SERIGRAPH: Jesus "Cimi" Alvarado's "Yolitzli" is part of "Estamos Aqui," up at UA Little Rock Art Gallery III through Nov. 10.

WEDNESDAY 10/11-FRIDAY 11/10

‘ESTAMOS AQUI’

9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Sat., 2 p.m.-5 p.m. Sun. UA Little Rock. Free.

In 1993, Austin-based Chicano painter and printmaker Sam Coronado began opening his studio space and equipment to other artists — specifically, underrepresented artists interested in learning the art of silk-screening. The space became known as a hub for collaboration among Mexican and Latin American artists, and resulted in a portfolio of work depicting “family and religious symbols, political motifs, Mexican ‘Lucha Libre’ wrestling matches, video and performance art, neighborhood themes and Mexican graphic traditions,” among other themes. As part of the National Endowment for the Arts’ “Big Read” program, the Ottenheimer Library at UA Little Rock received an NEA grant — the only one of its kind to be awarded to an Arkansas library this year — to house some of the work that emerged from Coronado’s studio. Curated by UA Little Rock Gallery Director Brad Cushman, the exhibit traveled to 17 gallery spaces in 10 states between 2013-17 and 18 pieces from that serigraph collection are up at the university through Nov. 10. SS

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THURSDAY 10/12

‘THE AWAKENED WOMAN’

6 p.m. Clinton School of Public Service. Free.

In a video at oprah.com, Tererai Trent revisits her rural birthplace of Zvipani, Zimbabwe, where as a young girl she’d absconded with her brother’s school books, doing his homework and secretly learning to read on a big boulder she used as a desk. Her secret got out, and she was allowed to go to school for two terms before being married off at age 11, bearing three children by the time she turned 18 and — after confessing to her husband her dreams of getting a degree — being beaten. Trent has a doctorate now, thanks to her own persistence and boosts from Heifer International and other aid organizations. And, with a $1.5 million grant from Oprah Winfrey, she opened the doors to a school for 1,200 students in her native Zvipani. Trent’s given an address in front of the United Nations and aims to rebuild 10 more schools in rural Zimbabwe over the next 10 years. She speaks at the Clinton School about her book, “The Awakened Woman,” and about her educational organization, Tererai Trent International. SS

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THURSDAY 10/12-SUNDAY 10/22

ARKANSAS STATE FAIR

Various times. Arkansas State Fairgrounds, 2600 Howard St. $3-$50.

At its heart, the Arkansas State Fair is like its counterparts elsewhere in America: an outgrowth of the agricultural sciences. The “midway and corndogs” part, to quote an Arkansas Times columnist’s summary of the fair, is just extra. If, like me, you find yourself blithely unaware of the difference between a gilt and a barrow pig, there’s plenty to learn about and coo at in the livestock barns — rabbits, sheep, chickens, turkeys, pigs, cows, geese, donkeys. If that doesn’t float your boat or you’re allergic to hay, there’s a throwback music lineup ready-made for pairing with concession beer — Avant, 7 p.m. Oct. 15; Vince Neil, 8 p.m. Oct. 13; Freddie Jackson, 8 p.m. Oct. 17; Tracy Lawrence, 8 p.m. Oct. 18; Ann Wilson of Heart, 7:30 p.m. Oct. 19; Tom Keifer from Cinderella, 8 p.m. Oct. 20; Coolio, 7 p.m. Oct. 22; and more. Especially helpful for State Fair food enthusiasts: a detailed, pocket-sized fair guide, with pages 20-21 dedicated to a map that tells you exactly where to find bacon bombers, Koolickles (Kool-Aid pickles), pineapple whips, armadillo eggs, chicken on a stick, gator on a stick, salad on a stick and something called Thanksgiving tacos. See arkansasstatefair.com for details. SS

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THURSDAY 10/12-SATURDAY 10/14

RED OCTOPUS THEATER: ‘THE WOKE DEAD’

8 p.m. The Public Theatre, 616 Center Street. $8-$10.

Humor, like attitudes toward cilantro, is a finicky and hard-wired thing; you either love “Waiting for Guffman” or you don’t, and your attitude isn’t likely to change overnight. For fans of the trashy and tasteless, the off-kilter and the over-the-top, Red Octopus shows are your shade of blue. This Halloween season, they take on the “ongoing political culture of America to the perils of cheese dip addiction,” a press release states, just above a photo of the troupe dressed as zombies on the Capitol Lawn, holding up protest signs that read “Death is not pre-existing,” “Zombies were people, too” and “Brains Now.” The show’s content is intended for mature audiences; children’s tickets are listed at $486. SS

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THURSDAY 10/12-SUNDAY 10/15

HILLBERRY MUSIC FESTIVAL

6 p.m. Thu., 4:25 p.m. Fri., 2:25 p.m. Sat., 2:50 p.m. Sun. The Farm, 1 Blue Heron Lane, Eureka Springs. $60-$180.

