night Angler," which won the James Laughlin Award from the Academy of American Poets, and "Revising the Storm," winner of the A. Poulin Jr. Poetry Prize. Past winners include Mara Leveritt, Morris Arnold, Kevin Brockmeier and current Arkansas poet laureate Jo McDougall.

Poet Geffrey Davis is the winner of the 2020 Porter Prize.
(Special to the Democrat-Gazette/Hamilton Matthew Masters)
Poet Geffrey Davis is the winner of the 2020 Porter Prize. (Special to the Democrat-Gazette/Hamilton Matthew Masters)

Young muralists

The Downtown Little Rock Partnership is seeking young central Arkansas artists to participate in a new downtown public art installation with the theme "How 2020 Defines Us." The organization will select seven artists, 23 and younger, to each complete a mural for Baker's Alley, between Sixth and Seventh streets and between Main and Scott streets, relating to this year's events and the impact on society. They'll each receive $300. Application deadline is Oct. 15; sign-up at forms.gle/hE8ik1UquFTigf8o6.

'Poetry Out Loud'

Dec. 18 is the deadline for schools to register to hold competitions in conjunction with the Arkansas Arts Council's Poetry Out Loud recitation competition. School-level winners will compete in the virtual 2021 Arkansas Poetry Out Loud in March for the opportunity to win $20,000. Visit tinyurl.com/yyubg6cs or email Drekkia.Morning@Arkansas.gov.

40 years of horror

"Friday the 13th 40th Anniversary," marking the 1980 release of the Paramount Pictures horror classic, will hit big screens Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday, including:

◼️ 7 p.m. Sunday; 7 and 10 p.m Wednesday, Regal Breckenridge 12 in Little Rock

◼️ 7 p.m. Sunday, 7 p.m. Tuesday and 7 and 10 p.m. Wednesday at the Colonel Glenn 18 in Little Rock and the Tinseltown in Benton.

The screening will include a newly remastered version of the film and a special bonus, "Secrets Galore Behind the Gore — Friday the 13th," with special effects and makeup artist Tom Savini detailing some of the film's "gory and great" moments. Ticket information is available at FathomEvents.com.

Upcoming Events