The Traveler

Issue date: 11/5/08 Section: Lifestyles

Media Credit: Veronica Pucci John Watson's photograph "March of Time" (left) and Thad Flenniken's "Eve's Nightmare" (right) are two of 40 art pieces featured in this year's "Small Works on Paper." The annual exhibition showcases work by Arkansas artists and spent almost a year traveling statewide. It will end its tour in the UA Fine Arts Gallery Center.

The 2008 "Small Works on Paper" traveling exhibition made its final stop inside the Fine Arts Center Gallery after almost a year of touring in galleries in all areas of Arkansas. A reception for the exhibit will be hosted 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 9, in the gallery.

The exhibition this year features 40 works by 39 Arkansas artists, of which three are local artists including Don House and UA art professor Joanna Jones of Fayetteville and Steve Wise of Rogers.

"[The show] promotes Arkansas artists," said Shannon Dillard Mitchell, the gallery director at the FAC. "It features artwork people wouldn't [generally] see work from."

The exhibition showcases an eclectic collection of artwork, including photographs, mixed media such as collages and prints, drawings, and paintings. All pieces are formatted in frames invested by the art council, Dillard said.

As the name suggests, the exhibit displays small contemporary works of art no larger than 24-by-24 inches.

"It's an artistic statement that says a lot in a smaller size," Dillard said.

"This exhibit is a good exhibit for students," she said. She also said that she hopes students will be encouraged to submit their own artwork for future "SWOP" exhibitions because it provides "good exposure and [the artwork] goes all over the state."

The "SWOP" is the 21st annual juried exhibition, sponsored by the Arkansas Artist Registry, which is a program of the Arkansas Art Council. It was juried by curator Arlette Klaric and chose four pieces for purchases awards, which becomes a part of the "SWOP" permanent collection.

The four artists selected to receive this year's purchase awards are Virmarie DePoyster of North Little Rock, Jerri Hillis of Hot Springs, Benjamin Krain of Sherwood and William M. McClanahan of England. The recipients received a cash award equivalent to the value of the selected work, according to a press release.

"Small Works on Paper" will be displayed at the Fine Arts Center Gallery until Wednesday, Nov. 26.

More information on the Arkansas Arts Council and its workshops and exhibitions can be found on http://www.arkansasarts.com/programs/swop.asp.

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