Entertainment, events and the arts this weekend:
THEATER: Chinese culture
"Shen Yun," a reflection of 5,000 years of Chinese culture in music and dance with an orchestra in the pit, is onstage at 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday at Robinson Center Performance Hall, 426 W. Markham St. at Broadway, Little Rock. Remaining tickets are $83-$153. Visit ticketmaster.com or ticketsonsale.com/theater/shen-yun-performing-arts.
SPECIAL EVENTS: Bridal Show, live
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Bridal Show, in its 27th year, returns as a live, in-person event, 12:30-4 p.m. Sunday, at the Statehouse Convention Center, Markham and Main streets, Little Rock. More than 50 exhibitors, including florists, entertainment companies, photographers and fashion experts, will be on hand to help couples plan weddings. The event will feature fashion shows with wedding and bridesmaid's gowns and floral creations.
Tickets, $10, are available at arkansasbridalcommunity.com. A limited number of VIB (Very Important Bride) tickets, $50, include early entry into the show, bride T-shirt, bride tote full of swag from sponsors, reserved seating for the fashion shows and access to VIB-only events and prizes. One couple will win the Ultimate Giveaway, valued at more than $5,000. Other prizes will be given out throughout the show.
Attendees receive a 2022 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Bridal Planner, a full-color guide to planning a wedding including timelines and inspiration from actual Arkansas weddings. Sponsors include The Bridal Cottage, Dillard's and Oaklawn. Call (501) 378-3807.
ART: 'Anticipating Spring'
"On a Sunday Afternnoon" is on display through the end of March as part of “Anticipating Spring,” works by Benton artist Linda Mellberg, at Little Rock's Christ Episcopal Church. (Special to the Democrat-Gazette)
"Anticipating Spring," works by Benton artist Linda Mellberg, primarily in acrylics and mixed media but including experiments with other media (charcoal, oil pastels and collage), goes on display at a 5-7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 11 reception in the Parish House Gallery at Christ Episcopal Church, 509 Scott St., Little Rock. [Editor's Note: This reception was originally scheduled for Friday, Jan. 14, but was postponed.] The exhibit will remain up and artworks will be for sale, 9 a.m.-noon Sundays through the end of March. For more information email winston426@gmail.com.
'Into the Woods'
"Into the Woods," recent watercolor paintings of woodlands and streams by Washington artist Barry D. Lindley, go on display Friday at Cantrell Gallery, 8208 Cantrell Road, Little Rock. The after-hours reception for that date has been cancelled, and in its place there will be a virtual gallery talk via Zoom on Feb. 2nd. Additionally, a narrated virtual tour of the exhibit will be available on the gallery's YouTube channel by Friday. The artwork will be up through March 5. Admission to the gallery and reception are free. Gallery hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday or by appointment. Call (501) 224-1335 or visit cantrellgallery.com.
Students 'Inspired'
Works by students at Northeast Arkansas high and junior high schools go on display today with a 5-6:30 p.m. reception at the Bradbury Art Museum, in Arkansas State University's Fowler Center, 201 Olympic Drive, Jonesboro.
For the seventh "Inspired" exhibition, high school students took an interactive tour of the museum and created artwork influenced by the works on display — in this case, a former exhibition titled "Legends." Juror Peter Kuper, a graphic artist whose work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Nation and Mad Magazine, selected which pieces would go into the exhibition — works by 51 students from nine schools — and which are receiving awards.
The exhibition will remain up through Feb. 2. Admission is free. Gallery hours are noon-5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Call (870) 972-3765 or visit BradburyArtMuseum.org.
'Yesterday Once More'
Fayetteville's Walton Arts Center, 495 W. Dickson St., displays "Yesterday Once More," photographs of family and the Arkansas and Mississippi River Delta regions by Arkansas native and University of Arkansas faculty member Aaron R. Turner, Saturday through April 3 in the center's Joy Pratt Markham Gallery. A reception has been rescheduled to Feb. 3. Admission to the reception and the exhibition are free. Gallery hours are 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Friday. Visit waltonartscenter.org.
Pinch-pot workshop
Troy DeBill, a fine arts teacher and EAST Initiative facilitator for White Hall Middle School, will be the instructor for a "Pinch Pot Pottery Workshop," 1-4 p.m. Saturday in the Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas' The ARTSpace on Main, 623 S. Main St., Pine Bluff. The workshop, for ages 13 and older — no experience necessary — will cover the basics of working with low-fire earthenware (terra cotta) clay and glazes; participants will learn techniques to create unique vessels. Cost is $65, $55 for arts center members. Visit asc701.org/adult-classes to register. For more information, call (870) 395-7059 or email rdaigle@asc701.org.
DANCE: Square-dance classes
The Sheridan Swinging Jackets will offer square dance lessons for ages 13 and up from 7-9 p.m. Saturday at the Sheridan Recreation Center, 1511 S. Rose St., Sheridan. The first three classes are introductory and free. After that, the fee is $5. Call (870) 883-1363.