Spring fights back n Sometimes all the news is so bad it feels as though the switch has been flipped. A threshold reached, no turning back. As if Elijah has been summoned, or the man on the pale horse is tramping up our lane. Death tolls on TV read rote and so monstrous that they are abstractions, our brains unable to reckon them as anything other than a number on a page. And didn’t that Libyan make nice, or go away? I seem to remember that. Meanwhile, the president’s bracket picks aren’t human enough or interesting enough to divert us from multiplying the nuclear fallout by the easterly wind speeds or subtracting the days since the earthquake from the sell-by date of our favorite fish. Sure, most of us think Franklin Graham is crazy, but this time when he says that these are “birth pains” for the Second Coming, our agnosticism feels flimsy in the face of what seems to be overwhelming evidence. Maybe he knows something we don’t.
CALENDAR
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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30 MUSIC
Acoustic Open Mic with Kat Hood. The Afterthought, 8 p.m. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar.com. A m e r i c a n S t r i n g Q u a r t e t . Reynolds Performance Hall, University of Central Arkansas, 7:30 p.m., free. 201 Donaghey Ave., Conway. Bolly Open Mic Hype Night with Osyrus Bolly and DJ Messiah. All American Wings, 9 p.m. 215 W. Capitol Ave. 501-376-4000. allamericanwings.com. Brian & Nick. Cajun’s Wharf, 5 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www.cajunswharf.com. Jim Dickerson. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www.sonnywilliamssteakroom.com. Karaoke at Khalil’s. Khalil’s Pub, 7 p.m. 110 S. Shackleford Road. 501-224-0224. www.khalilspub.com. Karaoke. Hibernia Irish Pub, 9 p.m. 9700 N Rodney Parham Road. 501-246-4340. www.hiberniairishtavern.com/index.html. Karaoke with Big John Miller. Denton’s Trotline, 8 p.m. 2150 Congo Road, Benton. 501-315-1717. Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 5 p.m., free. 111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www.capitalhotel.com/CBG.
COMEDY
Steve Hirst. The Loony Bin, March 30-31, 8 p.m.; April 1, 8 and 10:30 p.m.; April 2, 7, 9 and 11 p.m. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-228-5555. www.loonybincomedy.com.
CLASSES
“Children of Abraham: Judaism, Christianity and Islam.” See March 23.
THIS WEEK IN THEATER “100 Years of Broadway.” Walton Arts Center, March 29-31, 7 p.m.; Fri., April 1, 8 p.m.; Sat., April 2, 2 and 8 p.m., $23-$33. 495 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-443-5600. “The Aluminum Show.” Robinson Center Music Hall, March 29-31, 7:30 p.m. Markham and 22 MARCH 23, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES
Graham Gordy Yet in the face of the gruesome, there’s another type of orgy going on. I noticed it first in a lone jonquil at the side of my driveway. A harbinger of nothing, its meekness all too easy to ignore. But in the weeks since, the birth pains are bringing something irrefutable to bear. Look around you, folks. Nature’s on a bender. There’s nothing subtle about spring. What the black tulip magnolia does is not bloom so much as detonate. And then the flowers spill like youth, or a life dispatched too soon. A field of crocus goes as fiercely as it came. And what you can’t help but acknowledge is not how tranquil, but how sublimely wasteful it all is. As Annie Dillard said, “Don’t believe them when they tell you how Broadway. www.littlerockmeetings.com/convcenters/robinson. “The Best Times of the Heart.” Four one-act plays directed by Karina Martinez, Ann Wilson, Katie Garner and Linda Rickel. For more information, visit pockettheatre.com. Pocket Community Theater, March 24-Feb. 26, 7:30 p.m.; Sun., March 27, 2:30 p.m.; Thu., March 31, 7:30 p.m.; April 1-2, 7:30 p.m.; Sun., April 3, 2:30 p.m., $5-$10. 