• Emily Wood's "Baby Shower"

Sculpture by Tim Imhauser, graphite drawings by Jason Powers and paintings on plywood by Emily Wood go on display today at the Historic Arkansas Museum in an exhibit named "Creating the Elements of Discovery." The 2nd Friday Art Night reception, from 5-8 p.m. tonight, will also feature a book-signing by Jane Hankins, who's given literary life to her three-dimensional figures in the book "Madge's Mobile Home Park," and music by Sean Rock and Roland Gladden on guitar and upright bass.

The rubber-wheeled trolley will help art lovers troll tonight between HAM, StudioMain, the Butler Center Galleries in the Arkansas Studies Institute, Gallery 221, and the River Market. The trolley ends its run at 8:30 p.m.

A news release about the HAM show says "each artist’s approach makes way for a subtle discovery, into object, person and place."

• UACDC envisions 17th and Main

At tomorrow night's art troll around downtown, get a peek at the possible future of South Main Street at StudioMain, 1423 S. Main St. There, from 5-9 p.m., you'll see "Student Perception," an exhibit of revitalization ideas by architecture students from the University of Arkansas Community Design Center in Fayetteville. Their work is part of a larger redevelopment plan for the 60-block area known as the Pettaway neighborhood.

Also on exhibit at StudioMain for 2nd Friday: the winning entries from the Wine and Design Fashion Show put on April 26 by local members of the American Society of Interior Designers.

• Student drawing of Gov. Winthrop Rockefeller

"Rockefeller Elementary Celebrates Governor Rockefeller," an exhibit designed by Rockefeller students and teachers that gives a history of the late governor of Arkansas through photographs, documents and artwork, is on exhibit at the Butler Center Galleries in the Arkansas Studies Institute, 401 President Clinton Ave., which will celebrate 2nd Friday Art Night tonight with a reception from 5-8 p.m. Matt Stone and Friends will provide live music.

Also on exhibit, in ASI's Concordia Hall, is “Making a Place: The Jewish Experience in Arkansas.”

• Page from "The Silence of Our Friends"

An exhibit of drawings by celebrated Arkansas-born graphic artist Nate Powell opens today at the Historic Arkansas Museum; the 2nd Friday Art Night reception for the artist is 5-8 p.m. tonight.

"Nate Powell: Cross Sections" includes work from a dozen projects over a 14-year period. Powell is the winner of the 2009 Eisner Award for Best Graphic Novel for "Swallow Me Whole" and 2008 and 2009 Ignatz Awards for Outstanding Artist and Outstanding Debut.

Powell, who formed the punk ensemble Soophie Nun Squad with artist Michael Lierly and Nathan Wilson, writes about the show:

With this exhibition, I present core samples from more than a dozen different projects over 14 years. The first period of work, from 1998 to about 2005, is defined by focus on failed communication, guilt, transience, and thinly-veiled desire. The second era, lasting until about 2008, is more focused on unassuming depictions of highly subjective experiences and characters, finally exploring dread, menace, selfishness, and loss of control. Works from 2009 to 2012 condense these questions, reintroducing them as more pointed narratives about Southern culture, shifting notions of identity, questionable legacies, and the threat of violence.

The Isaac Alexander Band will play and Sharea Soup will serve soup. Powell's work will hang in the second floor gallery through June 3.

• Louise Harris painting at the Courtyard Marriott

Louise Harris is the featured Artgroup Maumelle artist at the Courtyard Marriott tonight, 5-8 p.m. The 2nd Friday Art Night event will feature a painting demonstration and other works by members of the artists' collective.

• Tom Richard's "The Bifurcated Consciousness of Alienated Women Inquirers."

The Smittle Band will play and wine provided by Crush Wine Bar will be tasted at Historic Arkansas Museum's 2nd Friday event. On exhibit are works by Tom Richard, Bryan Massey, Sarah May Leflar and Amber Uptigrove.

StudioMain at 1423 Main St. has an architectural exhibit, "The History of Our Downtown"; the Green Corner Store next door has "recycled art"; and the Old State House Museum is showing "Things You Need to Hear: Memories of Group Up in Arkansas from 1890 to 1980."

• Martha Alman

An exhibit that focuses on Jewish history in Arkansas opens tomorrow in the Arkansas Studies Institute's Butler Center main gallery. Reception is 5-8 p.m. Friday, for 2nd Friday Art Night.

"Making a Place: The Jewish Experience in Arkansas" will included photographs and other artifacts to that illustrate Jewish immigration, their initial isolation, and eventual assimilation and success in business here.

The Arkansas Studies Institute is an apt place to present the exhibition, given the building's Concordia Hall, which served as a social gathering place for Jewish residents in the late 19th century.

Slideshow

2nd Friday Art Night Feb. 10

Click to View 7 slides

Pictures are more valuable than words, right? So here's a slideshow of some of the work that will be on view tonight at the various 2nd Friday Art Night venues. Read more about the evening's offerings from 5-8 p.m. here.

