Remembering Matt DeCample

With very fond memories, we honor our friend Matt DeCample, an immensely talented partner in our CALS podcasts and other projects of the Central Arkansas Library System. Matt was diagnosed with liver cancer in 2016 and passed away on March 3, having fought valiantly to the end with the tremendous heart and humor he was known for.

Though he was taken from us far too soon at the age of 44, no one will forget his characteristic blend of hilarious observations with deep kindness. He made a simple event like a CALS cosplay contest both side-splittingly funny and a spontaneous celebration of life. The generosity that led Matt to donate his time to good causes and helping others has also left an indelible record of his presence.

Matt served as a spokesman for Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe, and a reporter at KATV, later working as a consultant and spokesman for the Arkansas Cinema Society and the Little Rock Film Festival.  He was a founder of Improv Little Rock and appeared with The Joint improv comedy show in Argenta.

He will be greatly missed. We are all better for any time we were fortunate enough to have with Matt DeCample.

There will be a memorial service for Matt on Sunday, March 10, at 2:00 p.m. in the Great Hall of the Clinton Presidential Center.

“Part to Whole” Exhibition Brings Love of Nature to West Gallery

“Part to Whole” opens this Friday and is full of natural wonders! If you love art, nature, or both, this exhibition offers an experience not to be missed. Breathtaking works of sculpture and painting will be exhibited by six members of an artist group including Mia Hall, Robyn Horn, Dolores Justus, Barbara Satterfield, Sandra Sell, and Elizabeth Weber.

We got a sneak preview from Barbara Satterfield as she supervised the installation of her work “Bits of Sticks.” Because the “Part to Whole” exhibition focuses on the artistic process, it was a treat to hear Barbara’s personal insights about her work. She described this original piece as an artistic interpretation of bagworm nests. “I have 23 of them, and they are all individually coil-built and rolled sticks that are put on pieces. Those nests are going to hang up there from the ceiling, because bagworms hang from trees,” she said.

“The nests vary in size, and vary in their specific decoration, so some have thick sticks, some have thin sticks, some are done in a circular or rotational position, and some are straight down. So you wonder, how does that female bagworm know what to do? It’s not like they get together and have a meeting about who’s going to do which nests. And they have no arms, they’re blind, and they’re tiny. When I saw my first nest, I thought, what is this? I went and did a little research, and I thought they were so amazing. I have a thing about nests anyway: two of my pieces feature birds’ nests, and others feature dirt-dauber nests. So I’m a nest woman.”

See more striking pieces by all six artists at our West Gallery on Friday evening, when guests will enjoy free light refreshments and live music. This is an exhibition full of surprises and delights, so come explore for yourself on Friday, March 8th from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Saturday, March 9 will also bring an artist talk by all six artists from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. A backstage look at the natural materials, inspiration, and inventive thinking that created this exhibition will make the talk valuable for art lovers and art students alike. Young artists are encouraged to join us and benefit from the insight offered by these accomplished creators.