New exhibitions and a competition are ushering in the 2014 art year, with 2nd Friday Art Night, dueling portraitists Saturday at the Arkansas Arts Center and more.
Galleries downtown will be open 5-8 p.m. Jan. 10 for 2nd Friday and the Old State House will debut a film series, “Second Friday Cinema.”
Among Friday’s after-hours art venues are the Butler Center Galleries in the Arkansas Studies Institute, 401 President Clinton Ave., where “Unusual Portraits: New Works by Michael Warrick and David O’Brien” opens and Das Loop provides music; the Historic Arkansas Museum, 200 E. Third, which opens “Chasing the Light,” photographs by Brian Chilson, photographer for the Arkansas Times, and where Phil G. and Lori Marie will provide music; and Stratton’s, 405 E. Third, which will show paintings by Barry Thomas and host a wine tasting. The Second Friday Cinema series at OSH opens with three short films starring Gilbert “Broncho Billy” Anderson: “The Great Train Robbery” (1903), “Broncho Billy’s Fatal Joke” (1914) and “The Son-of-a-Gun” (1919). Screenings start at 6 p.m. and Ben Fry, KLRE/KUAR general manager and coordinator of the film minor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, will lead a discussion.
Other 2nd Friday venues include Paper, Scissors, Little Rock, 300 River Market Ave.; Cox Creative Center, 120 River Market, and Gallery 221 and Art Studios 221, 221 W. 2nd St.
Also opening Friday: “Music, Myth and the Hard Travelin’ Man,” linoleum cut prints by Neal Harrington, associate professor of art at Arkansas Tech University, at Cantrell Gallery, 8206 Cantrell Road. An artist’s reception is set for 6-8 p.m. Friday.
“Face Off: A Portraiture Competition” will be a bracketed contest between pairs of artists from 2-5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 11, at the Arts Center. To enter, email lpalermo@arkansasartscenter.org. The portraits created by the two artists in the final bracket will be exhibited at the Arts Center.
Next door, at the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History, a panel discussion, “David O. Dodd: The Man, the Myth and the Window,” runs from 1-4 p.m.; the stained glass window provides the art element here.
Coming Wednesday, Jan. 15, to UALR is “Conundrum,” recent work by David Clemons, artist in residence and head of metals at the university. The show includes multimedia work in forged and fabricated mild steel, bronze and cast concrete.
Laman Library, 2801 Orange St. in North Little Rock, has opened “George Fisher: The Presidents Exhibit,” work by the late editorial cartoonist for the Arkansas Gazette and Arkansas Times. The show goes down Jan. 19. Also in North Little Rock: Good Weather Gallery, the gallery in a garage at 4400 Edgemere, is featuring photographs by Trisha Holt.
The 27th annual “Small Works on Paper” exhibition of the Arkansas Arts Council starts its year-long tour Thursday, Jan. 9, at the Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas. The 2014 show features works (all no larger than 24 by 24 inches) by 39 Arkansas artists. Juror Mary Kennedy, CEO of Mid-America Arts Alliance, selected 10 artists to receive purchase awards: Cindy Arsaga and Cindy Wiseman of Fayetteville, Claire Cade of Arkadelphia, Houston Fryer and Richard Stephens of Hot Springs, Lisa Kendrick and Miranda Young of Little Rock, Tom Richard of Monticello, Carrie Walker of Cabot and Carrie Wester of Conway.
The show will travel to Arkansas Tech for the month of February and eight other venues after that.