08 Jun 2024 Arkansas Arts Council accepting entries for ‘Small Works on Paper’ exhibition

Posted at 2:01 PMh in News by

LITTLE ROCK – The Arkansas Arts Council is currently accepting entries for the 2025 “Small Works on Paper” juried art exhibition. Entries can be submitted online at arkansasarts.org through Friday, July 26. Artists who are members of the Arkansas Artist Registry may enter up to three works of art on paper for a fee of $15 for the first entry, $20 for two entries or $25 for three entries. Membership to the registry is free and open to all Arkansans age 18 or older.

“Solitude—The Platonic Ideal,” is a digital drawing on archival paper by Anna Zusman of Magnolia, Ark.

“‘For the past 38 years, Small Works on Paper’ has provided increased visibility and career enhancement for Arkansas artists by touring their artwork statewide, ” said Shea Lewis, secretary of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism. “This annual exhibition is a favorite with Arkansas’s universities and two-year colleges, offering them a high-quality, affordable visual arts display and educational opportunity.” 

“Small Works on Paper” is a competitive visual arts exhibition of artwork no larger than 18 x 24 inches by artists who are members of the Arkansas Artist Registry. An out-of-state juror selects a maximum of 40 pieces of artwork to tour with the exhibition. Works must have been completed within the last two years.

Up to $2,000 will be granted for juror-selected awards. Artwork selected as purchase awards will become part of the “Small Works on Paper” permanent collection. The award amount is equivalent to the purchase price set by the artist at the time of entry. 

“Every year, Small Works on Paper gives Arkansans a peak into the portfolios of our state’s best visual artists, both established and emerging. These creatives represent the workforce who are the backbone of our state’s $3.5 billion creative economy,” said Patrick Ralston, director of the Arkansas Arts Council.

Artists whose work is selected for the exhibition will be notified in September 2024. The 2025 exhibition will open in January at the UA Little Rock School of Art and Design located in the Windgate Center of Art + Design, 2801 S. University, Little Rock. 

The 2025 juror is Mario A. Robinson, a full-time professional artist based in Long Branch, New Jersey. Originally from Oklahoma, Robinson attended the prestigious Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. He is a figurative painter who works in pastels, watercolor and oils. He is the author of “Lessons in Realistic Watercolor,” a comprehensive guide of watercolor techniques. His work has been featured in The Artist’s Magazine, The Pastel Journal, Watercolor Magic, American Art Collector, Fine Art Connoisseur and on the cover of American Artist magazine. Robinson’s work is widely collected by private and public collectors.