The Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts (AMFA), formerly known as the Arkansas Arts Center, is an art museum located in MacArthur Park, Little Rock, Arkansas. The museum is undergoing an expansion and renovation. During this time, it is closed to the public. It is scheduled to be complete and ready for the grand opening at MacArthur Park in April 2023. The museum features a permanent collection of art along with occasional special exhibitions. Other parts include a research library and rooms for several art education classes. It also includes a restaurant and gift shop. Many of the facilities such as the main atrium and the lecture hall can be rented for special events. The museum is a member of the

North American Reciprocal Museum Association The North American Reciprocal Museum (NARM) program is an affiliation of arts, historical, and cultural institutions in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, and El Salvador which offer reciprocal benefits to qualifying members of other parti ...

. In 2011, Arkansas.com named it one of the top 10 attractions in the state.

Permanent collection

The Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts's permanent collection is focused on drawings, which the museum defines as any unique work on paper, and contemporary craft objects. The collection holds objects from such historically recognized artists such as

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (, ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), usually simply known as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker and draughtsman. An innovative and prolific master in three media, he is generally consid ...

, Pablo Picasso,

Odilon Redon Odilon Redon (born Bertrand Redon; ; 20 April 18406 July 1916) was a French Symbolism (arts), symbolist painter, printmaker, Drawing, draughtsman and pastellist. Early in his career, both before and after fighting in the Franco-Prussian War, he ...

, Andrew Wyeth, and

Edgar Degas Edgar Degas (, ; born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas, ; 19 July 183427 September 1917) was a French Impressionist artist famous for his pastel drawings and oil paintings. Degas also produced bronze sculptures, prints and drawings. Degas is es ...

. The collection also represents numerous important late 20th century and contemporary artists such as

Susan Hauptman Susan Hauptman (1947–2015) was an American artist who worked exclusively on paper with charcoal, pastel and, later, other elements, such as gold leaf, wire mesh and thread. She is best known for her stark, enigmatic, often expressionless self-p ...

Gregory Gillespie Gregory Joseph Gillespie (November 29, 1936 – April 26, 2000) was an American magic realist painter. Life and career He was born in Roselle Park, New Jersey. After graduating from high school, he became a nondegree student at Cooper Union ...

, John Connell, William Beckman,

Enrique Chagoya Enrique Chagoya (born 1953) is a Mexican-born American painter, printmaker, and educator. The subject of his artwork is the changing nature of culture. Chagoya teaches at Stanford University, in the department of Art and Art History. He lives i ...

, Jane Frank,

John Stuart Ingle John Stuart Ingle (1933 – October 30, 2010) was an American contemporary realist artist, known for his meticulously rendered watercolor paintings, typically still lifes. Some criticism has characterized Ingle's work as a kind of magic reali ...

Tim Lowly Tim Lowly (born 1958 in Hendersonville, North Carolina) is a Chicago artist, musician, and teacher. He is known for compassionate egg tempera pictures of children in mysterious circumstances.Alan G. Artner, "Grabner Homes in on Subject Matter: L ...

, and Odd Nerdrum. One of the highlights of the Arts Center's collection is a collection of Paul Signac drawings and watercolours; many are on public display in a gallery dedicated to the

Signac Signac (; oc, Sinhac) is a commune in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and t ...

collection.

Regular shows

The Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts hosts the ''Annual'' ''Delta Exhibition'', a juried exhibition of artist from Arkansas and its border states, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas. The exhibition was founded in 1958 to feature contemporary work by artists born in or currently living in the Mississippi Delta region. The museum also host an ''Annual Collectors Show & Sale''. The curators of the museum bring in works—principally drawings—from a variety of galleries from New York and around the country. This gives local collectors access to works they wouldn't normally see and the general public to see the works of a number of contemporary artists. A competitive show of works from local school children is held annually as well. The ''Young Arkansas Artists'' show displays works from grades K-12 and awards prizes and honorable mentions for outstanding work. Schools with winning entries receive monetary awards to help promote their art programs. The Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts also organizes their ''National Drawing Invitational'' on a semi-regular basis. The show was designed to enhance to medium of drawing and to further awareness of draftsmanship as a contemporary art.

Children's theater

Recognized by The Drama League as one of the best regional theater companies in America, the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts Children's Theatre is the only professional company in Arkansas that produces children's literary works for the stage. The Children's Theater is a very popular attraction featuring plays of classic children's stories. The Children's Theater gives children both the opportunity to witness live performances and to participate in stage productions.

Museum school

The Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts' Museum School offers courses in a variety of media. Classes in life drawing, Ceramics, photography, woodworking, and jewelry, as well as workshops by visiting artists and children's classes are available. The school holds a sale of student work the Saturday before Thanksgiving each year.

Gift shop

The gift shop in the museum includes many ceramics and hand blown glass objects. Other available items include books on various artists, including Paul Signac and Viola Frey. Also included are bronze sculptures and other sculpted items

References

External links

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Board of Trustees
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arkansas Museum Of Fine Arts 1937 establishments in Arkansas Art Deco architecture in Arkansas Art museums established in 1937 Art museums and galleries in Arkansas Arts centers in Arkansas MacArthur Park (Little Rock, Arkansas) Museums in Little Rock, Arkansas Postmodern architecture in Arkansas Theatres in Arkansas Works Progress Administration in Arkansas