Visual Arts
Joy Pratt Markham Gallery
The Joy Pratt Markham Gallery presents exhibitions of works by both emerging and internationally recognized artists. You're invited to explore new perspectives on nature, identity and community.
Joy Pratt Markham Gallery Hours:
Monday-FRIDAY | Noon to 2pm
One hour prior to most performances
Gallery admission is free
Private gallery tours may be scheduled in advance by calling 479.571.2766. Please arrange your tour at your earliest convenience. We request three business days’ notice to schedule tour guides.
Current Exhibitions
Mirror, Mirror: The Prints of Alison Saar
EXHIBITION DATES: May 28-Oct. 4
CLOSING RECEPTION: Thursday, Sept. 12, 6:30pm
Alison Saar (American (b. 1956)) │ Indigo Blue (Holly Sugar), edition 2/3, 2016 │ intaglio │ 12 1/8 x 12 in. │ 2016.89
Mirror, Mirror: The Prints of Alison Saar from the collection of Jordan D. Schnitzer and his Family Foundation reflects the vast body of prints created by Alison Saar over the past 35 years. Addressing issues of race, gender and spirituality, her lithographs, etchings and woodblock prints are evocations of her sculptures, for which she is renowned. In addition to printing on paper, Saar also employs a variety of used fabrics like vintage handkerchiefs, old shop rags and antique sugar sacks that are layered, cut, sewn and collaged – empowering the content of the image while resisting the flat repetitive nature of the medium. Illuminated and more visible are the tragic stories of racism in our country, now reawakened by our current state of political unrest. Yet, Saar quietly creates art to inform each viewer of her stories— like a constellation of the universe—whose connected stars form figures and stories from past civilizations. Describing her work in her own words, Saar states “It tells so many stories, so many histories.”
ABOUT ALISON SAAR:
Alison Saar lives and works in Los Angeles where she was born in 1956. The daughter of acclaimed collagist and assemblage artist Betye Saar and Richard Saar, a painter and art conservator, Saar’s style incorporates personal, artistic, and cultural references that reveals the variety of her own experiences. Saar studied studio art and art history at Scripps College in Claremont, California, receiving a BA in art history in 1978. In 1981 she earned her MFA from the Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles. Her work is included in many public collections including Whitney Museum of American Art (New York, NY), and the Studio Museum in Harlem (New York, NY).
Learn more about Alison Saar here and here.
ABOUT THE JORDAN SCHNITZER FAMILY FOUNDATION:
At age 14, Jordan D. Schnitzer bought his first work of art from his mother’s Portland, Oregon contemporary art gallery, evolving into a lifelong avocation as collector. He began collecting contemporary prints and multiples in earnest in 1988. Today, the collection exceeds 13,000 works and includes many of today’s most important contemporary artists. It has grown to be one of the country’s largest private print collections. He generously lends work from his collection to qualified institutions. The Foundation has organized over 110 exhibitions and has had art exhibited at over 150 museums. Mr. Schnitzer is also President of Harsch Investment Properties, a privately owned real estate investment company based in Portland, Oregon, owning and managing office, multi-tenant industrial, multi-family and retail properties in six western states. For more information about the Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation, please visit jordanschnitzer.org.
TOPO Map for School Avenue
On display throughout 2018 and beyond
This is a temporary public art installation made of thermoplastic by artist Stacy Levy. City of Fayetteville and Walton Arts Center commissioned the artwork with support from the National Endowment for the Arts. Its form is a life-scale topographic map of the terrain between Dickson and Mountain Streets and a visual reminder of the issues of water in Fayetteville’s hilly landscape.
Cynthia Nourse Thompson: Curator and Consulting Director of Visual Arts
Cynthia Nourse Thompson serves as the Curator and Consulting Director of Visual Arts at the Walton Arts Center. In addition to this role, Thompson is the Director of the graduate programs in Book Arts + Printmaking and Studio Arts at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA. Thompson previously served as the Curator and Director of Exhibitions at the University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR.
