501-918-3025
calsfoundation@cals.org
calsfoundation@cals.org
Fall Art at CALS: Events and News
Fall is in the air, and with it comes chances for some fun (and free!) art experiences at CALS!
Upcoming Workshops and Activities
Two chances for printmaking with Perrion Hurd!
Sat., September 20, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. (drop in any time during this period)
Sat. October 4, during the Main Library Re-opening Festivities and Six Bridges Book Fest, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. (drop in any time during this period)
Lobby of the CALS Roberts Library, 401 President Clinton Ave. (across Rock St. from the Main Library)
Come visit the Roberts Library for a free creation you can make yourself with the guided help of the amazing artist Perrion Hurd! Or just stop in and watch him work his magic. No registration needed. All ages welcome. Supplies provided.
Perrion Hurd is an illustrator, painter, muralist, and printmaker working in Little Rock. He was the 2020 Signature Artist for the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center in Little Rock, and his work is collected nationwide and internationally. Hurdwiredstudios, LLC, is the fine art company he uses to sell his artwork and to reach out to the community with printmaking demos to inspire people to be creative. His murals can be seen in Little Rock on the exterior of the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center and in the Argenta Arts District of North Little Rock, and his work can be found at Hearne Fine Art in Little Rock, Mosaic Templars Museum Store, and Crystal Bridges Museum Store in Bentonville. More info here.
Made possible by generous funding from the Windgate Foundation.
2nd Friday Art Night (2FAN)
2nd Friday Art Night
September 12, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
CALS Rock It! Lab, 120 River Market Ave.
Dedicated Visual Art Studio & Gallery will be joining us again this month for some screen printing!
Dedicated Visual Art Studio, located in North Little Rock, is a community-focused arts space offering studio rentals, a gallery for exhibits, and a venue for live music and workshops. The studio muralist Jose Hernandez (aka Ch3mex) will be on the third floor of the Rock It! Lab with a free screen-printing opportunity for you! Bring your own cotton T-shirt or canvas tote. (Plain shirts to screen print will also be available for purchase.) There will be four screen-printing options to choose from, and poster paper will be available for FREE art prints!
(Due to unforeseen circumstances, the previously announced chainsaw carving portion of 2FAN has been canceled.)
CALS hosts its monthly 2FAN event at the CALS Rock It! Lab, where attendees will be greeted with local artists selling their work, art demonstrations, social knitting, a craft table, poets on the patio, TMT’s Sweet Treats Cafe, a DJ or performer playing music, and light refreshments and libations. Stop by each second Friday to chat with local artists, shop locally from Arkansas makers, take in some music, and sip wine with friends!
PLUS: 2nd Friday Knit Night (part of 2FAN). Bring your WIP (work in progress) and hang out for an evening of social knitting. Don’t know how to knit? We’ll teach you. Supplies provided.
2FAN is free to attend, and parking is free with validation in the library lot/deck (as space is available). Street parking is also free after 5:00 p.m.
Made possible by generous funding from the CALS Foundation and the Windgate Foundation.
Also, the 2nd Friday Art Night Film at the CALS Ron Robinson Theater features Clue 40th Anniversary (1985, PG), 7:00-9:00 p.m. More info here: https://events.cals.org/event/14436229
For more information about all downtown 2FAN activities, visit the 2nd Friday Art Night Facebook page.
Exhibition on View
From the Vault: A Survey of the CALS Art Collection
On view throughout fall 2025
CALS Roberts Library
Underground Gallery
The Central Arkansas Library System (CALS) houses more than just books. CALS’s art program also actively collects and exhibits works by artists working and living in Arkansas.
This eclectic exhibition features historical and contemporary artworks that show the diversity of art being created in Arkansas.
From the Vault: A Survey of the CALS Art Collection highlights works by Arkansas artists, such as a selection of prints and paintings by Elsie Freund, who along with husband Louis Freund established an art school in Eureka Springs in 1941; ceramic work by Helen Phillips, who was a University of Central Arkansas professor; and a series of watercolor drawings of Arkansas’s flora and fauna by noted artist and educator David Paul Cook. Also on view is a pine needle basket by Pat “Old Face” Edmonds donated by Brad and Bobby Cushman.
The CALS Permanent Collection holds more than 1,000 works of art and incorporates a wide range of media, including paintings, sculpture, works on paper, photographs, and decorative arts. Works are added to the collection regularly through purchases and donations.
Other Art Happenings at CALS
The reimagined CALS Main Library celebrates its opening Saturday, October 4, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will have lots of art from the CALS permanent art collection on display, including in a new gallery on the fifth floor. More info about the opening here.
The Six Bridges Book Festival will also be going on from September 28 to October 5, with many events held at the newly opened Main Library. More info here.
Read about the renovation here.
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Roberts Library visiting information is here. Visiting information for all CALS locations is here.
For questions about art events, classes, and workshops, contact art programmer Shannon Holmes at sholmes@cals.org or 501-320-5792.
To see all upcoming CALS art exhibitions, events, and classes, click here.
Art events and workshops are made possible by generous funding from the Windgate Foundation.
