Fans of Holden’s get a sneak peek at his exhibit

FORT SMITH — A preview party of works by Harold T. Holden, the Western artist who created the Bass Reeves Legacy monument, was held Thursday (May 17) in the rotunda at the Holiday Inn. The invitation-only event drews some 330 people to meet the artist and get a sneak peek at some of his other two- and three-dimensional works

The party “allowed guests to see the complete scope of Holden's works, from paintings to sculptures,” said host Ken Kupchick. He said he wanted to give Holden and his wife, Edna Mae Holden, a proper welcome to Fort Smith.

Holden has been sculpting since the 1970s, creating 22 monuments in 25 years. He said the Bass Reeves Legacy Monument is his favorite. A sculpture of Will Rogers spinning a rope on horseback at the Will Rogers Airport in Oklahoma City was the hardest to create, he said.

Beginning at 9 a.m. today (May 18), the Harold T. Holden Artistic Grit Art Exhibition will open in the Fort Smith Convention Center rotunda and north lobby for public viewing.

A welcome party will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. May 24 at the Fort Smith Museum of History with a cookout in the museum parking lot. Tickets are $10 per person.

The unveiling of the Bass Reeves Legacy Monument will be 10 a.m. May 26  with a full weekend of activities at each of the historic sites, including Pendergraft Park’s grounds, the Fort Smith National Historic Site, the Fort Smith Museum of History, Clayton House, the site of the U.S. Marshals Museum, The Park at West End and the Downtown Restaurant & Pub Association. The Farmer's Market will also be open to the public. The trolley will make 20 minute cycles to each of the historic sites.