A&E Advisory for Aug. 8-14: Hoping for rain? Will watercolor do?

Through Sept. 28
Art: Traveling watercolor exhibit
FORT SMITH — Works by two of the state’s most heralded watercolor artists — George Dombek and William McNamara — are featured in a traveling Arkansas Arts Center exhibit currently housed in the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith’s Smith-Pendergraft Campus Center.

Dombek’s paintings of bamboo groves and river rocks — as well as McNamara’s ripe red tomatoes   — are a feast for the eyes on a hot summer day.

The 24-piece exhibit titled Watercolors: Selections from the Arkansas Arts Center Foundation Collection also features works by Josephine Graham and Doris Williamson Mapes, two of the founding members of the Mid-Southern Watercolorists, a group founded in Little Rock in 1970 to promote the stature of watercolor painting.
 
Dombek is from Fayetteville, Graham and Mapes are from Little Rock and McNamara is from Cave Mountain, Ark. Other Arkansans with work in the exhibit include Ann Downs of Magnolia and Charlotte Glover and Mayme Heard Hostetter, both of El Dorado. In addition to watercolor on paper, the exhibit includes watercolor and pencil on paper, watercolor and pastel on paper, ink and watercolor on paper, and watercolor over charcoal on paper. The range of subjects runs the gamut — portraits, scenes, landscapes, structures, boats, flowers and more.
 
Exhibit space is located in the west hallway of the campus center. Hours are 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Fridays. For more information, call (479) 788-7300.

Aug. 9-11
Finds: Bargains galore on (U.S.) 64
FORT SMITH — What is arguably Arkansas’ largest yard sale takes place Thursday through Saturday on a 160-mile stretch of two-lane U.S. 64, starting somewhere around Fort Smith, extending past Russellville and Conway, and ending at Beebe. 2012 marks the event’s 13th year.

The bargain-hunting begins at 7 a.m., but you can bet your sweet tootsies that there will be folks crawling by at low speeds long before dawn.

This gigantic sale — or unloading of unwanted goods — is so popular that it even has its own website. It’s billed as a great opportunity for commercial vendors, non-profit groups, clubs, schools, churches and civic organizations to promote their products or services. There are no limitations on what vendors may market, though antiques and collectibles are preferred.
Lodging options are provided for the serious shoppers — those who intend to make it a weekend affair.

Aug. 9
Imbibe: Alumni happy hour
FORT SMITH — We told you recently about a festive send-off for Fort Smith graduates headed to the University of Arkansas this fall. The affair was sponsored by the newly re-constituted Western Arkansas Chapter of the University of Arkansas Alumni Association.

Well, now it’s time for the grownups to celebrate the success of that student sendoff and learn more about upcoming chapter events. They’ll get the chance to do that at a happy hour — or happy hour and a half — from 5:30-7 p.m. Thursday at Neumeier’s Rib Room on Garrison Avenue.

More information can be found here.

Aug. 10
Literature: Grumpy’s magical chair
FORT SMITH — Van Buren author Lee Holland will be at the Fort Smith Public Library from 2-4 p.m. Friday to promote and sign copies of his most recent book, Welcome to My Chair: Tales of Adventure From Grumpy’s Living Room.

This guy Grumpy has a La-Z-Boy like no other.

Together in Grumpy’s chair, Grumpy and Sarah explore the magic and mystery of a little girl's imagination, combined with the experience of an old man's childhood. Welcome to My Chair is a wondrous tale of fantasy and adventure, sure to delight readers young and old.

Holland, known to his family as Grumpy, is a U.S. Army veteran, worked in construction, has had two historical articles published in magazines and taught college for three years. He and his wife, Rosie, were also puppeteers for several years. Copies of his newest book will be available for sale and signing at this free, open-house style event.

Aug. 10
Art: ‘A Visual Symphony’
VAN BUREN — An opening reception for Abstract Art: A Visual Symphony, a new exhibit by Dale Auguston, will be 5:30-7 p.m. Friday at the Center For Art & Education in Van Buren. The exhibit runs through Aug. 31.

Auguston teaches art classes in stained glass, acrylic mixed media, acrylic abstract painting and Mosaics at Ozarks Technical Community College in Springfield, Mo. Some of his works are on display in the office of Continuing Education at the college. He regularly exhibits his stained glass and other artwork at Hawthorn Galleries, Tall Grass Art Gallery and Union Street Gallery in the Chicago area.

Says Auguston: "Abstract art is a visual symphony of space, color, form and motion. The space between those elements is like the silence of rests in music. The essence of the finished work is alive and urges the viewer to breathe in harmony with it. The piece may have many 'titles' as each person who views it brings to it their own individuality."

While you’re at the center, cross over to another reception, held roughly the same time, for an exhibit of art by Van Buren High School art educators Kara Holland and Marcus Koch.

Watch The City Wire for Brittany Ransom’s coverage of the opening reception.