FUN
Plaza Frida, 4001 W. 65th St., Little Rock, hosts the inaugural Frida Family Carnival, a multicultural celebration, 4-10 p.m. Thursday-Friday, noon-10 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, with rides, games, food and “a showcase of cultural pride.” North American Midway Entertainment, the midway provider for the Arkansas State Fair, is setting up the rides. (501) 562-5770, plazafridalittlerock.com/en.
MUSIC
Two big-names acts this weekend at The Hall, 721 W. Ninth St., Little Rock: Insane Clown Posse at 8:30 p.m. Saturday and The Punch Brothers at 7:30 p.m. Sunday. (501) 406-1364; littlerockhall.com.
Professional chamber choir the Trinitas Ensemble performs at 7 p.m. Friday at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, 310 W. 17th St., Little Rock. Works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Herbert Howells, Robert Pearsall, Eleanor Daley, Hieronymus Praetorius, Johannes Brahms and Robert Ramsey. Colin MacKnight conducts from the keyboard of the cathedral’s portative organ; Jacob Wunsch is the guest cellist. eventbrite.com.
Numerous gospel acts perform for Juneteenth Gospel Production’s Juneteenth Gospel Celebration, 4 p.m. Sunday at Philander Smith University, 900 W. Daisy L. Gatson Bates Drive, Little Rock. The festivities also include bounce houses, face painting and games for kids. Instagram page, @juneteenthgospellr.
THEATER
Opening Wednesday at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre, 601 Main St., Little Rock: Two sets of parents trying to resolve a playground altercation between their sons find their efforts escalate from polite conversation to, well, metaphorical carnage in Yazmin Reza’s acerbic comedy “God of Carnage,” 7 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday through June 29. (501) 378-0405; TheRep.org.
“Flurffy’s Secret Garden,” featuring Flurffy, the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts’ pink puppet dog in a tale about plans for a garden party to welcome a shy little girl who arrives in town, is onstage, 11 a.m. and noon this Saturday June 14, June 21 and 28, at the museum, 501 E. Ninth St., Little Rock. The runtime is approximately 30 minutes. events.arkmfa.org.
Four eccentric Broadway stars are in desperate need of a new stage and when they hear that trouble is brewing around a small-town prom, it’s time to put a spotlight on the issue — and themselves — in “The Prom.” Actors Theatre of Little Rock stages the Central Arkansas premiere of the musical at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Friday and 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday through June 21 at Quapaw Quarter United Methodist Church, 1601 Louisiana St., Little Rock. actorstheatrelr.org/tickets
Benton’s Royal Players stage Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “The Sound of Music,” 7 p.m. Friday-Saturday and June 19-21 and 2 p.m. Sunday June 15 and 23 at the Royal Theatre, 111 S. Market St., Benton. our.show/egg21cxa8u.
Murry’s Dinner Playhouse, 6323 Colonel Glenn Road, Little Rock, continues its run of “Driving Miss Daisy” by Alfred Uhry, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, 12:45 and 6:45 p.m. Sunday through June 21. The buffet opens 90 minutes before curtain. (501) 562-3131; murrysdp.com.
ART AND EXHIBITS
“Portraits From a Presidency,” more than 50 paintings, sculptures, engravings and photographic portraits of members of the Clinton family in paint, fabric, wood, film, metal, glass, ink, stone, chalk, a grain of rice and Legos, goes on display Saturday at the Clinton Presidential Center, 1200 President Clinton Ave., Little Rock. The exhibition, up through Dec. 7, includes Simmie Knox’s official White House portraits of President Bill Clinton and first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton. clintonpresidentialcenter.org/exhibits.
“The Long View: From Conservation to Sustainability: Works from the Bank of America Collection,” photographs, paintings, prints and sculptures “by artists who use their art to advocate for the conservation and protection of the planet,” opens Friday in the Harriet and Warren Stephens Galleries at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, 501 E. Ninth St., Little Rock. It’s up through Aug. 31. arkmfa.org.
“Small Works on Paper: From the Permanent Collection,” 40 pieces from the Arkansas Arts Council’s 2006-2023 annual “Small Works on Paper” touring exhibitions, opens with a 5 p.m. reception Friday in the Trinity Gallery at the Historic Arkansas Museum, 200 E. Third St., Little Rock. It’s up through Sept. 21, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday. (501) 324-9351.
The “64th Young Arkansas Artists” exhibition, showcasing works by K-12 students from across the state, on display through Aug. 10 at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, 501 E. Ninth St., Little Rock. The exhibition includes 39 works — three per grade level — chosen by a panel of museum and art professionals. arkmfa.org.
Also at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, 501 E. Ninth St., Little Rock, studio photographs by the late Kwame Brathwaite, who started out in the 1960s using photography to promote “Black is Beautiful,” through Oct. 12. Gallery hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday and Saturday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, noon-5 p.m. Sunday. (501) 372-4000; arkmfa.org.
“Wish You Were Here!,” portraits of “distant friends” by Adaja Cooper that explore the “fleeting nature of memory,” is on display through June at Thea Foundation, 401 Main St., North Little Rock. Gallery hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 5-8 p.m. during Argenta’s Third Friday Art Walk June 20. theafoundation.org.
“I Am My Mother’s Daughter,” paintings by Kennedi Benjamin that, “(capture) a facet of what it means to deeply remember the Houston-based artist’s mom and how much they’re alike,” on display at Cantrell Gallery, 8202 Cantrell Road, Little Rock, through July 19, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday (except July 4 and during a two-day summer break, July 11-12). (501) 224-1335; cantrellgallery.com.
“After the Fire,” paintings that Andrew Deiser created before and after a March fire destroyed Deiser’s studio and much of his artwork at the St. Joseph Center of Arkansas, on display through July 31 at Laman Library Gallery, 2801 Orange St., North Little Rock, with a reception, 5-7 p.m. June 17. The exhibition includes oil paintings the fire spared, along with new works “reflecting on home, resilience and artistic renewal.” (501) 758-1720; NLRlibrary.org.
“Things Remembered,” an exhibition of “watercolor memories and timeless treasures” by Donna Twyford, on display through June 30 at Art Group Gallery, in the Pleasant Ridge Shopping Center, 11525 Cantrell Road, Little Rock. Gallery hours are 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday or by appointment. (501) 690-2193; artgrouparkansas.com.
Work by five 2024 recipients of artLAUNCH grants that provide early-career alumni with funding and mentorship opportunities to accelerate their artistry, opens Saturday and remains on display through June 30 in the Ann Maners and Alex Pappas Gallery in the Windgate Center of Art + Design at UA Little Rock, 2801 S. University Ave., Little Rock. Gallery hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday. Email byoung2@ualr.edu.