FUN
The Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, 501 W. Ninth St. at Broadway, Little Rock, hosts the 16th Juneteenth in Da Rock festival on Saturday. The family-friendly street festival starts at 11 a.m. and continues throughout the day on West Ninth Street in downtown Little Rock, featuring music from Grammy winners Elle Varner and October London and area performers Akeem Kemp, Afrodesia, Big John Miller Band, Bijoux, G-Pace, King Honey, Malik Oliver and Nicky Parrish. Vendors, food trucks and an expanded Kids Zone will line the street. juneteenthlittlerock.com.
MUSIC
Country and rock acts are set for Rock the Country Friday and Saturday at the Arkansas State Fairgrounds, 2600 Howard St., Little Rock. Friday’s lineup includes Logan Crosby, Mark Chesnutt, Shenandoah, Gavin Adcock, Ying Yang Twins, Hank Williams Jr. and Nickelback; Saturday’s acts are Deana Carter, Little Texas, Lee Greenwood, Hudson Westbrook, Afroman, Travis Tritt and Kid Rock. rockthecountry.com/little-rock-ar.
THEATER
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.
The University of Central Arkansas Summer Theatre is staging “Ken Ludwig’s The Three Musketeers,” based on Alexandre Dumas’ classic novel, 7 p.m. Friday and June 27, 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday and June 28 and 2 p.m. Sunday and June 29 in the James M. Bridges Black Box Theatre in the Windgate Center for the Fine and Performing Arts, 2150 Bruce St. at Donaghey Avenue, Conway. (501) 450-3265 or (866) 810-0012.
“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 Saturday and June 28 at the museum, 501 E. Ninth St., Little Rock. The runtime is approximately 30 minutes. events.arkmfa.org.
Actors Theatre of Little Rock closes out its production of “The Prom.” 7:30 p.m. today and 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 June 19-21 and 2 p.m. Sunday June 23 at the Royal Theatre, 111 S. Market St., Benton. our.show/egg21cxa8u.
And Murry’s Dinner Playhouse, 6323 Colonel Glenn Road, Little Rock, closes out its run of “Driving Miss Daisy” by Alfred Uhry, 7:30 p.m. today-Saturdaythrough June 21. The buffet opens 90 minutes before curtain. (501) 562-3131; murrysdp.com. Starting June 25: “The Wizard of Oz.”
ART AND EXHIBITS
“Enid Collins Handbags: Thinking Outside the Bejeweled Box,” a collection of handbags by Collins of Texas designer Enid Collins, is on display through Sept. 28 at ESSE Museum and Store, 1510 Main St., Little Rock. (501) 916-9022; essepursemuseum.com.
“Let’s Play!,” watercolors by Cary Smith, opens with a 6 p.m. Argenta Third Friday Art Walk reception Friday at Argenta Library Gallery, 420 Main St., North Little Rock. It will be on display, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday, through July 11. (501) 687-1061; NLRlibrary.org.
“Layers of Story: New Work by Marissa Thornberry,” oil paintings and mixed-media works by Thornberry, a Little Rock artist, is on display through June 27 — 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. this Saturday — at the Innovation Hub Gallery, 204 E. Fourth St. in North Little Rock’s Argenta District. An opening reception, 5-8 p.m. Friday, is part of the Argenta Third Friday Art Walk. (501) 907-6570; hub.nlrlibrary.org.
“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,” is on display through Aug. 31 at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, 501 E. Ninth St., Little Rock. 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, remains on display through Sept. 21 at the Historic Arkansas Museum, 200 E. Third St., Little Rock, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday. (501) 324-9351.
Also at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, the “64th Young Arkansas Artists” exhibition, showcasing works by K-12 students from across the state, remains on display through Aug. 10. And studio photographs by the late Kwame Brathwaite, who started out in the 1960s using photography to promote “Black is Beautiful,” is up through Oct. 12. (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,” are 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, are on display through July 31 at Laman Library Gallery, 2801 Orange St., North Little Rock. 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.