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APRIL 2004

Young Arkansas Artists 43rd Annual Exhibition

Through May 2, 2004

Wolfe Gallery

This exhibition features some of the best artwork by Arkansas students in kindergarten through 12th grade. Drawings, paintings, collages, sculptures and crafts are all on view. No one can resist these wonderful and witty works of art! Children featured in the exhibition will be honored at reception at the Arts Center on Sunday, March 14, 2004.

Age of Armor from the Higgins Armory Museum

Organized by Smith Kramer Fine Art Services

Through May 16, 2004

JE Rockefeller Gallery

From the legendary warriors of Greek antiquity, to the knights of the Middle Ages, to the superheroes of modern comic books, the idea of personal body armor has an enduring hold on the human imagination. Anchored by seven suits of armor, ranging from the early sixteenth century to the mid-seventeenth, this exhibition of 60 artifacts explores the many facets of plate armor during its classical age.

Summer Theatre Academy Auditions

April 10, 2004 6pm

Arkansas Arts Center Lower Lobby

Attention all junior high and senior high school students! Auditions for the summer’s most popular activity are around the corner. Choose to audition on any of the above dates for acceptance into Summer Theatre Academy. This year’s academy has been extended to six full weeks and the abbreviated workshops are now three weeks, for more extensive training. To receive a brochure and accompanying audition form, call 501-372-4000.

The Adventures of Peter Rabbit

Through April 11, 2004

Children’s Theatre

It’s springtime! Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton-tail and Peter Rabbit are ready to romp and explore the world. Mother Rabbit gives a stern word of warning. “My dears, you may run and play in the fields…, but don’t go into Mr. McGregor’s garden.” And so begins a day of mischief and adventure for one naughty little bunny-Peter Rabbit.

Lecture by David Nash

April 15, 2004 6 p.m.

Arkansas Arts Center Lecture Hall

David Nash carves wood sculpture reminiscent of vessels, sheaves, columns, boxes and other geometric forms. His work is in the collection of major museums in Europe, North America and Asia including the Tate Gallery in London and St. Ives, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Arkansas Arts Center recently acquired a sculpture and a drawing, both entitled “Crack and Warp Column,” which were made during Nash’s residency at Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina last year. View slides of his work as Nash discusses the works and his process. Call 501-372-4000 for more information.

George Washington: A National Treasure

An exhibition organized by the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, and made possible through the generosity of the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation.

April 23 – August 22, 2004

The “Lansdowne” portrait of George Washington is an American treasure, an iconic painting whose historical and cultural importance has been compared to that of the Liberty Bell and the Declaration of Independence. Painted by Gilbert Stuart, the most prestigious portraitist of his day, the 208-year-old painting has a storied past. The commonly used title – “Lansdowne” – is derived from the name of the person for whom it was painted, the first Marquis of Lansdowne. It was commissioned in 1796 by one of America’s wealthiest men, Senator William Bingham of Pennsylvania, and his wife Anne, for the marquis, a British supporter of the American cause in Parliament during the American Revolution. The gift was a remarkable gesture of gratitude and a symbol of reconciliation between America and Great Britain. The painting was displayed in Lansdowne’s London mansion until his death in 1805, after which it remained in private hands and was eventually incorporated into the collection of the 5th Earl of Rosebery around 1890. It has traveled to America only three times since its creation, the last time when it was loaned to the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in 1968.


In spring 2001, the National Portrait Gallery rescued the portrait from potential auction, thanks to a generous $30 million gift from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation of Las Vegas, Nevada. By making the National Portrait Gallery the Lansdowne portriat’s permanent home, the foundation has preserved this American artifact for generations to come. Little Rock marks the last stop on the portrait’s historic national tour, then it will retire permanently to the nation’s capitol. It is unlikely the portrait will ever travel again.