'Small Works on Paper' On View July 1-Aug. 24
/
June Wedding by Jan Waldon of Bentonville is one of 39 pieces on display in the 2022 Small Works on Paper exhibition.
Traveling Exhibition by Arts Council Showcases Arkansas Artists
An annual traveling exhibition showcasing Arkansas artists will stop at the Arts & Science Center.
The 2022 Small Works on Paper exhibition opens Friday, July 1, and will be on display in the International Paper Gallery until Wednesday, Aug. 14.
Rashawn Penister, Untitled
Produced and sponsored by the Arkansas Arts Council, Small Works on Paper is a juried visual art exhibition. Now in its 35th year, it spotlights Arkansas artists who are members of the Arkansas Artist Registry.
This year’s exhibition features 39 artworks by 28 artists from across the state. Most works will be available for sale.
“Small Works on Paper is an annual glimpse into the minds and studios of Arkansas's best artists, as well as a preview of new artists and their portfolios,” said Patrick Ralston, Arkansas Arts Council director. “Across three decades it has shown us an evolving reflection of art and culture in Arkansas."
Small Works on Paper is open to current members of the Arkansas Artist Registry, which is free to join and open to all visual artists who are Arkansas residents ages 18 and older.
Every year, an out-of-state juror selects up to 40 works submitted for the exhibition. All work must be original, on paper, completed within the last two years, and no larger than 18 inches by 24 inches.
Local artists selected for this year’s exhibition include Rashawn Penister of Pine Bluff and Crystal Jennings of Rison.
Penister’s piece is Untitled, created with playing cards and acrylics. ASC recently hosted a solo exhibition of Penister’s work, Life’s A Card Game.
Jennings has two pieces, both in graphite and colored pencil, in the exhibition: Apocalyptic Thinking and This is Not a Cloud. Her work has been featured at ASC in previous Small Works on Paper and Pine Bluff Art League exhibitions. She is also a frequent ASC theater volunteer.
Crystal Jennings, This is Not a Cloud (left) and Apocalyptic Thinking
The rest of the artists with works selected for the exhibition are:
Betsy Brackin Burch of Horseshoe Lake
Brian Cormack of Little Rock
Chris Cranford of Little Rock
Alex DerGazarian of Fayetteville
Margo Duvall of Little Rock
Diana Michelle Hausam of West Fork
Crystal Jennings of Rison
Melissa Lashbrook of Cabot
Sigrid Lorfing of Springdale
Kiaya Luper of Van Buren
Jan Malone of Hot Springs
Dennis McCann of Maumelle
David McRoberts of Sherwood
Mike Means of El Dorado
Rashawn Penister of Pine Bluff
Jason Powers of Ozark
Laura Raborn of Little Rock
David Rackley of Russellville
Lynn Reinbolt of Searcy
Sabine Schmidt of Fayetteville
Derek Slagle of Little Rock
Lam Tze Sheung of Little Rock
Jan Waldon of Bentonville
Equilla Walker of Little Rock
Cathy Wester of Conway
Steven Wise of Rogers
Anna Zusman of Magnolia
Artist Ronald Jackson, who was born and raised in Helena and now resides in Fredericksburg, Virginia, juried the 2022 show. He reviewed about 250 entries from which he selected 39 pieces for the exhibition.
“Paper is the artistic medium in which most artists begin their creative explorations. The appeal that artworks on paper can provide is familiarity and accessibility. It has a way of keeping us anchored to its simplicity because of its use in various forms by all peoples. Artwork on paper presents to us a form of art that is, in most cases, still okay to touch and even handle in hand. Oftentimes, being able to observe and handle artwork up close creates a personal connection and therefore closes the perceived gap between the artist and the viewer.”
“I am honored to have contributed to the selection process of recognizing and rewarding the works of these creative individuals,” Jackson said in his juror’s statement. “I’m encouraged and happy to see that there are many from my home state that are actively engaged with the beauty of life, processing ideas and perspectives through the lenses of their creative minds.”
He also selected works to receive purchase awards, which are cash prizes equivalent to the value of the artworks. Purchase award pieces become part of the Small Works on Paper permanent collection. Each year, up to $2,000 is available; 11 pieces were selected from 2022’s exhibition.
Each Small Works on Paper exhibition travels to up to 10 venues throughout the state in the yearlong show. After closing at ASC on Aug. 14, the exhibition moves on to Harding University in Searcy, where it will be on view from Sept. 1-30.
