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30 Americans Programs

Member Preview Feed Your Mind Fridays 


Lecture Series Film Series Late Nights Poetry 

For Students For Families Special Tours

FREE drop in tours

Drop in and get inspired by 30 Americans with a free docent-led tour!
Saturdays
1 p.m.

Sundays
1 p.m.

Explore the 30 Americans exhibition independently with our printed gallery guides.

Member Reception & Preview

April 9, 2015, 6 - 8:30 p.m.

Featuring a lecture by 30 Americans artist Hank Willis Thomas

Hank Willis Thomas, a photo conceptual artist, will speak on themes related to identity, history and popular culture. A reception will be held where members will get a first look at the 30 Americans exhibition before it opens to the public.

Lower Lobby & Alice Pratt Brown Atrium.

Call 501-372-4000 for Tickets

Feed Your Mind Friday

“Arkansas Voices in the Gallery” Series

Fridays (April 10 - June 19, 2015), 12 p.m.

Hear from a different artist each Friday about 30 Americans.

April 10: Silverpoint and drawing media: Marjorie Smith
April 17: Delita Martin
April 24: “Using Colors to Create a Voice”: Virmarie DePoyster
May 8: A.J. Smith
May 15: David Clemons
May 22: “A Collector’s View”: Garbo and Dr. Archie Hearne
June 12: Dr. Jeff Grubbs UALR
June 19: Angela Davis Johnson

Meet at the Stephens Inc. Visitors Center.
Free

Carrie Mae Weems: Speaking of Art (Film)

June 5, 2015, 12 p.m.

29 minutes

In 2004 Checkerboard had the privilege of filming Carrie Mae Weems discussing her body of work, comprised of 17 projects spanning more than two decades (1981-2004). This dynamic presentation was accompanied by slides of the artist’s photographs and excerpts from her video art. The result is a chaptered lecture guided by Weems’s seductive voice and passionate presence. The viewer is transported into her world as she details what she is trying to uncover, illuminate, investigate and provoke. 

Lower Lobby Lecture Hall
Free

Lecture Series

“Building 30 Americans: A Collector’s Journey”

May 7, 2015, 6 p.m.


30 Americans collectors Donald and Mera Rubell and Juan Roselione-Valadez, Director, Rubell Family Collection and Contemporary Arts Foundation, will discuss the art of building a collection. In addition, Shinique Smith, mixed media artist collected by the Rubells and featured in 30 Americans will be part of our panel. The panel discussion will be facilitated by Dr. Todd Herman.

Lower Lobby Lecture Hall
Free for members, $10 for non-members
Call 501-372-4000 for tickets

“Art as Activism”

June 18, 2015, 6:30 p.m.

In collaboration with Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, Dr. Ila Sheren, author and professor at Washington University in St. Louis will host a discussion with Thomas Allen Harris, filmmaker of “Through A Lens Darkly: Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People,” Dr. Deborah Willis, Tisch School of the Arts Photography and Imaging Department Chair, Charley Palmer, mixed media artist, and Delita Martin, artist, Black Box Press studios.

Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, 501 W. 9th Street (9th and Broadway)
Free

Film Series

May 31, 2015, 2 p.m.

Jean-Michel Basquiat: Radiant Child
88 minutes
In his short career, Jean-Michel Basquiat was a phenomenon. He became notorious for his graffiti art under the moniker Samo in the late 1970s on the Lower East Side scene, sold his first painting to Deborah Harry for $200 and became best friends with Andy Warhol. Appreciated by both the art cognoscenti and the public, Basquiat was launched into international stardom. However, soon his cult status began to override the art that had made him famous in the first place.

June 7, 2015, 2 p.m.

Through a Lens Darkly: Carrie Mae Weems, Lyle Ashton Harris, Deborah Willis, Hank Willis Thomas

92 minutes
The first documentary to explore the American family photo album through the eyes of black photographs. Probes the recesses of American history to discover images that have suppressed, forgotten or lost. From slavery to the present, these extraordinary images unveil a world confronting the difficult edges of citizenship and what it means to be human. Features work by Carrie Mae Weems, Lorna Simpson, Anthony Barboza, Hank Willis Thomas, Coco Fusco, Lyle Ashton Harris and others.

June 14, 2015, 2 p.m.

Kehinde Wiley: An Economy of Grace

60 minutes
Follow renowned artist Kehinde Wiley as he creates a new series of paintings. Known for his vibrant reinterpretations of classical portraits featuring African-American men, New York-based painter Kehinde Wiley has turned the practice of portraiture on its head and in the process has taken the art world by storm. The film offers a tantalizing look at the intersection of art and fashion and an intimate portrait of one of this generation’s most intriguing and accomplished visionaries.

Lower Lobby Lecture Hall

Free

Late Nights

“Assembly Required: Hack into Your Social Justice Super Power”

May 15, 2015, 6 - 10 p.m.

A highly interactive, fun, non-traditional adult museum experience combining music, art, and opportunities for art-making. Enjoy drinks, music and get inspired by the 30 Americans exhibition.

Alice Pratt Brown Atrium and all Galleries

“Assembly Required: Hack into Your Inner Kehinde Wiley”

June 12, 2015, 6 - 10 p.m.


A highly interactive, fun, non-traditional adult museum experience combining music, art, and opportunities for art-making. Enjoy drinks, music and get inspired by the 30 Americans exhibition.
Alice Pratt Brown Atrium and all Galleries 

Poetry

“Art on Art: An Ekphrastic Slam” Voices for 30 Americans


June 2, 2015, 6:30 p.m.
The original and only Ekphrastic Poetry Slam in America brings some of the nation’s best poets to the Arts Center. Do not miss this unique opportunity to see 30 Americans come alive through a completely different art form. For more information visit arkansasartscenter.org/ekphrastic-slam.

Lower Lobby Lecture Hall
Call 501-372-4000 for tickets

For Students

The Gathering: “Art as Activism” 

May 1, 2015, 6 - 9 p.m.

15-18 year olds will share ideas about social justice using visual, language, and musical arts. For more information visit arkansasartscenter.org/the-gathering.

Large Courtyard
$8 in advance, $10 at the door

For Families 

“Super Sunday Free Family Fundays”

Sundays (April 12 - June 21), 12 - 3 p.m.

These “Free Family Sundays” offer families an opportunity to engage the exhibit more memorably through hands-on exploration of techniques used by the artists on display, scavenger hunts throughout the museum for prizes, and fun-fact presentations that investigate a particular artist or art object more closely. Experiences will change weekly, so come back again and again for art-making family exploration of 30 Americans.

Alice Pratt Brown Atrium
Free

“Family Festival” and Young Arkansas Artist Reception

May 2, 2015, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Families will have the opportunity to engage with 30 Americans through hands-on exploration and attend a reception for the 54th Young Arkansas Artist exhibition.

Alice Pratt Brown Atrium and 30 Americans Galleries 

Special Tours

“Art Together” 

Third Mondays of the month, 10 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

This gallery experience for those with dementia spectrum illnesses and their care partners will focus on 30 Americans.

Meet at the Stephens Inc. Visitors Center
Free, call 501-372-4000 for reservations