Arkansas

ENTERTAINMENT: ‘Small Works’ moves to Pine Bluff; gallery show in Hot Springs | Arkansas Democrat Gazette

Published

2 years ago

July 3, 2024

ENTERTAINMENT: ‘Small Works’ moves to Pine Bluff; gallery show in Hot Springs | Arkansas Democrat Gazette

ART

The Arkansas Arts Council’s 37th annual “Small Works on Paper” exhibition opens Friday and remains up through July 26 at the Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas, 701 S. Main St., Pine Bluff. The traveling exhibition showcases two-dimensional artwork no larger than 18-by-24 inches by artists who are members of the Arkansas Artist Registry. Hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday. Admission is free. Call (870) 536-3375 or visit artx3.org.

Spa City gallery

Paintings by Steven Wise, nature-based sculptures by Elizabeth Weber, landscape paintings by Dolores Justus and paintings, drawings and sculpture by Mark Blaney are on display, starting with a Gallery Walk reception, 5-9 p.m. Friday and up through July 31, at Justus Fine Art Gallery, 827A Central Ave., Hot Springs. Admission to the reception and the gallery is free. Hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday and by appointment. Call (501) 321-2335 or visit justusfineart.com.

MUSIC

Symphony string camp

The Delta Symphony Orchestra holds its annual Summer String Camp, open to string students (violin, viola, cello, bass, harp and piano) age 8-15, 9 a.m.-noon Monday-Friday at 701 S. Main St. in Jonesboro. Campers meet daily from for group and sectional instruction sessions with orchestra musicians as instructors, culminating in a friends-and-family recital performance. Cost is $60 with tuition waivers for those in financial need. Space is limited. To register or for more information, visit deltasymphonyorchestra.org/string-camp.

THEATER

‘Footloose’: Pay what you can

The Arkansas Repertory Theatre, 601 Main St., Little Rock, is offering up to 100 “pay what you can” tickets to Tuesday’s 7 p.m. preview performance of the musical “Footloose,” on a first-come, first-served basis, starting at 10 a.m. Saturday at the theater box office. Call (501) 378-0405 or visit TheRep.org for more information.

DANCE

Community cast auditions

Ballet Arkansas has opened registration for the “community casts” for four of its 2024-25 productions — “Carmen,” “Nutcracker Spectacular” and “Romeo & Juliet,” Aug. 17-18 at Shuffles & Ballet II, 1521 Merrill Drive, Little Rock, and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Aug. 25 at Ballet Arkansas’ studios, 520 Main St., Little Rock.

Registration fee is $30 per audition plus processing fees. There is a production and costume fee of $140-$170 per production for all cast members who receive/accept a role.

Performance dates for “Carmen” are Oct. 11-13 at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts; for “The Nutcracker,” Dec. 12-15 at Little Rock’s Robinson Center Performance Hall; for “Romeo & Juliet,” Feb. 13-16 at Robinson; and “Midsummer Night’s Dream,” April 26-27 at the museum.

Deadline to submit registration forms and fees is Aug 15, except for “Midsummer Night’s Dream,” which is Aug. 23.

Details on audition requirements, audition times based on age range, rehearsal schedules, acceptance and casting criteria and dress codes are available at balletarkansas.org/community-cast-auditions.

TICKETS

Comedian Danae Hays

Comedian and country music parodist Danae Hays, billed as “equal parts ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic, Andy Samberg and Carol Burnett,” performs at 8 p.m. Oct. 5 at Little Rock’s Robinson Center Performance Hall, 426 W. Markham St. at Broadway. Tickets are $30.50-$50.50, with $100.50 VIP packages that include a meet-and-greet. Visit Ticketmaster.com.

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Arkansas

Arkansas Governor joins national A.I. workforce initiative

Published

5 hours ago

June 25, 2026

Press Room

Arkansas Governor joins national A.I. workforce initiative

LITTLE ROCK, AR (KATV) — Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders has joined a new national artificial intelligence initiative that launched Thursday, June 25.

RAISE US, started by former Governor Eric Holcomb of Indiana and Gina Raimondo, former U.S. Secretary of Commerce is a nonpartisan national organization that will partner with governors, employers, workers and training organizations to help the workforce transition to an AI economy.

“As artificial intelligence transforms America’s economy, we have one clear message: technology should empower people, not replace them. By leveraging our Arkansas LAUNCH initiative, and with the resources and expertise provided by RAISE US, Arkansas will turn that mission into reality. We want the Natural State to be a leader on education, workforce training, and up-skilling, and this new partnership gives us the tools we need to build a model for the entire nation.”

The organization will design and pilot incentives to retrain workers, new approaches to support job transitions, and training models tied to employer demand.

RAISE US launches with more than two dozen American companies and philanthropies and initial state partnerships in Connecticut, Maryland and Utah.

“America has a technology strategy for leading the global AI competition. It does not yet have a people strategy — and we cannot lead without one,” Raimondo, who will serve as CEO of RAISE US, said.

“If we build the best AI systems in the world and leave millions of Americans behind, we won’t have won anything; we’ll have automated our own decline. I believe AI will create new jobs and industries over time, but the transition could be disruptive, and it’s already underway. We shouldn’t fearmonger, but we can’t pretend our training and worker support systems are ready either. It’s time for innovative and practical solutions. This moment demands ambition, urgency, and creativity. We’ve assembled the country’s top companies, best economists, and bipartisan governors at a scale rarely seen — all to advance new ideas and incentives, pilot them with governors and business, and scale what works.”

Governor Sanders is partnering with RAISE US to support Arkansas LAUNCH, an AI-powered career navigation platform that connects students and jobseekers to personalized learning and employer-linked career pathways.

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