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AE Feature

Organized chaos: An oral history of Kanis skatepark

Operating without a formal structure or corporate entity, the Kanis skate crew formed an unlikely partnership with the city of Little Rock and became central players in an urban revitalization success story. Initially fueled by hard manual labor and grassroots fundraising, the crew expanded the park with a $150,000 grant from the Coca-Cola Co. in 2016.
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A first look at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts

If you were one of the lucky ones who snagged a ticket to the grand opening before reservations filled up, you know firsthand that there’s simply too much dazzling stimuli to absorb (much less write about) in a single visit. Check out our conversations with Executive Director Victoria Ramirez and Curator Theresa Bembnister, plus a few highlights you’ve gotta see in person.
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Balancing Art & People: A Q&A with Victoria Ramirez

"I love the fact that when you come in, it’s very intuitive, the way that you navigate the museum," Ramirez said. "You can stand at certain points in the atrium and you can see clear through north to south. ... It’s not a maze."

Covering the Walls: A Q&A with Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts curator Theresa Bembnister

"When we use the word 'permanent,'" curator Theresa Bembnister said, "that doesn’t mean that every work is permanently going to be on display; it just means that the museum owns the work. So if you come back in six months, you’re going to see new things on the wall. I can promise that for sure."
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picture of author Eli Cranor

Pope County’s Eli Cranor appears poised to break out big

A year after he released his acclaimed debut, "Don't Know Tough," Cranor has a new novel out today that's a must-read. It’s called “Ozark Dogs,” and like his first book, it’s a propulsive, gritty thriller that’s all Arkansas. If you like crime novels, or fiction that thoroughly inhabits places you know, Cranor is your man.

The Transference of Pain: Riding the synth waves with The Chores

The Chores on connecting with audiences, recording with Jason Tedford and what they did during summer vacation.
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'Can't Afford California' (or Nashville, or NYC): Why Arkansas musicians are exiting industry towns and returning home

Emily Fenton, Dazzmin Murry, Bonnie Montgomery, Jessie Ott, Nick Flora, Nick Shoulders and Jonah Thornton left Arkansas for greener musical pastures. Now, they've returned with new music, new perspectives and a renewed love for their native state.

Dan Penn, master of the 'slow pocket'

Along with songwriting co-conspirators like Spooner Oldham, Penn became one of the bright lights of the Muscle Shoals and Memphis music machines of the 1960s, and was the writer behind such epic soul classics as “Do Right Woman,” “I’m Your Puppet,” “Dark End of the Street,” “Out of Left Field,” “It Tears Me Up” and “You Left the Water Running.” He plays at the White Water Tavern Sunday, Oct. 30, at 7 p.m. sharp.
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Heavy Load Blues: A Q&A with Warren Haynes of Gov't. Mule

Gov't Mule's Warren Haynes on playing Juanita's, Larry McCray and the future of the blues.

'Somewhere Before': A Q&A with Modeling

Connor, Cuinn and Ryan Brogan of the band Modeling — influenced by movie soundtracks like “Blade Runner,” “The Terminator” and “Braveheart” — share their creative process behind their "lockdown" album and their plans for new music in 2023.
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Slugs and Jell-O with a cherry on top: Meet Little Rock artist Slugknives

If you’ve strolled through the St. Joseph Farm Stand or a pop-up market in Central Arkansas in recent months, you may have seen colorful displays of stickers, prints, and wood carvings paying tribute to all things squishy, squirmy and sweet under the banner of SLUGKNIVES.

'Every Brilliant Thing' at The Rep dissects depression — and turns its audience into a neighborhood

Chad Bradford, the stunning performer behind The Rep's production of "Every Brilliant Thing," careens between a boy’s reckless enthusiasm to a teenager’s angst to an adult’s worry about his own potential depression and does it in a way that masterfully raises and lowers the energy in the room.

The Pound of Underground Sound: Rural War Room has been keeping the airwaves weird since 2005

Rural War Room plays nothing from a digital database. For their weekly radio show, they bring in hard copies of the music, mostly weird stuff on vinyl, and keep record players at the ready in large suitcases.

Brad Cushman is pressing the pause button

After a decades-long career as a curator, Brad Cushman is taking a breath.

Buried Treasure: There's a new record shop in the basement of the Arlington

The shop will do a soft opening this month and a grand opening on Friday, Sept. 2, in conjunction with Hot Springs' monthly First Friday Gallery Walk.

Beast of a Time: A Q&A with Ayana Gray

Little Rock’s Ayana Gray weaves a love of history and power struggles into pan-African young adult fiction. We talk with Gray about man-eating lions, book sales during a pandemic, her dog Dolly, and the exotic land that is Arkansas, perpetually mystifying America at large.

"The BOX" grapples with the inhumanities of solitary confinement

“I think solitary confinement, perhaps outside of the death penalty, is the worst thing that we can do to another human being,” Zachary Crow, Executive Director at DecARcerate said. “It's recognized by the United Nations and other human rights groups as a form of torture. And this is happening in really extreme ways right here in Arkansas, but it's largely hidden from public view.”

Behind the board at Hill Records, U of A Fayetteville's student-run music label

Hill Records' mission, Jacob Hertzog told us, "is threefold; give the students as much hands-on experience in the music industry as possible, help content creators navigate the complex digital revolution, and provide promotional services to the label artists. The ultimate goal is to offer music business for-credit classes, but until then the volunteer students will receive top quality guidance for their fledgling record label. There is a board of advisors consisting of faculty, music industry representatives, legal experts, and others, but the label itself is run by the students.”

Down the Wormhole: A Q&A with CT

CT on fatherhood, building the ever-broadening Mutants of the Monster Festival, and what Pentecostal preachers have to do with heavy metal.

The home of the state’s most forward-thinking jazz label isn’t where you might expect

Since 2019, Chad Fowler has been quietly releasing albums from jazz luminaries on his Hot Springs Village-based label, Mahakala Music.
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