170 Ravine St., Hot Springs. “The Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen’s Guild Dramatic Society’s Production of MacBeth.” Phoebe Reece and her group of atrocious actor friends from the Farmdale Housing Estate take a crack at one of the Bard’s most difficult. Center on the Square, through March 26, 6:30 p.m.; through April 2, 6:30 p.m.; Sun., April 3, 12:30 p.m., $24-$27. 111 W. Arch Ave., Searcy. 501-368-0111. www.centeronthesquare.org. “The Hanging of David O. Dodd.” A military tribunal sentences 17-year-old Dodd to be executed for spying for the Confederacy, setting in motion a drama concerning two fictional women. Based on an actual incident during Civil War-era Arkansas. By Philip McMath. The Weekend Theater, through March 26: Fri., Sat., 7:30 p.m. 1001 W. 7th St. 501-374-3761. www.weekendtheater.org. “If You Give a Pig a Pancake.” Children’s Theatre production. Arkansas Arts Center, through March 27: Fri., 7 p.m.; Sat., 3 p.m.; through March 28, 2 p.m.; through March 25, 2 p.m., $11-$14. 501 E. 9th St. 501-372-4000. www.arkarts.com. “Southern Hospitality.” The Futrelle Sisters (of “Dearly Beloved” and “Christmas Belles”) have to save Fayro, Texas, their beloved hometown, from extinction. Murry’s Dinner Playhouse, through April 13: Tue.-Sat., 6 p.m.; Sun., 11 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.; Wed., 11 a.m., $23-$33. 6323 Col. Glenn Road. 501-562-3131. murrysdinnerplayhouse.com. “What My Husband Doesn’t Know.” A successful, urban couple is torn apart by an affair. Robinson Center Music Hall, Thu., March 24, 8 p.m., $39.75. Markham and Broadway. www. littlerockmeetings.com/conv-centers/robinson.
GALLERIES, MUSEUMS NEW EXHIBITS, ART EVENTS
CLINTON PRESIDENTIAL CENTER, 1200 President Clinton Ave.: “The Secret Art of Dr.
economical and thrifty nature is, whose leaves return to the soil. Wouldn’t it be cheaper to leave them on the tree in the first place?” But there’s a lesson in that wastefulness. It’s not only a sign, but a testament to something larger. There’s no more reason for birds to sing than there are for trees to flower and, because of that, in the face of devastation, spring’s lovable defiance is to be cherished. “Go ahead,” it seems to say, “believe that life has no value.” Then, in one seeming stroke, its value comes in overflowing, beautiful and useless, everywhere and in everything. It’s a lesson, not that we should mirror its Bacchanal frenzy, necessarily, but of what a moment means. Spring is the hour every year where, no matter how far we have distanced ourselves, through blinding light and concrete, the world demands our attention. It won’t settle for less than our receptiveness and our concentration. And in that moment, we’re given the opportunity to forget the brutish horrors and recalibrate ourselves to the world’s captivating extravagance.
I opened my back door this morning to find a broken bluebird egg on the steps. There is little in the world as plainly pretty or innocent as a bluebird’s egg, so what could be more unnecessary than to see it in pieces? The world makes and makes and makes, then cuts down. Evolution itself is a pretty profligate way to make a creature change after all. Does all of this mean nature is savage or am I just sentimental? Ignoring all the bad news won’t deny its existence, yet by ignoring nature we deny ourselves some of our own. Whatever it is that makes beauty is sometimes peaceful but mostly excessive. It is inextricably tangled with the haunting and the horrifying. One week it wields its weight like a butcher, the next it charms us like a drunk bride. Attuning ourselves to nature isn’t just about adjusting to what is good about the world, but understanding the force that both drives and kills us. So look a little. To a sprouting sycamore leaf or a tulip or just what’s going on in the topsoil. What’s happening out there today is beautiful. We have the rest of our year for the harrowing.