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Look, there are only a few weekends left in 2017 good for pitching a tent and stomping around barefoot in the hills on 160 acres under the harvest moon, and if you’re of a mind to do that in the company of some newgrass jam bands, this is your scene. The mandolin-forward Railroad Earth plays two nights, and it’s joined on the lineup by Yonder Mountain String Band, Leftover Salmon, Greensky Bluegrass, Keller Williams’ Grateful Grass, Sad Daddy, Mountain Sprout, Arkansauce and a host of others. See hillberryfestival.com for tickets. And, the festival’s only a 22-minute drive away from Basin Park in downtown Eureka Springs, where the concurrent Bluegrass Weekend is going on, with free admission to hear sets from Cedar Hill, 2 p.m. Fri. and 4 p.m. Sat.; The Shook Twins, 3:45 p.m. Fri. and 1 p.m. Sat.; Lonesome Road, 2:30 p.m. Sat.; and the Black Lillies, 5:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat. SS

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FRIDAY 10/13

2ND FRIDAY ART NIGHT

5 p.m.-8 p.m., venues downtown.

In addition to the new street vendors you’ll see on Main, 2nd Friday Art Night has increased its artisanal footprint with two new shops, Mariposa Photography at 229 W. Capitol and Beige, featuring jewelry designed by LBJ Design, at 300 River Market Ave. For the after-hours art event, the Historic Arkansas Museum, 200 E. Third St., and the Butler Center Galleries, 401 President Clinton Ave., open new exhibitions of fine art; the Antigallery at Club Sway, 412 S. Louisiana St., will feature a multi-discipline show; and McLeod Fine Art, 108 W. Sixth St., will show works from its stable of artists. HAM has the merriest schedule for gallery-goers: It opens “Body/Ecology: Daniella Napolitano and Carmen Alexandria Thompson,” linocuts, serigraphy, Xerox lithography and chine-colle by the Little Rock artists. Beer is also a theme: Brian Sorenson of Fayetteville will sign copies of his book “Arkansas Beer: An Intoxicating History.” Topping that off with a head of historic foam will be Stone’s Throw Brewing, which will pour its “Geo. Bros. Historic Arkansas Ale,” based on beer brewed by Henry and Alexander George in the 1840s in Little Rock. John Burnette will provide music. Over at the Butler Center Galleries, find an exhibition of assemblages by Bret Aaker of New Mexico titled “Conatus,” a word the Butler Center says is “defined by early philosophers of psychology and metaphysics as the innate drive of an animate object to continue to exist and enhance itself.” We’ve all got a bit of conatus, right? Behind the Butler Center, at the Cox Creative Center, ACANSA continues its exhibition. Hear Charlotte Taylor and Gypsy Rain play live at the Old State House Museum, 300 W. Markham; here the suds will be served by Core Brewing. Should you get too sudsy, stop by Nexus Coffee, 301B President Clinton Ave.; with head cleared, hit Bella Vita, 523 W. Louisiana, for an earring party. LNP

FRIDAY 10/13

JASON ALDEAN

7:30 p.m. Verizon Arena. $34-$74.

Jason Aldean was a household name among country fans well before his set at the Route 91 Harvest Festival erupted into a horrific mass shooting, but it’s unlikely his name will be invoked anytime soon without feeling its link to that tragedy. Aldean, whose pregnant wife, Brittany Kerr, was backstage during the onslaught, canceled his shows that weekend, saying, “I feel like out of respect for the victims, their families and our fans, it is the right thing to do.” At our press deadline, Aldean’s tour was to resume with a Tulsa date preceding his stop in Little Rock. The singer issued a statement to his nine million Facebook fans saying, “Something has changed in this country and in this world lately that is scary to see. This world is becoming the kind of place I am afraid to raise my children in.” Unlike fellow country musicians Rosanne Cash and Caleb Jeeter, Aldean — an avid deer hunter and the celebrity face of outdoorsman outfitters Field & Stream — offered his thoughts and prayers on social media, but made no mention of gun control. SS

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FRIDAY 10/13-SUNDAY 10/15

‘KINKY BOOTS’

7:30 p.m. Fri.-Sun., 2 p.m. Sat.-Sun. Robinson Center Performance Hall. $28-$77.

Maybe the image of Cyndi Lauper and Harvey Fierstein perched together on a red velvet recliner alongside choreographer Jerry Mitchell is all you need to know to get stoked on “Kinky Boots.” Lauper and Fierstein are responsible for the 16 songs that fuel “Boots,” the story of how a shoe factory owner and a drag queen invent a line of high-heeled boots designed to withstand the weight of the queens who strut night after night across a nightclub floor. The play won six Tony Awards in 2013 when it premiered and was nearly impossible to get tickets to in its original Broadway form. Robinson Center presents the touring version of that production, starring Billy Porter as Lola and Stark Sands as Charlie Price. SS

FRIDAY 10/13

ARKANSAS CHAMBER SINGERS: ‘SING THE UNIVERSAL’

7:30 p.m. Fri., Christ Episcopal Church; 3 p.m. Sun., Calvary Baptist Church. $10-$15.

