Former name | Museum of Fine Arts |
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Established | 1960 |
Location | 501 E. 9th Street, Little Rock, Arkansas |
Coordinates | 34°44′22″N 92°16′01″W / 34.73945°N 92.26704°WCoordinates: 34°44′22″N 92°16′01″W / 34.73945°N 92.26704°W |
Type | Art Museum |
Website | arkansasartscenter |
The Arkansas Arts Center is on the corner of 9th and Commerce streets in MacArthur Park, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA. The Arkansas Arts Center was founded in 1960, but the idea began in 1914 when the Fine Arts Club of Arkansas formed. The group included supporters and volunteers who contributed to the realization of the Museum of Fine Arts in 1937 in Little Rock's MacArthur Park. The center features a permanent collection of art along with occasional special exhibitions. Other parts of the center include a research library and rooms for several art education classes for a variety of age groups. The center also includes the restaurant Canvas and a gift shop. Many of the facilities such as the main atrium and the lecture hall can be rented for special events.
The museum is a member of the North American Reciprocal Museums program. In 2011 it was named as one of the top 10 attractions in the state of Arkansas by Arkansas.com.
The museum's permanent collection is focused on drawings, which the AAC defines as any unique work on paper, and contemporary craft objects. The collection holds objects from such historically recognized artists such as Rembrandt, Pablo Picasso, Odilon Redon, Andrew Wyeth, and Edgar Degas. The collection also represents numerous important late 20th century and contemporary artists such as Susan Hauptman, Gregory Gillespie, John Connell, William Beckman, Enrique Chagoya, Jane Frank, John Stuart Ingle, Tim Lowly, and Odd Nerdrum. One of the highlights of the Arts Center's collection is a collection of Paul Signac drawings and watercolours; many are on public display in a gallery dedicated to the Signac collection. Much of the Arkansas Art Center's permanent collection can be viewed through its Web Kiosk.