Pulaski Heights Picassos has got the 7-year itch — the itch to once again auction art to benefit PH Elementary School’s art program. This year’s show will feature a real Picasso — as well as a Miro and a Dali — so take along a lot of scratch to the 7th annual Pulaski Heights Picassos 6-9 p.m. Saturday, March 19, at Ricks Armory.
Some 400 pieces donated by 185 artists rival the offerings at last week’s Tabriz benefit for the Arts Center. Paintings, photography, sculpture, glass, ceramics, lithographs and jewelry by some of Arkansas’s top artists — including Gary Cawood, V.L. Cox, Robyn Horn, Tim Hursley, Kevin Kresse, Pat McLeod, Doug Gorrell, James Hayes, Laura Laser, Donna Pinckley, Stephano, Katherine Strause, Ed Wade, Aj Smith, Marjorie Smith and dozens of others — will be sold in live and silent auctions. There will also be handknit items, artwork by children and other tempting items for sale. Children will be amused by art activities; patrons will be entertained by student singers.
Boulevard Bread and Lilly’s Dim Sum are providing food for the event, and wine and beer will be free. Tickets are $5 for couples, $10 for families in advance or $10 and $15 at the door.
A sample of work is online at www.phepicassos.org. Visa and Mastercard will be accepted. Ricks Armory is located behind Ray Winder Field. For more information, call Mallory Jewell (664-6476) or Shelley Fleisch-Djurica (603-9886).
Kathy Strause, J.O. Buckley, Andrea Wills, Lisa Whitbeck and other artists, including fathers in the parenting program at Wrightsville unit of the Department of Correction, have created inspirational children’s desks and school chairs for “Desktop Heroes,” an auction Friday, March 18, to benefit the non-profit Arkansas Voices for the Children Left Behind. The event runs from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Voices’ headquarters at 311 Elm St. (the former The Anthony School); the auction closes at 7:30 p.m. The $10 admission will buy a margarita, wine or beer. Arkansas Voices is a program that advocates for children of incarcerated parents and their families. For more information, call 603-0244.
Poetry, fashion and visual art will be featured at Mediums Gallery’s first Art Weekend Party Friday through Sunday, March 18-20, at 3000 Kavanaugh Blvd. Mo-Man and other poets will read their works at the Live Wire Poetry event at 9:30 p.m. Friday (wine will served before the event). Admission is $5. On Saturday, a fashion show at 7 p.m. will feature styles by Missy Lipps, who designs for stores in Chicago and Little Rock. Admission is $10. Sunday, the art exhibit “Print, Dirt, and Clay” starts at 6 p.m. and will feature acrylics and charcoals of Kerry Young of Zambia, paintings and ceramic works by Elana Petroukina of Russia, solvent transfers of Bryce Bisco of Fayetteville and more. For more information, call Jimmy Cheffen at 612-7914. The exhibit will remain up until April 15.
“New Contraptions and How to Abuse Them” is the intriguing name of Kevin Kerby and Amanda Linn’s exhibit opening Saturday, March 19, at Gallery 26, 2611 Kavanaugh. Kerby’s mixed media pieces use cabinet doors and drawers to tackle what’s ominous about robots; Linn’s work, on wood panels, makes humorous comments on stories from newspapers and magazines. She also is showing narrative photographs. Linn teaches art at Parkview Magnet High School.
The Boodogs will play at a reception for the artists from 7-10 p.m. Saturday. For more information, call 664-8996.
Picasso comes to PHE event
Art auction’s 400 pieces include one by the artist himself this year.