(North Little Rock – May 3, 2012) --  Ketz Gallery will feature the solo show “A Worn Path – Southern Reflections” by Cheri Peden of Searcy, beginning on May 18 through June 9.  A reception with light refreshments is scheduled on Friday, May 18 from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. in conjunction with Argenta Art Walk. The reception will provide art lovers an opportunity to meet Cheri and other artists of the Gallery.

Cheri Peden’s latest work features landscapes of rural Arkansas and outdoor scenes, some of them painted on antique ceiling tins.  She said, “Being a child of the South, I love and embrace my southern heritage. Growing up in the foothills of rural Arkansas provided me the opportunity to explore the outdoors enjoying what was wild, natural and available.” Using this curiosity, Cheri developed her talents to include painting and pottery.

Cheri continued to say, “My lack of material possessions was trumped by a communal effort to make good use of surrounding resources. It was not unusual to make a piece of pottery using pond clay and I have fond memories of the farm cheese or raw honey I received in exchange for a drawing and a cantaloupe grown in our family garden. My passion for old family stories, southern history and painting is reflected in my current show, along with the influences of Acadian architecture, vegetable gardens, and New Orleans.”

Located at 705 Main Street in historic Argenta, the KETZ Gallery first opened in August, 2009.  The Gallery features new and emerging artists from central Arkansas. It has a wide variety of contemporary and traditional styles including oil and acrylic paintings, pottery, watercolors, pastels, photography, art glass and wood works.  KETZ Gallery is regularly open Tuesday through Fridays, 11:30 – 5:00 p.m. and 11:30 – 3 pm on Saturdays. To schedule an appointment, call 529-6330. For more information, visit  www.ketzgallery.com.

TIME Magazine has named Alice Walton to the 2012 TIME 100, the magazine's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. The full list and related tributes appears in the April 30 issue of TIME.

Photo: Registry Executive Director Zeek Taylor (left) with Alice Walton (center), opening night, Crystal Bridges.The list, now in its ninth year, recognizes the activism, innovation and achievement of the world's most influential individuals. As TIME Managing Editor Richard Stengel has said of the list in the past, "The TIME 100 is not a list of the most powerful people in the world, it's not a list of the smartest people in the world, it's a list of the most influential people in the world. They're scientists, they're thinkers, they're philosophers, they're leaders, they're icons, they're artists, they're visionaries. People who are using their ideas, their visions, their actions to transform the world and have an effect on a multitude of people.

"Quote from Alice Walton: "I am sincerely honored to be selected for this recognition. Most humbling, however, is the overwhelming response from our guests who have been inspired by the Crystal Bridges experience."Quote from Don Bacigalupi: "The impact of Crystal Bridges has just begun to be felt in Arkansas and in our nation. It is wonderful and appropriate that Alice Walton receive this mention in recognition of her vision and ability to transform our views of American art, culture and history."

(LITTLE ROCK, AR) – The Arkansas Arts Center Children’s Theatre announces “Pay What You Can” night for the Friday, May 4 performance of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.

Patrons can pay any amount they wish for their ticket. Tickets must be purchased in person at the Arkansas Arts Center box office at 501 East 9th Street from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tickets will be sold on a first come first serve basis. There is a limit of six tickets per family until the performance is sold out.

“The Arkansas Arts Center is committed to accessibility and serving the community. We’re very excited that through our sponsors we can offer this opportunity to families to experience The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, our last performance of the season”, said Arkansas Arts Center Executive Director Todd Herman.

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe is proudly presented by Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield and Joshua Kolden. The production is sponsored by the Edmonda and Richard M. Logue, M.D. Marcus Worth Logue Memorial Gift. Media partner for the 2011-2012 Children’s Theatre season is Little Rock Family.

For more information, call 501-372-4000 or visit www.arkarts.com.

The Bernice Garden, a private urban garden available for public use in downtown Little Rock, is conveying the timbre of the South Main Street community in a mural being painted on the north wall of the original StageWorks Building at 1510 South Main in downtown Little Rock.

The mural depicts a skillet of cornbread singing to a variety of more than 25 fruit and vegetables - all locally grown but welcoming visitors throughout the universe. The mural will be approximately 16.5 ft. x 140 ft. when complete and celebrates the community, events like the Arkansas Cornbread Festival and The Bernice Garden Farmers' Market, and the sustainability movement within the area. "It is simply meant to be fun, silly and add some color to the area," said Steven Otis, designer and artist of the mural. "But, in a way, I think it also represents the future of eating healthy, locally-grown produce as well as the artistic spirit that is blooming on South Main Street."

Otis worked with Anita Davis, the owner of The Bernice Garden and several other properties in the 14th Street block of South Main Street, to develop the concept of the mural. He and Shannon Wallace, another muralist, presently are painting the piece and estimate it will be finished in about a month. "We're having a blast," Otis said. "Hopefully, when it is complete, it will bring some smiles and joy to the community."

For more information about the mural or The Bernice Garden, visit http://www.TheBerniceGarden.org