Kendall Stallings, a Dallas painter whose work will be familiar to people who frequent River Market ArtSpace Gallery, won the Grand Award in the 51st annual Delta Exhibition at the Arkansas Arts Center.
The Delta, a competitive show of work by artists from Arkansas and contiguous states, opens Friday, Oct. 3. Juror Eleana Del Rio, director of Koplin Del Rio Gallery of Contemporary Art in Culver City, Calif., chose 58 works by 56 artists from 469 entries.
Kendall’s entry, “Entitlement,” is a painting. Delta Awards went to Deborah Kuster for her textile piece, “Wait Until I’m Four,” and Laura Laser for her painting, “No Stopping Now.”
Honorable mention awards went to Little Rock photographers Meredith Beau and John Bridges and to charcoal artist Bonnie Nickol.
The trend toward Arkansas domination of the show continues; 38 of the 56 artists whose works were chosen are from the state.
Other Arkansas artists showing in the Delta: Melverue Abraham, Darrell Robert Adams, Ed Barham, Joe Barnett, Meredith Beau, Darrell Warren Berry, John Bridges, Ted Grimmett, Tanya Hamill-Fitzgerald, Ariston Sedrak Jacks, Matt McLeod, Randi Romo, Katherine Strause and Louis Watts, all of Little Rock; Diana Ashley, Vicki Mott Matthews and John Watson, all of North Little Rock; Sarah Mattingly of Conway; Daniel Coston and Mary Price, both of Fayetteville; Nancy Dunaway and David Malcolm Rose, both of Hot Springs; Margaret Harrell and Dusty Mitchell, both of Mountain View; Mark Blaney and Neal Harrington, both of Russellville; Shelly Gipson and Bill Rowe, both of Jonesboro; Steven Byron Allen of Arkadelphia; Carol Anna Fullerton Samsel of Benton; Alex Moomey of Bryant; Ellen Alderson of Forrest City; Dennis McCann of Maumelle; Wen Norton of Mt. Judea; and William McNamara of Ponca.
The show runs through Nov. 16.
The Conway Arts Alliance is holding its second annual ArtsFest, four days of art, music and theater events in galleries downtown and on the campuses of UCA and Hendrix, through Saturday, Oct. 4. Thursday’s events feature $10-a-head preview party of the the Friends of the Baum Gallery Art Show and Sale from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Marrvelous Gallery at 924 Front St., with works by Don Marr, Mary Ann Stafford, Barry Lindley, V.L. Cox, Virmarie DePoyster, Foxpass Pottery and others. The sale continues Friday and Saturday. Stephen Koch and the Low Profile will play music of Louis Jordan at the Old Smith Ford Building, 1020 Front St., at 7 p.m., to be followed by a screening of the film “Is You Is … A Louis Jordan Story” at 7:30 p.m. There’s lots more going on; for the full schedule go to www.artsinconway.com.