\u2018Italian Composers Abroad\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\nThe Camerata Little Rock chamber orchestra offers a concert titled\u00a0\u201cBeyond Borders: Italian Composers Abroad,\u201d\u00a07:30 p.m. Saturday at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, 310 W. 17th St., Little Rock.<\/p>\n
Mezzo-soprano Shannon Webb will sing arias from Tomaso Albinoni\u2019s \u201cLa Statira,\u201d \u201cL\u2019Eraclea\u201d and \u201cIl Nascimento dell\u2019Aurora\u201d that have been\u201cspecifically prepared for this concert from the original manuscripts,\u201d according to a news release.<\/p>\n
Guitarist Andrew Flory will join four of the ensemble\u2019s string players (Geronimo Oyenard and Leanne Day-Simpson, violins; Tatiana Kotcherguina, viola; and Jacob Wunsch, cello) for the Quintet No. 4 for Guitar and String Quartet in D Major, G. 448, by Luigi Boccherini, nicknamed \u201cFandango\u201d for its Spanish-inspired rhythms and the adding, in some performances (including this one, with Jonathan Tomasello as the player), of castanets.<\/p>\n
Also on the program: the Concerto Grosso in F major, op.1, No. 7, by Pietro Antonio Locatelli and \u201cSuite of Scottish Airs and Songs\u201d by Francesco Geminiani.<\/p>\n
Admission is free; a \u201cpay-what-you-want\u201d ticket option is available at the welcoming table on the night of the performance. An Italian-themed reception will follow. Visit gofundme.com\/f\/support-camerata-little-rocks-spring-concert.<\/p>\n
Celebrating \u2018Freedom\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\nThe River City Men\u2019s Chorus offers a concert it\u2019s titling \u201cFREEDOM!,\u201d which a news release describes as \u201ca choral celebration of the ways we dream of, achieve and exercise our many freedoms,\u201d 3 p.m. Sunday and 7 p.m. Monday and April 23 at St. James United Methodist Church, 321 Pleasant Valley Drive, Little Rock.<\/p>\n
Mezzo-soprano Satia Spencer joins the chorus for \u201cStand Up,\u201d words and music by Joshuah Campbell & Cynthia Erivo, arranged by Mac Huff; Mark Hayes\u2019 arrangement of the traditional spiritual \u201cDidn\u2019t My Lord Deliver Daniel?\u201d; and an arrangement of \u201cI Sing Because I\u2019m Happy\u201d with \u201cHis Eye is on the Sparrow,\u201d words by Civilla Martin, music by Charles H. Gabriel.<\/p>\n
The program also includes \u201cI Dream a World Words,\u201d words by Langston Hughes, music by Kyle Pederson; \u201cThe Table of Freedom,\u201d words by Pamela Stewart, music by Hayes; two movements \u2014 \u201cThe God who gave us life\u201d and \u201cI shall not die without a hope\u201d \u2014 from \u201cThe Testament of Freedom,\u201d writings of Thomas Jefferson, music by Randall Thompson; Hayes\u2019 setting of Abraham Lincoln\u2019s \u201cGettysburg Address\u201d; \u201cSong for the Unsung Hero,\u201d words by Pamela Stewart, music by Joseph M. Martin; Hayes\u2019 arrangement of \u201cThe Star-Spangled Banner\u201d; two segments \u2014 \u201cCaged Bird\u201d and Equality\u201d \u2014 from \u201cLike Dust I Rise,\u201d words by Maya Angelou, music by Hayes; Austin Hunt\u2019s arrangement of the traditional spiritual \u201cWoke Up This Mornin\u2019\u201d; and \u201cThis Is the Dream Words\u201d by Rose Aspinall. David Glaze conducts.<\/p>\n
Admission is free. The chorus recommends arriving early because seats fill up quickly. Call (501) 377-1080.<\/p>\n
The ESSE Purse Museum & Store has \u201cThe Three SoMa Sisters: History, Nature, Wellness, and Anita Davis\u2019 Mission to Thrive in SoMa\u201d on display through Aug. 30.
\n(Special to the Democrat-Gazette\/Nancy Nolan)<\/figcaption><\/div>\nART & EXHIBITS<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\u2018Three SoMa Sisters\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\u201cThe Three SoMa Sisters: History, Nature, Wellness, and Anita Davis\u2019 Mission to Thrive in SoMa\u201d\u00a0is on display through Aug. 30 at ESSE Museum & Store, 1510 Main St. in Little Rock\u2019s SoMa neighborhood. The exhibit explores how Davis has created a community focused on her three SoMa enterprises: the museum, the Bernice Garden and The Authentic Self Collective, which its website describes as an evolving space of refuge, re-connection and deep remembering\u201d that offers \u201csoulful, in-person classes and workshops.\u201d Admission is $10, $8 for students, senior citizens and military. Hours are 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday. Call (501) 916-9022 or visit essepursemuseum.com.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wehco.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com\/img\/photos\/2026\/04\/15\/Mediterranean-Moments_t800.jpg?90232451fbcadccc64a17de7521d859a8f88077d\")
“Afternoon at the Aqueduct” and “Mediterranean Moments,” two of the \u201cImpressions of Spain,\u201d paintings by Sean LeCrone, going on display Thursday at the Art Group Gallery, in the Pleasant Ridge Town Center, 11525 Cantrell Road, Little Rock.
