Women to Watch goes Live!

 

story and photos by Jamie Mitchell

With tipped glasses of wine and sounds of a live string quartet playing in the background, the Fort Smith Regional Art Museum presented the opening reception for the 2011 traveling Arkansas Women to Watch exhibit, sponsored by the Arkansas Committee of the National Museum of Women in the Arts, in Fort Smith at Second Street Live! Thursday.

The biennial exhibition is carried out in conjunction with the national and international outreach committees formed by the Washington, D.C.-based National Museum of Women in the Arts, and will open to the public July 1- Sept, 15 with viewing hours of 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursdays-Saturdays.

Selected by the Board of Directors of the Arkansas Committee with help of contemporary gallery curators throughout the state, Arkansas’s 2011 exhibition includes works by Janet Frankovic of Fort Smith, Emily Wood of Camden, Endia Gomez of Little Rock, Nikki Hemphill of Jonesboro/Harrison, Ruth Pasquine of Little Rock, Deborah Warren of Hot Springs and Thu Nguyen of Cabot.

Since 1991, the Arkansas Committee has chosen the works of more than 500 Arkansas women artists for display in Washington, D.C., Germany and Arkansas.

"This event is a wonderful way to pay tribute to all women artist in Arkansas," said FSRAM executive director Lee Ortega. "It’s another way to create a stronger cultural partnership throughout our state."

Camden artist Emily Wood was on hand to meet with reception guest and share her experiences. As she stood in front of her self-portrait Woods could only feel proud seeing her work hanging with six other noteworthy and emerging Arkansas women artist.

"I’m excited and honored to be part of the exhibition and to see my work with all of these talented Arkansas women artists," Woods said.

Displaying five acrylic on canvas paintings Woods choice of medium is apparent, however, the reason can be traced to her studies in New York.

"I lived in a 300 square-foot apartment and the heavy smell of oils always filled the room," she said. "I could paint layer on layer of acrylic and it would dry so much faster than oil, and that meant I could paint volumes more without the smell."

For more information about the exhibit contact The Fort Smith Regional Art Museum by phone, 784-2787, or email to [email protected]