By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
With only four days left, the Forrest City Area Chamber of Commerce is busy making final arrangements for its annual Chamber of Commerce Banquet. The banquet will be held Thursday night with dinner being served at 6:30.
According to Mary Beth Doler, information director with the Chamber, over 200 tickets to the event have been sold along with 15 corporate tables.
"Right now we have over 30 tables that will be filled for Thursday night. We still have plenty of tickets available if people need them," said Doler.
The guest speaker this year will be Beth A. Higgs, Ph.D., of Springdale.
Higgs, an independent consultant of Rhinocerology with the Rhinocerology Connection is also known as the "Rhino Lady." Rhinocerology has been defined as, "The study of how to make it through the jungle of life without being eaten alive."
Higgs holds two master's degrees, one in family and consumer science and one in human resource development. Her doctoral degree, received in 1997, is in education philosophy. She served 13 years as a high school home economics instructor, four years as a training specialist with the Arkansas Department of Education and three years as an education supervisor with a Private Industry Council in Arkansas. For the past seven years, she has been self-employed as CEO of Rhinocerology Connection.
The new Chamber Board of Directors will also be introduced, and outgoing members will be recognized.
The Terry McGraw family of Palestine, the Farm Family of the Year for 2001, will also be honored.
Tickets may be purchased by calling the Chamber office at 633-1651.
By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
A union at the Federal Correctional Institution at Forrest City has made several accusations of mismanagement against the prison administration.
According to the American Federation of Government Employees, Council of Prison Locals 33, a list of alleged misconduct by management can be found at the union's web site, listed in an ad in today's Times-Herald.
Bryan Lowry, union vice president, said members of the union's national executive board will be in Forrest City on Tuesday, hoping to meet with prison administration officials concerning the allegations.
Some of the allegations listed on the website include sexual harassment, assault of a staff member, possible alteration of formal records and verbal assault.
An attempt this morning to reach Marvin Morrison, warden at the prison, was unsuccessful.
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
February is celebrated as Black History Month, but for some local African-American artists, the month is also a time to have their artwork featured at the St. Francis County Museum.
For the third consecutive year, several African-American artists from throughout St. Francis County have their art, ranging from sketch art and charcoal portraits, to paintings and sculptures, displayed during the museum's Black History exhibit. According to museum director Laura Mazzanti, the exhibit also brings a larger variety of visitors to the museum which she says creates a win/win situation for both the artists and the museum.
"This exhibit has been a great experience for the museum, and as it has done in the past, it is bringing in more and more people and different people into the museum. It draws a variety of people in, and it brings a whole different group of visitors in that we're not accustomed to having. That's always good because people who come in to see this exhibit also tour the entire facility," said Mazzanti.
The original exhibit, which was the brain child of former director Brian Hicks and artist Beatrice McEwen, was scheduled to feature the work of just one African-American artist. However, according to McEwen, her desire to include a variety of artists in the display opened the door to other artists throughout the county.
"When I moved back here, I came in and toured the museum. In talking with Brian, I told him that I was an artist. He asked me if I would be interested in doing an exhibit during Black History Month, which I was happy to do. But, I asked him if other artists could also be included in the show. I really like to encourage others to exhibit their work, and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to show their work. The more people that you bring into an exhibit, the more styles you see," McEwen said.
One of the artists who has helped McEwen during the three years of the exhibit, is Forrest City native Tony Goodman. Goodman, a 33-year-old poet and artist, became involved with the exhibit after speaking with McEwen when she was serving as art teacher at the Rice and Mann Senior Citizens Center. Goodman says his original intent was to showcase the talents of artists in the Forrest City Housing Authority where he works.
"In my job with the Housing Authority, I get to go into people's homes a lot. When I would go in, I would see drawings and artwork done by tenants that I knew would never be seen. I wanted other people to know about the type of talent that was just sitting there in the projects, and when I heard Mrs. B. talking about the show, I knew that I wanted to be involved," said Goodman.
For McEwen, the branching out of the exhibit also meant tapping into some of the young talent that St. Francis County has to offer. According to McEwen, who says that she began her love affair with art over 20 years ago, there are too many young people that have aspirations for art but never have those aspirations cultivated.
"It has really been good to see so many young people getting involved. I think that art should be pushed more in our schools. To me it has always been a choice between my art and something else, and I would like for the young people to know that their art can be their choice. Each year we seem to grow, and we're seeing more and more people, young and old, getting involved. That was really my goal in the beginning," she said.
One example of the youth that McEwen refers to is 15-year-old Chrystal Summage of Madison. According to Summage, who is having her work exhibited for the first time, this opportunity is showing her that a career in art is not a stretch.
"I've been interested in art since I was in kindergarten, and I've been drawing and telling my mother that I wanted to be an artist since then. This has really been a good experience for me, and I know that I would like to go to art school. My teacher, Don Williams, has really been a positive for me, and I know that I want to try to continue with my art," said Summage, a 10th grader at Forrest City High School. She is also a member of the St. Francis County Art Club where she works with local artist Barbara Taylor.
The featured artist for this year's exhibit is John Isom. Isom, who taught in the Forrest City School District for a number of years, was one of the driving forces behind many Forrest City artists black and white. As a former pupil, McEwen could be considered one of those touched by Isom.
"Mr. Isom taught me in the 11th and 12th grades, but I can remember from the time I hit the seventh grade being excited about taking his class," said McEwen.
"He was a very impressive man, and he was so tall. I can remember watching him paint using those big canvases and using the big house painting brushes to create art. The most impressive thing about him for me though, was the fact that he didn't try to impact his students one way or the other. He allowed each person to follow their own interests. He told me one thing that I still live by to this day. He said, 'There's beauty in everything,' and to me that has affected my life. I am happy to celebrate his art and dedicate this display to his memory," McEwen added.
The St. Francis County Museum is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays by special arrangement. The Black History exhibit will continue through the end of February.
The Palestine-Wheatley School Board will meet in regular session at 6:30 tonight.
The meeting will be held in the junior high school library on the Wheatley campus.
According to the agenda, board members are scheduled to discuss teachers' aides and hear from a concerned parent.