Also, here's a map I've stolen from the Downtown Partnership! Click on it to get 2nd Friday locations.

• Work by Chukes, at Hearne Fine Art

More 2nd Friday Art Night stops tonight: Hearne Fine Art, which carries over its exhibit of sculpture and drawing by California artist Chukes; the Historic Arkansas Museum, which is pouring chardonnay and red wine varietals for tasting while Wine and Roses, Dell Smith on keyboard and Saboor Sallam on sax, performs; and the Old State House Museum, where Amy Garland will perform.

As usual, the rubber-wheeled CATA trolley will shuttle gallery-goers around.

• Emily Wood's "Self-portrait"

The National Museum of Women in the Arts has these Arkansas artists on their radar: Janet Frankovic, Endia Gomez, Nikki Hemphill, Thu Nguyen, Ruth Pasquine, Deborah Warren and Emily Wood. An exhibit of their work, "Women to Watch 2011," opens today in the main Butler Center gallery at the Arkansas Studies Institute, and the 2nd Friday Art Night reception from 5-8 p.m. tonight will feature live music.

If I'm ever in Washington, D.C., I'm heading straight to NMWA, which has in its collection art by women from the 16th century until the present. Those who believe that artists shouldn't be categorized and separated by gender and race have criticized NMWA. But how many 16th century female artists can you name? 17th century? I can come up with zippo. Here's a place to find out about them.

• "Vanitas," Clara Peeters (Flemish), 1610

• Patterson and Barnes' "Sister Rosetta Tharpe"

Paintings of Arkansas musicians commissioned by the Old State House Museum for its 2003 exhibition "Our Own Sweet Sounds II" are on display in the central hallway of the museum, which will be open tonight from 5-8 p.m. for 2nd Friday Art Night.

Gary Patterson and Marion Barnes, Florida-based collaborative artists, used acrylic, watercolor, India ink and collage to create the paintings of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Johnny Cash, Louis Jordan, Lucinda Williams and Al Green that are on display.

There will be live music as well tonight at this relatively new addition to the 2nd Friday lineup.

• In the "Ark in the Dark" exhibit.

Film posters from the collection of ad man Ron Robinson go on display today in "Ark in the Dark: An Exhibition of Vintage Movie Posters about Arkansas" at the Butler Center Galleries' Concordia Hall (Arkansas Studies Institute). The show features 35 posters for films made between 1926 and 2009.

The galleries will be open after hours, from 5-8 p.m. tonight, for 2nd Friday Art Night. Also on exhibit: pinhole pictures by the late Little Rock photographer Thomas Harding; "Reflections in Pastel," the Arkansas Pastel Society's national juried show; and baskets by Leon Niehues.

• Ceramics by Donna Uptigrove, at HAM.

Sisters Amber Uptigrove and Donna Uptigrove and Fayetteville artist Sarah May Leflar are showing their work in "Found-Fired-Formed" at the Historic Arkansas Museum to the strains of the Meshugga Klezmer Band (my "Favorite") at tonight's 2nd Friday Art Night event, 5-8 p.m.

Donna U., a curator at the HAM, is showing what might be called narrative ceramics; Amber U. works in mixed media and Leflar is showing work using found objects.

In addition to the musical and performing art, there will be a mixology contest: the 7th Ever Nog-off eggnog contest. New contestants this year: Phil Brandon, spiking his brew with his new Rock Town Distillery’s Young Arkansas Bourbon, and Drue Patton of Argenta Arts Foundation with "OMnoG." Returning nogs by Mary Beth Ringgold of Copper Grill, Tracy Sterling of JAVA Roasting Express @ Wright & Chester and Bridget Farris, with her old Kentucky family recipe, will also be put to the test. The Capital Hotel Bar and Grill, an entrant last year, is sending over a new recipe with Tandra Watkins of Ashley’s. Kat Robinson of Eat Arkansas blog fame will be one of the judges, joining Lawrence Hamilton and Rex Nelson. There will be a people's choice, as always.

• Anderson and Galusha: "Tesseract Dancing"

Historic Arkansas Museum's 2nd Friday Night reception opens a new exhibit of sculpture by Brett Anderson and drawings and paintings by Little Rock artist Emily Galusha.

Anderson showed work in the 2009 Sculptors Guild Exhibit in Little Rock, and Galusha was named by Arkansas Times readers' as the "Best Artist" in 2010.

A tesseract, as every schoolchild knows, is a four-dimensional cube.

• Chuke's "A Different Kind of King"

Not all the action is in Bentonville on 11-11-11. Downtown LR galleries will be marking 2nd Friday Art Night from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. that evening. At Hearne Fine Art, 1001 Wright Ave., drawings and ceramic busts by the California artist Chukes will be on exhibit in a show called "Fired Rhythm." The name of the show, the artist says, "represents my transformation of audible sensations of music into artistic form."

Chukes will talk about his work at Hearne's Drink Mocha Talk Art event at 10 a.m. Saturday morning.