Seuss,” through May 22; Super Seuss Saturday 10 a.m.-2 p.m. March 26; “Revolution and Rebellion: Wars, Words and Figures,” two original engravings of the Declaration of Independence produced by Benjamin Owen Tyler in 1818 and William J. Stone in 1823, through May 22; “Historical Figures of the Revolutionary and Civil Wars,” figurines by George Stuart, through May 22; exhibits about policies and White House life during the Clinton administration. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. $7 adults; $5 college students, seniors, retired military; $3 ages 6-17. 370-8000. UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS AT LITTLE ROCK: “Student Competitive Show,” Gallery I, March 30-May 4; galleries closed for spring break through March 25. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.1 p.m. Sat., 2-5 p.m. Sun. 569-8977. n Fayetteville UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS: “ヒロシマ: Hiroshima,” installation and sculpture by Hisae Kimura Yale about consequences of the bomb and ongoing nuclear energy issues, Fine Arts Center Gallery, March 28-April 7; “Interwoven: Global Concord/Entretejido: Concordia Global,” drawings by LaDawna Whiteside, Fine Arts Center hallway, March 28-April 29. 479575-7987. n Jonesboro ARKANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY: “Right Before Your Eyes,” installation by The Art Guys, talk by Michael Galbreth and Jack Massing at 5:30 p.m. March 30, Bradbury Gallery. Noon-5 p.m. Tue.-Sat., 2-5 p.m. Sun. 870972-2567.
sculpture, through July 3; “Young Arkansas Artists 50th Annual Exhibition,” through April 17, Atrium, Sam Strauss and Stella Boyle Smith galleries; “Currents in Contemporary Art,” “Masterworks,” “Paul Signac Watercolors and Drawings,” ongoing. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Sat., 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sun. 3724000. ARKANSAS STUDIES INSTITUTE, 401 President Clinton Ave.: “Norwood Creech: Selected Works from the Northeastern Arkansas Delta,” through June 18, Mezzanine Gallery; “Book Arts,” handmade books and journals, through May 28, Atrium Gallery; “Anticipating the Future — Contemporary American Indian Art,” work from the collection of Dr. J.W. Wiggins. 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.Sat. 320-5791. BOSWELL-MOUROT FINE ART, 5815 Kavanaugh Blvd.: Mixed media by Lisa Renz and Evan Pardue, ceramic vessels by Winston Taylor, through April 2. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tue.-Fri., 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sat. 664-0030. CANTRELL GALLERY, 8206 Cantrell Road: “Brazil: An Endangered Beauty,” watercolors and pastels by Kitty Harvill, through April 9, portion of proceeds to benefit Audubon Arkansas, Society for Wildlife Research and Mater Natura Environmental Studies Institute.10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat. 2241335. CHRIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, 509 Scott St.: Kathy Thompson, needlepoint, oils, watercolors and mixed media, through April 4. 375-2342. CHROMA GALLERY, 5707 Kavanaugh Blvd.: Work by Robert Reep and other Arkansas artists. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sat. 6640880. GALLERY 26, 2601 Kavanaugh Blvd.: Dominique Simmons, David Warren, recent works, through May 14. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tue.-Sat. 664-8996. GREG THOMPSON FINE ART, 429 Main St., NLR: “Benini: The Painter’s Journey,” works from his “Courting Kaos: Face of God” and “Riding Kaos: Truth and the Journey” series, through May 18. 664-2787. HEARNE FINE ART, 1001 Wright Ave.: Stained glass by Charly Palmer, lithographs by Samella Lewis, LaToya Hobbs and Elizabeth Catlett. 9 a.m.5 p.m. Mon.-Thu., 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Fri., 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sat. 372-6822. J.W. WIGGINS NATIVE AMERICAN ART GALLERY, 5820 Asher Ave., Sequoyah Center: “Oklahoma Clay: Northeast Oklahoma Native American Pottery,” through March 25. 569-8336.
NEW MUSEUM EVENT n Jacksonville JACKSONVILLE MUSEUM OF MILITARY HISTORY, 100 Veterans Circle: Jeff Meek and Mariann Findley, lecture, “World War II … Warriors on the Home Front,” 6:30 p.m. March 24; exhibits on D-Day; F-105, Vietnam era plane (“The Thud”); the Civil War Battle of Reed’s Bridge, Arkansas Ordnance Plant (AOP) and other military history. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. $3 adults; $2 seniors, military; $1 students. 501-2411943.
ONGOING GALLERY EXHIBITS
ARKANSAS ARTS CENTER, MacArthur Park: “Michael Peterson: Evolution/Revolution,” wood
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