What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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8 WHAT'S UP! JANUARY 31-FEBRUARY 6, 2021 FEATURE Tiny But Mighty NWA makes big statement in small works JOCELYN MURPHY NWA Democrat-Gazette F or more than three decades, the Arkansas Arts Council has brought work to the people with its traveling exhibition "Small Works on Paper." A juried exhibition, "Small Works" shines the spotlight on working artists from our state: the exhibition is open only to Arkansas artists and travels to different venues across the state each year, making it uncommon among juried exhibitions. "It's certainly a tradition — a 34-year-old tradition for the Arkansas Arts Council," Patrick Ralston, director of the council, says proudly. "It's something that artists look forward to and that art organizations and galleries across the state look forward to hosting. It's always a tour de force, a showcase of Arkansas' best artists, both new and established." The framework of the exhibition is simple, Ralston says. Works must be no larger than 18-by-24 inches, two-dimensional, able to be framed and submitted by state artists who are part of the Arkansas Artist Registry. (Membership is free.) "You still have a tremendous amount of creativity and variety that can be done," Ralston says, marveling at the diversity of yearly submissions. "So, I would say what I see is that 'Small Works on Paper' consistently reflects the state of mind, the state of our community. It's a cross-section of the portfolio of our artists, but it's also kind of a cross-section of where their heads are at." A maximum of 40 pieces will be chosen to tour over the course of the year. Ralston admits council members were wary that submissions might be drastically fewer for this year due to the pandemic, but that they ended up being delighted at the amount and caliber of the works submitted for 2021. "You can say that it's perhaps a more introspective, maybe a little darker, 'Small Works on Paper' this year," Ralston says of the artists' reflections on 2020. "But I also think that it's a testament to the creativity of artists in the harsh conditions. I just think that creation and creativity has been a refuge for many of our artists." Northwest Arkansas is always strongly represented in the "'Reunion' is inspired by a father, temporarily separated from his family, having the chance to hug his son once more," explains Eloa Jane, Fayetteville multimedia artist. "The inspiration became much more powerful during the covid-19 pandemic after a year of isolation and separation. A hug became a rare commodity. I wanted to focus on the good we miss instead of the bad we face." Jane's powerful piece was chosen as the cover for the exhibition's marketing poster. (Courtesy Image) FAQ 'Small Works on Paper 2021' WHEN — Through 2021 WHERE — Various venues around Arkansas; available online COST — Free INFO — arkansasarts.org FYI — Find artist websites and more information for each creator in the Arkansas Artist Registry at arkansasarts.org