Texarkana Entertainment Blog

Got a pile of books sitting around just taking up space? Old textbooks collecting dust? Technical manuals with outdated technology? Encyclopedias buried in a closet?

TRAHC can use them — specifically, the TRAHCies, a group of folks who like to promote art in the community. They’re collecting the books to make temporary public art that will be situated somewhere in downtown Texarkana. Those books that are intact after the art is dismantled will be donated to the local library book sale. Some of the books will be altered in order to make the art. They’ll take any books you have but hardbacks would be super cool to donate. They need a lot of books, so you’re welcome to donate a lot of them!

Where can you bring them? Bring them to Traci Pitman at the Perot Theatre Box Office at 221 Main Street, the corner of 3rd and Main in downtown Texarkana. The hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Donations will be accepted through Friday, Jan. 22. Got questions or need to donate books at a different time? Call Pitman at 903-792-8681. Or e-mail her at tpitman@trahc.org.

- Aaron Brand

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Here are some snapshots taken during the Meaux Johnson reception at the Regional Arts Center on Friday night. I’ve included two photos of Lee Ruth’s fascinating, up-close-and-personal capture of critters we find in the yard. The Johnson talk didn’t get a big audience, but perhaps that helped create what became a lively, interesting discussion on topics ranging from cooking to great artists and how to live life well. I’ll have a story in Friday’s Accent page talking about both of these exhibits featuring two top local artists.

- Aaron Brand

Lee Ruth:

Meaux Johnson:

Popularity: unranked [?]

That’s the name of artist Meaux Johnson’s exhibit now running at the Regional Arts Center. Johnson’s a familiar part of the Texarkana-area arts scene, and this exhibit shows off some vibrant work. (Alicia Keys, fittingly, is one of his artistic obsessions.) To me, there’s a great sense of playfulness in his mixed media pieces, and not only are they interesting but they’re also just plain fun, an underappreciated quality in great art.

Tomorrow night, Friday at 6 p.m., there will be a reception (free and open to the public) to honor Johnson and his new exhibit. Another area artist, the photographer Lee Ruth, also has an exhibit of his work on the RAC’s third floor. He captures up close the strange shapes of the insects, reptiles and flowers he finds between his front door and the mailbox.

Expect a story on both exhibits for the Friday, Nov. 28, Accent page in the Gazette. And here in Texarkana we can surely give thanks for some fine local artists.

- Aaron Brand

Popularity: unranked [?]