Here’s a roundup of exhibitions that are closing this weekend, plus some continuing and new shows:
“Cutting Edge,” Esse Purse Museum’s show of paper dresses from the 1960s (comment below if you had one), ends its run on Sunday, May 20, at the unique museum, 1510 Main St. For $30, you can work with artist Laura Fanning making paper clothes or collages from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 19. Fanning’s collection of paper garments, “Caution: Garment May Be Flammable,” is also on exhibit.
If you thought you missed “Daughters of the Diaspora” at the Landmark Hotel in Hot Springs, you’re in luck: The show has been extended to Friday, May 18. Curated by Garbo Hearne of Hearne Fine Art, the exhibition features work by local and national artists, among them Bisa Butler of West Orange, N.J.; Phoebe Beasley and Samella Lewis of Los Angeles; Elizabeth Catlett of Cuernavaca, Mexico; Little Rock artists Sondra Strong, Melverue Abraham, Loni Raney and Marjorie Williams-Smith; LaToya Hobbs of Baltimore and North Little Rock; Maria Villegas of El Dorado; and Louise Mandumbwa of Benton. The Landmark is at 201 Market St. and open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Continuing at Cantrell Gallery is a show of newly discovered work by the late Norm Scott, founder of the gallery. ” … to be continued” runs through June.
Now for the new: Diane Harper and Robert Bean have a message for you in their artwork: “You Are Not Alone.”
Their show, at Gallery 26, 2601 Kavanaugh Blvd., opens Saturday, May 19; a reception with live music by The Band Called Opera will be held from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Here’s what the artists say about the show, pen and ink drawings by Bean and abstracted figures in watercolor by Harper:
You Are Not Alone
Who we are, the idea of our internal being, is like a frozen lake; its reflective surface hiding the depths beneath, allowing the unknown to swirl around, ever changing and ever adapting to what little bits of the surface world shine through. Those anxieties that whisper to us things that no one else can hear, the lights we follow out of the darkness, and the changes that we evolve through to become the person we are, all of these things and more are deeply personal experiences.
But, they are rarely unique.
We struggle with ourselves to find growth, to move towards what we believe we should be, screening out the catcalls from those around us and working to maintain our course, our path, towards the us we know we should be.
These artworks explore this idea, that we are riddled with anxieties and worries, that we all have our own frozen depths to explore in order to become who we each need to be. Robert seeks to tell a singular story of a woman finding her true self while Diane’s works let the unconscious mind play in plain sight, all of its creativity, uncertainty, and vibrancy come to life through her automatic drawing process. Both artists are playing in the realm of personality and identity, but through very different approaches. Each artist also seeks to share a simple concept with those that view the work:
We’re all discovering ourselves, and we’re all struggling through this process every single day. No matter the trials you may face, you are not alone.