\n(Special to the Democrat-Gazette)<\/figcaption><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u2018Impressions of Spain\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\u201cImpressions of Spain,\u201d paintings by Sean LeCrone inspired by a recent journey through the Iberian Peninsula, opens with a 5-8 p.m. reception Thursday at the Art Group Gallery, in the Pleasant Ridge Town Center, 11525 Cantrell Road, Little Rock. Gallery hours are 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday or by appointment. Admission is free. Call (501) 690-2193 or visit artgrouparkansas.com.<\/p>\n
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“Sweet & Unbothered” by Erica Dunlap, “Meetin’ Up” by Paula Rogers, “When They Hear Me” by Theresa Cates and “Self-portrait \u2014 Version 2 2026” by Ebony Blevins are part of the \u201cWomen Create: Space. Grace. Power, a Multimedia Survey of Thirteen Black Women Artists,\u201d on display through June 13 at Little Rock’s Hearne Fine Art. (Special to the Democrat-Gazette)<\/figcaption><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u2018Women Create\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\nHearne Fine Art, 1001 Wright Ave., Little Rock, holds a reception at 5:30 p.m. Friday to honor the artists with works in its current exhibition,\u00a0\u201cWomen Create Space. Grace. Power: A Multimedia Survey of Thirteen Black Women Artists,\u201d\u00a0on display through June 13. The artists are Elizabeth Catlett, Artis Lane, Samella Lewis, Marjorie Williams-Smith, Phoebe Beasley, Louise Mandumbwa, Nina Robinson, Theresa Cates, Erica Dunlap, Alice Aida Ayers, Anyta Thomas, Ebony Blevins and Paula Rogers.<\/p>\n
The gallery will also offer a talk titled \u201cThe Emerging Spirit: A Dialogue on Becoming,\u201d 3 p.m. Saturday.<\/p>\n
Admission to the gallery, the reception and the talk is free. Gallery hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday. Call (501) 372-6822 or visit hearnefineart.com.<\/p>\n
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“Don’t Eat the Daisies” by Jeannie Fry, “My Baby Blue” by Stephen Landford and “Blooming” by Kathy Kemp are part of the Six Bridges Watercolor Group’s \u201cDo You See What I See\u201d exhibition, opening Friday at North Little Rock’s Argenta Library. (Special to the Democrat-Gazette)<\/figcaption><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Watercolor exhibit<\/strong><\/p>\n\u201cDo You See What I See,\u201d\u00a0works from the Six Bridges Watercolor Group that \u201c(explore) the deeply personal experience of viewing and creating art,\u201d according to a news release, opens with an Argenta Arts District Third Friday Art Walk, 5-8 p.m. Friday in the Argenta Library Gallery, 420 Main St., North Little Rock. The show remains on display through May 8. Gallery hours are 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday. Admission to the reception and gallery is free. Call (501) 687-1061 or visit NLRlibrary.org.<\/p>\n
ETC.<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\u2018Carded\u2019 at the door<\/strong><\/p>\nVXV Events, organizer of (among others) the Arkansas Comic Con and the Little Rock Anime Festival, holds the inaugural\u00a0Arkansas Card Show, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday at the Statehouse Convention Center, Markham and Main streets, Little Rock. Vendors and dealers from across the region who specialize in sports cards and collectible card games, including Pok\u00e9mon, Magic: The Gathering and Disney\u2019s Lorcana are expected to be on hand, along with \u201cfeatured guests\u201d baseball legend Dwight Gooden, voiceover performer Megan Hollingshead and basketball player Horace Grant. Tickets are $15 (plus taxes and fees) for single-day tickets, $25 for weekend passes, free for children 10 and younger. Visit TheArkansasCardShow.com.<\/p>\n
Plots & Crafts<\/strong><\/p>\nRomance novelist Kathleen Fuller, an Arkansas resident and former special education teacher, will read from one of her novels while attendees work on hobbies \u2014 crocheting, knitting, drawing, coloring, embroidery \u201cor simply relaxing and listening,\u201d according to a news release, for\u00a0Plots & Crafts, 3 p.m. Sunday at Sammy\u2019s Bookshelf, in the Market Place Shopping Center, 11121 N. Rodney Parham Road, Little Rock. It\u2019s part of a statewide reading and crafting initiative, with events planned for libraries and bookstores throughout the year.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlots & Crafts reimagines the nostalgic experience of storytime for adults,\u201d the release explains. Snacks will be available. After the reading, Fuller will join the group \u201cfor conversation and creative camaraderie.\u201d Admission is free. Call (501) 554-5090.<\/p>\n
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