ART
"A Cast of Blues," a traveling exhibit of 15 resin-cast masks of blues legends by artist Sharon McConnell-Dickerson and 15 color photographs of performers and of juke joints by Ken Murphy celebrating Mississippi's musical heritage, goes on display today, in the Merkle and Price Galleries at the South Arkansas Arts Center, 110 E. Fifth St., El Dorado. There will be an opening reception 5:30-7 p.m. Thursday.
Visitors are encouraged to touch the masks. The exhibition features labels in Braille and a closed-captioned film about the project.
The exhibit is up through Oct. 6. Gallery hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday. Admission is free. Call (870) 862-5474 or visit saac-arts.org.
'Southern Voice'
Arkansas artist Craig Colorusso will display an outdoor work as part of the "Points of Intersection" portion of "Southern Voices/Global Visions," a citywide exhibition on display Sept. 23-Dec. 3 in Lake City, S.C. The exhibition features the works of 42 contemporary artists from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, and West Virginia.
"Points of Intersection" features immersive installations "that encourage the audience to engage with other disciplines and fields of study," according to a news release. "Moving from STEM to STEAM, some of these installations reveal how art can articulate and reinvent concepts from the vital disciplines of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics."
The exhibition, put on by South Arts and ArtFields, also includes other thematic sections, each exploring different aspects of the Southern experience, titled "Global Views of Home," "Mythically Speaking: Southern Past," "Sounding Off: Southern Present" and "Digging Deeper: Personal Identity."
Visit southernvoicesglobalvisions.com.
In residence at UCA
New Orleans-based textile and beadwork artist Cherice Harrison-Nelson, in residence Wednesday-Thursday at the University of Central Arkansas, will host a screening of the film "Keeper of the Flame," exploring the Black Indian tradition from a woman's perspective at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts Concert Hall, Donaghey Avenue and Bruce Street, Conway. A question-and-answer session will follow. Admission is free.
Ahead of the screening, Harrison-Nelson will host a workshop titled "Storytelling Through Shadow Box," 5-6:30 p.m. Wednesday. And she will give a public performance of "The Plague Doctor," 1:40-2:30 p.m. Thursday at the Alumni Circle in front of Old Main at UCA. In the event of rain, the performance will be move to Ida Waldran Auditorium in Old Main. And Hearne Fine Art Gallery, 1001 Wright Ave., Little Rock, will hold a reception for Harrison-Nelson, 5:30-7 p.m. Thursday.
ETC.
Training workshop
The Arkansas Historic Preservation Program hosts a training workshop on how to prepare a nomination for the National Register of Historic Places, 9 a.m. Saturday at the Division of Arkansas Heritage, 1100 North St., Little Rock. Admission is free but there's a 20-person limit. Register by calling Ralph Wilcox at (501) 324-9880 or via email at ralph.wilcox@arkansas.gov.
AUDITIONS
Christmas 'Miracle'
Argenta Community Theater, 405 Main St., North Little Rock, holds auditions for "Miracle on 34th Street: The Play," adapted for the stage by Ben Lomond from the 1947 film, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sept. 16. Auditions will consist of readings from the script; "sides" will be available. Callbacks will be Sept. 17. A list of principal roles is at argentacommunitytheater.org; director Vincent Insalaco will also cast eight to 10 adults and eight to 10 children for an ensemble and as carolers. Production dates are Dec. 6-17. Make an audition appointment by emailing casting@argentacommunitytheater.org.
Fort Smith ballets
Western Arkansas Ballet holds open auditions Sept. 16 for its 38th annual production of Peter Tchaikovsky's ballet "The Nutcracker" and its spring ballet, "The Wizard of Oz," at its studio, 4701 Grand Ave., Fort Smith. Dancers should be at least 6 years old with at least two years' experience in dance and/or gymnastics; there are also parts available for adults and boys with little or no dance experience. Audition times: Girls and boys ages 6-8, 10 a.m.-noon; ages 9-11, 12:15-2:15 p.m.; ages 12 and up, 2:30-4 p.m. There is a $60 fee to audition for both ballets, $45 for only one ($30 refundable if you are not cast). "Nutcracker" performances are Dec. 16-17; "Wizard of Oz," April 6-7. Register by calling (479) 785-0152 or at websitwaballet.org.
Resin castings by Sharon McConnell-Dickerson of blues legends Bobby Blue Bland, Bo Diddley and Koko Taylor are part of "A Cast of Blues," on display starting today at the South Arkansas Arts Center in El Dorado. (Special to the Democrat-Gazette)
Resin castings by Sharon McConnell-Dickerson of blues legends Bobby Blue Bland, Bo Diddley and Koko Taylor are part of "A Cast of Blues," on display starting today at the South Arkansas Arts Center in El Dorado. (Special to the Democrat-Gazette)
New Orleans-based textile and beadwork artist Cherice Harrison-Nelson is in residence this week at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway. (Special to the Democrat-Gazette)