Agencies to close for July 4
Several agencies announced plans to close in observance of Independence Day, July 4.
Pine Bluff City Hall and related offices will be closed Monday and Tuesday, July 3-4.
The Jefferson County Courthouse will be closed Monday and Tuesday, July 3-4.
Pine Bluff Regional Chamber of Commerce will be closed July 4.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Area Agency on Aging of Southeast Arkansas offices and senior centers will be closed July 4. The agency’s Southeast Arkansas Transportation (SEAT) will still be transporting dialysis and cancer patients to appointments.
State offices in Arkansas will be closed July 4. State Capitol offices will be closed for business, however, the Capitol building will be open to the public from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m.
Historical Society plans meeting
The Jefferson County Historical Society will hold its annual membership meeting at 2 p.m. July 23 in the chapel of First Presbyterian Church, 717 W. 32nd Ave. Everyone is invited to attend, according to a news release.
The speaker will be Rex Nelson, senior editor and columnist for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. His program will be “The Arkansas Paradox,” according to a news release.
A native of Arkadelphia, Nelson graduated from Ouachita Baptist University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in mass communications. He is an author, political appointee, and chronicler of Arkansas history, according to the release.
His column appears Sundays in the Democrat-Gazette. He also has a blog called, “Rex Nelson’s Southern Fried.”
Nelson was appointed by President George W. Bush to the Delta Regional Authority in 2005. He has served as president of the Arkansas Independent Colleges and Universities Association. In 2016, he was inducted into the Arkansas Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame. In that same year, he was named “Rural Advocate of the Year for the State of Arkansas” by Gov. Asa Hutchinson and the Arkansas Rural Development Commission.
UAPB group names Hall of Fame class
The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff/AM&N National Alumni Association announced the Hall of Fame Class of 2023. The induction ceremony will take place in conjunction with the Alumni Luncheon and General Membership Meeting and Alumni King and Queen Presentation. The program will be held at 12:30 p.m. Oct. 20 at the Pine Bluff Convention Center, according to a news release.
Of the 16 nominees, six were selected to be inducted. The honorees, category and chapter or organization affiliation are:
Thelma B. Harrington — Education; Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Alumni Chapter;
Coria Boggan Williams — Government/Law; Memphis Alumni Chapter;
Maude Joyce B. Spight — Community Service; Memphis Alumni Chapter;
Brig. Gen. Tomika Seaberry — Military; UAPB ROTC Commissioned Officers Association;
Kameshia Freeman — Business/Industry; Dallas/Fort Worth Alumni Chapter;
The Rev. Lance Chaney — Lifetime/Posthumous; Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Alumni Chapter.
Details: https://uapbalumni.org/.
Arts Council seeks entries for Small Works
The Arkansas Arts Council is accepting entries for the 2024 Small Works on Paper juried exhibition. Entries can be submitted at www.arkansasarts.org through July 21, according to a news release.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. “‘Small Works on Paper’ gives Arkansas artists the opportunity to show their work across the state, giving the artists a reach that is hard to achieve as an individual,” said Mike Mills, secretary of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism. “The exhibition shares the amazing talent that Arkansas artists have to offer.”
Up to $2,000 in prize money is available for juror selected awards. Artwork selected as a purchase award will be purchased at the price listed by the artist at time of entry. The artwork will become part of the “Small Works on Paper” permanent collection. Artists whose work is selected for the exhibition will be notified in September 2023. The 2024 exhibition will open in January at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, 501 W. Ninth St., Little Rock.
The 2024 juror is Laura Blereau, curator of exhibitions at the Newcomb Art Museum of Tulane University. Details: https://artist.callforentry.org/festivals_unique_info.php?ID=11694.