Historic Arkansas Museum Exhibit Opening August 12

Jorge Villegas
Jim Volkert
Brittany McDonald
Ross Burnham
BY ELLEN KORENBLAT
Historic Arkansas Museum is proud to present The J.V. Double: Jorge Villegas and Jim Volkert in the Trinity Gallery for Arkansas Artists and Digital Exposure: Ross Burnham and Brittany McDonald in the Second Floor Gallery.

There will be a free opening reception for both exhibits 5 - 8 p.m. August 12, in conjunction with downtown Little Rock’s 2nd Friday Art Night. The artists’ works will be available for purchase in the Museum Store. A free shuttle is available to transport visitors to other Art Night venues. Shuttle service ends at 8:30 p.m.

The J.V. Double, on exhibit through November 6, is an unexpected pairing featuring new drawings by Mr. Villegas of El Dorado and conceptual sculpture by Mr. Volkert of Conway.

In his latest series, Jorge departs from earlier abstract works and explores portraiture, observing, “I realize with surprise how much I am taken with human beauty.” His deepest memories have always been visual, from his father’s hands to the beauty in his mother’s eyes. These works acknowledge this and reflect his sentiment, “Through the eye, love attains the heart.”

Jim's work is the natural result of his boyhood interest in hobby shops, his studio art training, his many years as a museum professional and his fascination with “the object” and its next level of engagement. “Some objects are machines that sit strangely at the cusp of pivotal art historical moments. Some are illogical extensions of the idea of the work,” he explains, “And some are simply referential bon-bons.”

Digital Exposure, on exhibit through October 9, reveals the creative process of two Little Rock-based emerging artists. The exhibit features Mr. Burnham’s digital paintings, which transpose the natural world into the digital realm in a surprisingly painterly and naturalistic way. It also presents a series of photographs by Ms. McDonald that take the environment to abstraction through reductive, tactile compositions. Ross and Brittany each navigate traditional out-of-doors subject matter in a new way through contemporary digital media.

Historic Arkansas Museum is open 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 - 5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission to the galleries and parking are free; tours of historic grounds are $2.50 for adults, $1 for children under 18, $1.50 for senior citizens. The Historic Arkansas Museum Store is open 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 1 - 4 p.m. on Sunday.

Historic Arkansas Museum is an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage, which was created in 1975 to preserve and enhance the heritage of the state of Arkansas. Other agencies of the department are Delta Cultural Center in Helena, Arkansas Arts Council, Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, Mosaic Templars Cultural Center and Old State House Museum.