Elsewhere in entertainment, events and the arts:
Cutting-edge exhibit
"James Black: Life and Legacy," a look at the man who forged the so-called Bowie Knife for James Bowie, is on display through Jan. 28 — 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday in the 1874 Courthouse Visitor Center at Historic Washington State Park, off U.S. 278, nine miles north of Hope.
The exhibit includes some knives, originals and reproductions; a Daguerreotype on loan from the Historic Arkansas Museum connected to Black; a fork, said to be made by Black for a local doctor around 1825; and other artifacts. Admission is free. Call (870) 983-2684 or visit HistoricWashingtonStatePark.com. Reach the park by taking Exit 30 off Interstate 30.
A Sheffield Knife, c. 1835, made in Sheffield, England, for the distributor Graveley and Wreak in New York, is based on James Black’s Coffin-Handle design. (Historic Arkansas Museum)
Airport art
The Art in the Airport program at Little Rock's Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport is issuing an open call to commission an artist with an Arkansas connection to create a site-specific work in the airport's concourse.
The artist or team selected by the six-member Airport Art Committee will design and possibly fabricate and install a work made from durable, low maintenance materials on a concourse-area wall that is approximately 36 feet long by 8.5 feet high.
Deadline to apply is May 9, via online application service Call for Entry: callforentry.org. Artists will be asked to share a statement explaining their interest in the project and how they may approach the commission; they can also submit images of previously completed artwork.
The committee will select three to five finalists to receive a stipend to develop specific proposals and advise airport management on artist selection and approval of the final design for installation in 2023. The selected artist will receive a design fee of $12,500 with a separate budget for fabrication and installation.
Visit clintonairport.com/art for more information.
Top poet
Lia Lawson, a senior at Wonderview High School in Hattieville (Conway County), who emerged as champion from the 2022 Arkansas Poetry Out Loud on March 12, advances to the Poetry Out Loud National Semifinals, which take place May 1 online at arts.gov. Lawson will compete in the second semifinal round, at 2 p.m. She'll be one of 55 competitors, the winners from each of the 50 states plus American Samoa, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Nine finalists will advance to the National Finals, online June 5 at arts.gov. The competition will distribute $50,000 in awards and school stipends, including the $20,000 prize for the national champion. Visit tinyurl.com/588cczck.
Summer art camp
The University of Arkansas at Little Rock department of art and design will host a free residential summer intensive art camp June 20-24 for up to 60 rising high school juniors and seniors.
The artWAYS 2022 camp will include art materials, meals, housing and evening activities at no cost to the students via a grant from the Windgate Foundation.
Robert Bean will be the instructor for "Drawing the Dynamic Figure"; Joli Livaudais will cover "Lensless Photography"; artist-in-residence Lydia Martin will be the instructor for "From Start to Finish: Learn to Make Your Own Jewelry"; and graphic design professor Kevin Cates will teach "Typographic Sculptures."
May 1 is the deadline to apply, via tinyurl.com/52vu3pje. Students will move onto the campus June 19 and depart after the camp ends June 24.
For more information, call (501) 916-5107 or email amtompkins@ualr.edu