ENTERTAINMENT NOTES: Arkansas Country Music Award nominations ongoing

David Adam Byrnes, Grace Stormont and Jabe Burgess each received five 2021 Arkansas Country Music Awards nominations. (Special to the Democrat-Gazette)
David Adam Byrnes, Grace Stormont and Jabe Burgess each received five 2021 Arkansas Country Music Awards nominations. (Special to the Democrat-Gazette)

Elsewhere in entertainment, events and the arts:

Country nominees

David Adam Byrnes, Grace Stormont and Jabe Burgess lead the list of 2021 Arkansas Country Music Awards nominees with five nominations apiece. Fans can vote March 1-14 via ArkansasMusic.org. The ceremony will take place June 7 at Reynolds Performance Hall at the University of Central Arkansas, 201 Donaghey Ave., Conway.

Byrnes and Burgess are up for country artist, male vocalist and entertainer of the year (vying, in the latter category, with multiple winner Erin Enderlin, Lance Carter and Maybe April.) Byrnes' "Neon Town" is up for album of the year, and his video "Old School" is a nominee for video of the year.

"Dianne's Song," written by Burgess, Steve Williams and Mark Alan Springer and performed by Burgess, is nominated for song of the year; Burgess' video for "Everything but Us" is up for video of the year.

Stormont is nominated for Americana artist of the year (up against Maybe April, National Park Radio, Pam Setser and Ten Penny Gypsy). She has also been nominated for inspirational artist, female vocalist, acoustic act and song of the year for "On Your Own."

A complete list of categories and nominees is available at arkansasmusic.org/recipients.

Alley art

The Downtown Little Rock Partnership is taking applications from artists to participate in a temporary installation this spring in Baker's Alley, between East Sixth and East Seventh streets. The theme is "Celebrate 501," which a news release describes as "a showcase of the beauty and heart of Central Arkansas."

Application deadline is March 1; apply and get details online at tinyurl.com/17ecx50m.

The organization's Public Spaces Committee will choose, notify (the week of March 15) and pay $300 apiece to seven artists, each of whom will receive a 4-foot-by-8-foot sheet of plywood on which to complete their work, which will hang vertically outdoors in the alley. Deadline to turn in completed artwork is 4 p.m. April 16.

Baker's Alley, named for Cliff Baker, the late founder of the Arkansas Repertory Theatre, the back door of which opens into the alley, showcases a new art installation every six months.

Theater extends run

Citing demand, Fayetteville-based company TheatreSquared has extended through March 14 the virtual run of "School Girls: Or, The African Mean Girls Play" by Jocelyn Bioh. Access tickets are $25. Call (479) 777-7477 or visit theatre2.org.

'Perpetual Frindge'

"Perpetual Frindge," an exhibit of nonobjective, brightly colored, energetic wall sculptures and paintings, primarily from found materials, by Hot Springs artist Brad Wreyford, is on display through Feb. 26 in the Rosemary Gossett Adams Gallery, on the first floor of Moses-Provine Hall at Ouachita Baptist University, 410 Ouachita St., Arkadelphia. Wreyford is on the art faculty of the Arkansas School for Math, Science and the Arts. Gallery hours are 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-noon Friday. Admission is free. Call (501) 245-4655 or email robersoncw@obu.edu.

OBU spring schedule

Ouachita Baptist University's School of Fine Arts will livestream some winter-spring events (at livestream.com/obu) and provide live performances for others, all following state and university covid-19 guidelines.

Streaming performances (free; at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted):

  • ◼️ Feb. 23: Shambarger Competition for Singers (2 p.m.)
  • ◼️ Feb. 23: Jazz Band concert
  • ◼️ March 13: Ten-Minute Play Festival
  • ◼️ March 16: Wind Ensemble concert
  • ◼️ March 18: Symphonic Band concert
  • ◼️ March 30: Chamber Winds concert
  • ◼️ April 19: Percussion Ensemble concert
  • ◼️ April 26: Prism Concert (instrumental ensembles)
  • ◼️ April 28: Steel Drum Band concert (8 p.m.).

Paid streams (visit obu.edu/boxoffice):

  • ◼️ 7:30 p.m. Feb. 25-27 and March 1, 2:30 p.m. Feb. 28: Muse Project: "The Old Man & The Old Moon"
  • ◼️ 7:30 p.m. April 15-17, 2:30 p.m. April 18: Spring musical, "Little Women"

Division of Music concerts (livestreamed only, with no live audience, both concerts at 7:30 p.m.):

  • ◼️ April 22: Concert Choir
  • ◼️ April 27: Women's Chorus/Singers

Call (870) 245-5129 or (870) 245-5555.

Governor's awards

The Arkansas Arts Council will honor the eight recipients of the Governor's Arts Awards at a virtual ceremony at 7 p.m. March 19 on Facebook Live and the council's YouTube channel.

The 2021 recipients, announced in December:

  • ◼️ Arts Community Development Award: Pat Qualls-Taylor of Jonesboro
  • ◼️ Arts in Education Award: Kai Coggin of Hot Springs
  • ◼️ Corporate Sponsorship of the Arts Award: Bylites Inc.
  • ◼️ Folklife Award: Joe Doster of Huntsville
  • ◼️ Individual Artist Award: Warren Criswell of Benton
  • ◼️ Patron Award: Bob Bogle Family of Bentonville
  • ◼️ Judges Recognition Award: Elmer Beard of Hot Springs
  • ◼️ Lifetime Achievement Award: Trout Fishing in America.

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