Ritz exhibit to feature "Small Works on Paper"

The 2014 Small Works on Paper visual art exhibition will be on display throughout May at The Ritz Civic Center.

Area artist Penny Jo Pausch of Jonesboro is one of the artists featured in the exhibition, hosted by The Arts Council of Mississippi County. Coordinated by the Arkansas Arts Council, the exhibition features the work of 39 Arkansas artists and will travel to 10 galleries throughout the state in a year-long tour.

Now in its 27th year, Small Works on Paper showcases artwork no larger than 24-by-24 inches by Arkansas artists who are members of the Arkansas Artist Registry, an online art gallery coordinated by the Arkansas Arts Council. The 2014 show features pieces selected from more than 300 submissions by juror Mary Kennedy, CEO of the Mid-America Arts Alliance. Kennedy is the past director of ExhibitsUSA and curator of exhibitions for M-AAA.

"The works I selected for inclusion represent a broad range of media, technique and style and may appear to lack cohesion as a group at first glance, but for me the through-line for this exhibition is the richness and possibility of storytelling represented in these works," Kennedy said. "Regardless of whether they are abstract or figurative, high-tech or handcrafted, they conjure a response -- emotional, intellectual or physical -- that animates the imagination of the viewer and sparks new storytelling and the perpetuation of creative expression."

Kennedy selected 10 artists to receive purchase awards. Purchase award winners receive the cash amount equivalent to the value of their selected works. Funded by entry fees, the purchase award pieces become part of the exhibition's permanent collection. The artists selected to receive purchase awards are Cindy Arsaga of Fayetteville, Claire Cade of Arkadelphia, Houston Fryer of Hot Springs, Lisa Kindrick of Little Rock, Tom Richard of Monticello, Richard Stephens of Hot Springs, Carrie Waller of Cabot, Cathy Wester of Conway, Cindy Wiseman of Fayetteville, and Miranda Young of Little Rock.

The opening reception is scheduled from 2-4 p.m. Saturday, May 10. Regular hours of operation for The Gallery at The Ritz are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday. To view the 2014 touring schedule and the list of artists whose work was selected, visit www.arkansasarts.com/programs/swop.aspx.

For more information on Small Works on Paper, contact Cheri Leffew at 501-324-9767 or cheri@arkansasheritage.org. For more information about the exhibit at The Ritz, contact David Lyttle at 870-762-1744.

cpinkard@blythevillecourier.com