Maybe because pre-17th century music has been enjoying a revival in the choral community, contemporary choral music like the work of Ola Gjeilo, Morten Lauridsen or Eric Whitacre can often have thematic or harmonic kinship with pieces from early composers like Byrd or Palestrina. The Arkansas Chamber Singers, local poster children for exceptional choral intonation, present this concert of jewels, pairing modern works with early pieces that use an identical or similar text. SS

FRIDAY 10/13

PAUL THORN

8:30 p.m. Revolution. $25.

When Paul Thorn speaks into the microphone to introduce a song, it’s pretty clear what side of the Mississippi River he hails from. The Tupelo native was once a prizefighter, and probably a prize trash talker, too, if songs like “Joanie, the Jehovah’s Witness Stripper” and “It’s a Great Day To Whup Somebody’s Ass” are any indication. “My father was a preacher, so I went with him to churches that white people attended and churches that black people attended,” Thorn says on his website. “The white people sang gospel like it was country music, and the black people sang it like it was rhythm and blues.” He blends those styles, keeping the instrumentation sparse enough that the jabs come across: “Celibacy is a cross that I must carry/I couldn’t get laid when I was single, so I guess I’ll just stay married.” Bonnie Bishop opens the show. SS

FRIDAY 10/13

THE SALTY DOGS

10 p.m. Four Quarter Bar.

For the first time in four years, The Salty Dogs have a new EP, “Goodnight.” That should be cause for celebration for anyone with any appreciation for classic country music. Take the opening track, “Goodnight ’47.” It sounds everything like something from a Bear Family Records compilation of post-World War II honky tonk. But it’s actually lead singer Brad Williams honey-twanged voice recorded on a refurbished 1947 Voice-o-Graph machine at Jack White’s Third Man Records store in Nashville, Tenn. That song is followed by a kicked-up version of The Louvin Brothers’ classic “The Christian Life” (1959). Elsewhere, ace Little Rock trumpeter Rodney Block guests on a moody love ballad. The Salty Dogs, which also includes bassist Brent LaBeau, guitarist Nick Devlin and drummer Bart Angel, celebrate the EP’s release (officially out Oct. 20 on Max Recordings) at Four Quarter on Friday, HarvestFest on Saturday and at an early 6 p.m. all ages show at White Water Tavern Sunday, Oct. 22. LM

SATURDAY 10/14

HARVESTFEST

11 a.m. Kavanaugh Boulevard between Walnut and Monroe streets, Hillcrest Historic District. Free.

Harvestfest has quietly ballooned into of the best one-day festival lineups in the city, and picturesque Hillcrest is not a bad place to take in those sounds on a chill fall afternoon. This year, there are sets from Mojo Depot, Amasa Hines and Good Time Ramblers, as well as The Salty Dogs and Isaac Alexander, both of which have new albums worthy of your attention. For early risers, there’s an 8 a.m. dog walk beginning at Pulaski Heights Presbyterian Church with a pancake breakfast afterward, also at the church. Or, if 8 a.m. is an hour in which socialization seems detestable, check in for the gumbo cookoff at noon at the corner of Spruce Street and Kavanaugh Boulevard. SS

SUNDAY 10/15

MOVIES IN THE PARKING LOT: ‘THE GOONIES’

6 p.m. The Root Cafe. Free.

“Hey, you guys!” Arkansas Cinema Society and Downtown Little Rock Partnership are screening “The Goonies” in the parking lot of The Root in the SoMa neighborhood, and they’ve invited everyone. Bring chairs or blankets. The movie begins at sundown, and you’ll be able to score some Loblolly Ice Cream, beer from Lost Forty Brewing or supper from one of the adjacent food trucks. SS

TUESDAY 10/17

ARKANSAS TIMES FILM SERIES: ‘RATCATCHER’

7 p.m. Riverdale 10 Cinema. $8.50.

In a video essay titled “Lynne Ramsay — The Poetry of Details,” film editor Tony Zhou contemplates what it means to say a film is poetic. “To me, poetry in cinema is when I can ignore the plot and just appreciate the picture and the sound doing something unique,” he says. Set in 1973 against the backdrop of a garbage strike, Ramsay’s 1999 feature debut “Ratcatcher” depicts the residents of a Scottish housing scheme, a version of government housing. The growing mountains of trash bags that invade their environment create the ideal conditions for an invading army of disease-spreading rats; they are vermin and pests, but fighting them back is a futile effort. There’s an effort to move the residents to better, more modern and sanitary accommodations, but they must wait for the opportunity. “Ratcatcher” is the story of that wait — an unromantic view of hopeless poverty, but with instances of humanity and compassion that elevate the film and keep it from being purely voyeuristic. We see a mother picking lice from her son’s hair, for example, and then the boy repeating the gesture with a girl named Margaret Anne, with whom he shares a platonic friendship. James, the young boy through whose eyes we view this world, accidentally kills another young boy in the act of playing early on in the film. He’s consumed with guilt, not quite able to process what’s happened and surrounded by adults who are unable to help him cope. Ramsay’s composition and careful framing of the characters allow the story to be told by the actors. “Everything is conveyed through the camera, the person’s face, and the details,” as Zhou notes, and it’s the repetition, the quiet pauses and focus on the details that people are referring to when they describe Ramsay’s’ work as poetic. OJ

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