Searles — an illustrator, the head of the art department at Arkansas Tech University and the artist behind our cover illustration this month — is creating a graphic memoir about the experience, including depictions of the devastation as she saw it on March 31, 2023.
AE Feature
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Organized chaos: An oral history of Kanis skatepark
Operating without a formal structure or corporate entity, the Kanis skate crew formed an unlikely partnership with the city of Little Rock and became central players in an urban revitalization success story. Initially fueled by hard manual labor and grassroots fundraising, the crew expanded the park with a $150,000 grant from the Coca-Cola Co. in 2016.
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A first look at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts
If you were one of the lucky ones who snagged a ticket to the grand opening before reservations filled up, you know firsthand that there’s simply too much dazzling stimuli to absorb (much less write about) in a single visit. Check out our conversations with Executive Director Victoria Ramirez and Curator Theresa Bembnister, plus a few highlights you’ve gotta see in person.
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Balancing Art & People: A Q&A with Victoria Ramirez
“I love the fact that when you come in, it’s very intuitive, the way that you navigate the museum,” Ramirez said. “You can stand at certain points in the atrium and you can see clear through north to south. … It’s not a maze.”
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Covering the Walls: A Q&A with Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts curator Theresa Bembnister
“When we use the word ‘permanent,'” curator Theresa Bembnister said, “that doesn’t mean that every work is permanently going to be on display; it just means that the museum owns the work. So if you come back in six months, you’re going to see new things on the wall. I can promise that for sure.”
Posted inAE Feature
Pope County’s Eli Cranor appears poised to break out big
A year after he released his acclaimed debut, “Don’t Know Tough,” Cranor has a new novel out today that’s a must-read. It’s called “Ozark Dogs,” and like his first book, it’s a propulsive, gritty thriller that’s all Arkansas. If you like crime novels, or fiction that thoroughly inhabits places you know, Cranor is your man.
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The Transference of Pain: Riding the synth waves with The Chores
The Chores on connecting with audiences, recording with Jason Tedford and what they did during summer vacation.
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‘Can’t Afford California’ (or Nashville, or NYC): Why Arkansas musicians are exiting industry towns and returning home
Emily Fenton, Dazzmin Murry, Bonnie Montgomery, Jessie Ott, Nick Flora, Nick Shoulders and Jonah Thornton left Arkansas for greener musical pastures. Now, they’ve returned with new music, new perspectives and a renewed love for their native state.
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Dan Penn, master of the ‘slow pocket’
Along with songwriting co-conspirators like Spooner Oldham, Penn became one of the bright lights of the Muscle Shoals and Memphis music machines of the 1960s, and was the writer behind such epic soul classics as “Do Right Woman,” “I’m Your Puppet,” “Dark End of the Street,” “Out of Left Field,” “It Tears Me Up” and “You Left the Water Running.” He plays at the White Water Tavern Sunday, Oct. 30, at 7 p.m. sharp.
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Heavy Load Blues: A Q&A with Warren Haynes of Gov’t. Mule
Gov’t Mule’s Warren Haynes on playing Juanita’s, Larry McCray and the future of the blues.