ENTERTAINMENT NOTES: ‘Delta Voices’ exhibit showcases 3 Mid-South artists

“The Fool,” by John Isiah Walton, “Vertical Horizon No. 1” by Vaughn Davis Jr. and “Ara I” by Renata Cassiano Alvarez are part of the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts’ online “Delta Voices: Artists of the Mid-South” exhibition. (Special to the Democrat-Gazette)
“The Fool,” by John Isiah Walton, “Vertical Horizon No. 1” by Vaughn Davis Jr. and “Ara I” by Renata Cassiano Alvarez are part of the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts’ online “Delta Voices: Artists of the Mid-South” exhibition. (Special to the Democrat-Gazette)


Elsewhere in entertainment, events and the arts this weekend:

ART: 'Delta Voices'

The first of three video segments of "Delta Voices: Artists of the Mid-South," highlighting the work of sculptor Renata Cassiano Alvarez and painters Vaughn Davis Jr. and John Isiah Walton, goes on display online Wednesday via the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts YouTube channel, youtube.com/c/arkansasmuseumoffinearts. Subsequent "episodes" will debut Aug. 31 and Sept. 7. The virtual exhibition will be up indefinitely.

The videos represent the 2022 edition of the museum's "Delta Exhibition," which since 1958 has "heightened the visibility of artists in the region and reflected shifts in the cultural landscape," according to a news release. It has evolved from an annual juried exhibition at the Arkansas Arts Center into this collaborative virtual series during the institution's transformation into the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts. It's in partnership with regional museums: Alvarez' and Davis' works with the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis; Walton's with the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans. It will become a triennial exhibition once the museum reopens, now scheduled to happen in spring 2023.

The Arkansas Cinema Society hosts a screening of "Delta Voices: Artists of the Mid-South" and panel discussion with the artists, Aug. 31 at the Ron Robinson Theater, 100 River Market Ave., Little Rock. Doors open at 6 p.m. for a pre-screening reception. Admission is free; reservations are encouraged. Visit arkansascinemasociety.org.

MUSIC: Symphony season

The Conway Symphony Orchestra previews its 2022-23 season with its annual free Concert in the Park, 7:15 p.m. Sept. 23 in Laurel Park on Conway's Robinson Avenue.

The orchestra's fall performances will take place at Reynolds Performance Hall; spring concerts will be in the 450-seat Concert Hall at the new Windgate Center for the Fine and Performing Arts, both at the University of Central Arkansas, 201 Donaghey Ave., Conway.

The rest of the lineup (except as noted, 7:30 p.m.; Israel Getzov conducts):

◼️ Oct. 30, 4 p.m. Violinist Alexander Markov performs classical selections and a work for electric violin. Also on the program: "Night on Bald Mountain" by Modest Mussorgsky and the "Symphony No. 5" by Ludwig van Beethoven.

◼️ Dec. 3: "Holiday Spectacular!," featuring the Conway Men's Chorus; Arkansas Festival Ballet dances portions of Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker." And there will be a visit from Santa.

◼️ March 4: Pianist Ana Maria Vera solos in Beethoven's "Piano Concerto No. 1"; also on the program: "Fratres" by Arvo Part with concertmaster Linda Hsu as solo violinist and Ottorino Respighi's "The Pines of Rome."

◼️ April 22: Soprano, Little Rock native and UCA alumna Kristin Lewis performs signature arias and excerpts from her favorite operas.

Season tickets are $95-$190; individual tickets, which go on sale Sept. 15, are $25-$45 for Reynolds Hall concerts, $30-$60 for the Windgate Center, with discounts for UCA faculty; $10 for children 10 and younger with paying adult and UCA students with ID. Call (501) 450-3265 or (501) 269-1066 or visit conwaysymphony.org and facebook.com/conwaysymphony.

ETC.: Podcast workshop

The Arkansas Arts Council hosts a workshop, "Using Podcasting as a Creative's Tool," 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday at American Business Engine, Suite 2848, 400 W. Capitol Ave., Little Rock. Consulting expert Ti King and artist-business expert Elizabeth Silverstein will examine the ins and outs of podcasting targeting Arkansas "creatives." It will also prepare attendees for the Sept. 8 Arkansas Podcast Convention. Admission is free but in-person seating is limited, so it's necessary to register, via eventbrite.com/e/394619937857. This workshop will also be available on Zoom. Email scarlet.sims@arkansas.gov or visit tinyurl.com/y7sj73va.

Genealogy workshop

Lori Thornton, a professional genealogist and academic librarian, is the featured speaker for the Central Arkansas Library System's Butler Center for Arkansas Studies' hybrid 2022 Genealogy Workshop, 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Oct. 1 in the Ron Robinson Theater, 100 River Market Ave., Little Rock. Participants can attend in person or participate virtually via Zoom. Visit tinyurl.com/mw5p5v3 or register (in person or virtually) at tinyurl.com/mtbrpms5. The workshop will not be recorded or livestreamed and will not be available to view later.

Sessions include "Online Resources for Southeastern States Research," "Descendant Research: Finding DNA Matches and Other Contemporary Cousins," "Left Behind: Wills and Probate for the Genealogist -- Learn what records are available," and "Social Media for Genealogists." Doors open at 9 a.m. Admission is free. Free validated parking is available in the surface lot across from the Main Library and the parking deck at Rock Street and President Clinton Avenue.


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