Preview: ACANSA ARTS FESTIVAL OF THE SOUTH

PRESS RELEASE

The 11th ACANSA Arts Festival of the South September 10-26, 2026, welcomes audiences and dozens of artists to venues in Little Rock and North Little Rock. From Rodney Block Collective and Ten Minute Plays featuring Arkansas’ own, to the internationally renowned Miró Quartet and King Cabbage Brass Band, three weekends of events showcase a diverse line-up of music, theater and visual art in central Arkansas. 

Among the venues are Acansa Gallery, Arkansas Symphony Orchestra’s Morgan Hall, Argenta Contemporary Theatre as well as ACT II, CALS Ron Robinson Theater, The Sanctuary, Hillcrest Commons, Argenta Green, and Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts (AMFA). Partnering organizations include Chamber Music Society of Little Rock, Argenta Contemporary Theatre, UA-PTC, Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, Argenta Arts District. 

 Individual ticket prices range from $10 to $35, and Festival Gold Passes with special perks include all ticketed events at $250 each. Free events include Family Arts Day on September 19 and Opening Night of a solo exhibition showcasing art by Luis Atilano. Students 18 years old and younger are admitted to the Festival’s ticketed events free of charge. Seating may be limited even in the larger venues; advance ticket purchases are recommended. 

Funding for ACANSA Arts Festival of the South and its arts education programming comes from presenting sponsors such as ATG, as well as Cynthia and Walter Mashburn, Charlotte and Jim Gadberry, Legacy Termite and Pest Control and the Heflin Family. ACANSA is also grateful for support from the Arkansas Arts Council, an Agency of the Division of Arkansas Heritage, the City of North Little Rock, North Little Rock Tourism, Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau, Argenta Downtown Council, ACANSA’s dedicated Board of Directors, and a host of individuals, foundations and businesses that recognize the importance of a vibrant arts and culture community. 

For more information and the complete schedule of the 11th ACANSA Arts Festival of the South, visit 
www.ACANSA.org, call (501) 663-2287 to reach ACANSA’s box office, or email info@acansa.org.  

ACANSA Arts Festival of the South 2026 Schedule & Programming 
For tickets and more information, visit ACANSA.org. 

 OKCello 
Thursday, September 10 
7:30 pm  
Morgan Hall / ASO’s Stella Boyle Smith Music Center 
1101 E. 3rd St., Little Rock, AR 72202 
Tickets: $25 

Okorie "OkCello" Johnson is an American cellist-songwriter whose artistry 
integrates cello performance, live-sound-looping, improvisation, and storytelling — 
all culminating in original compositions that collide classical with jazz, EDM, reggae, and funk. His music is 
inspired by the exploration of African Diasporic melodies and narratives and their intersection with people's 
perceptions and assumptions about the classical and European nature of the cello. As well, his work with 
improvisation attempts to embody the phenomenon of wordless prayer.  

 The Rodney Block Collective    
Friday, September 11 
7:30 pm 
The Sanctuary 
201 W 4th St, North Little Rock, AR 72114  
Tickets:  $20 

Get ready for a righteous night of moving and music with The Rodney Block Collective. Whether you’ve seen him onstage in Little Rock, Kansas City, or across the globe with Earth, Wind and Fire, members of the Marsalis family or Doug E. Fresh, Rodney brings passion first wherever he performs.

 The band rounds out Block’s signature trumpet with keys, drums, bass and vocals for a signature groove that sets that weekend tone. 

Ryanhood 
Saturday, September 12 
7:30 pm 
CALS Ron Robinson Theater 
Library Square, 100 River Market Ave, Little Rock, AR 72201 
Tickets: $25 

International Acoustic Music Awards winners for ‘Best Group/Duo’, Ryanhood’s tight 
vocal harmonies and big acoustic riffs are at turns energetic, hopeful, and quietly 
moving. A merging of virtuosic musicianship with rich and transformative storytelling, their shows are driven by strong acoustic guitar interplay and turn-on-a-dime harmonies forged in a decades-long friendship. 
 

Ten Minute Play Showcase in partnership with ACT 
Sunday, September 13 - Tuesday, September 15 
2:00 pm Sunday / 7:30 pm Monday & Tuesday 
ACT II Sharon Heflin Performing Arts Education Center 
315 N Main St Suite A, North Little Rock, AR 72114 
Tickets: $10 

Featuring original and previously unproduced plays created by Arkansas playwrights, directors and performers, ACANSA’s Showcase returns in collaboration with Argenta Contemporary Theatre for a perfect “10”. Among multiple entries, plays are selected for performances in ACT II’s intimate black box setting, where the focus is on the essentials: the writing, the actors, the room, and the spark between artists and audience.  

Miró Quartet  
in partnership with Chamber Music Society of Little Rock   
Thursday, September 17 
7:30 pm 
Hillcrest Commons 
2200 Kavanaugh Blvd., Little Rock, AR 72205 
Tickets:  $25 

The Miró Quartet is one of America’s most celebrated string quartets, praised as "furiously committed" by The 
New Yorker and recognized for "exceptional tonal focus and interpretive intensity" by the Cleveland Plain 
Dealer. This GRAMMY®-nominated quartet has performed on the world’s most prestigious concert stages, 
earning accolades from critics and audiences alike. Based in Austin, TX, and thriving on the area’s storied 
music scene, Miró takes pride in finding new ways to communicate with audiences of all backgrounds while 
cultivating the longstanding tradition of chamber music.  

Marie & Rosetta 
A Featured Performance in partnership with Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts  
Friday, September 18 
7:30pm  
AMFA Performing Arts Theater 
501 East Ninth Street, Little Rock, AR 72202 
Tickets: $20 

In celebration of Arkansas native Sister Rosetta Tharpe and her pioneering 
influence on gospel, R&B and rock traditions around the world, Marie & 
Rosetta brings us to Rosetta’s first 1940s rehearsal with protégée Marie Knight 
as they form one of the greatest duos in music history. Be the first to see AMFA’s production during this 
theatrical evening featuring such songs as “This Train,” “Rock Me,” “Down by the Riversive,” and “Strange 
Things Happening Every Day.” 

Solo Exhibition of Works by Luis Atilano 
Friday, September 18 Opening Night 
5 pm - 8 pm during Argenta Arts District’s 3rd Friday Art Walk 
Acansa Gallery / 413A Main St, North Little Rock, AR 72114 
FREE Admission through Oct. 10 

Luis Atilano, originally from Michoacan, Mexico, creates vibrant and expressive art that explores the strength, depth and symbolism of his cultural heritage on large-scale canvases. Opening night of this solo exhibition coincides with 3rd Friday Art Walk in North Little Rock’s Argenta Arts District where up to a dozen 
venues will host exhibits by regional artists.  

Family Arts Day  
in partnership with UA-PTC and Argenta Downtown Council 
Saturday, September 19 
4 pm - 7 pm 
Argenta Green (6th St & Magnolia), North Little Rock, AR 72114 
Tickets: FREE 

No matter your age, the arts will make your day! In partnership with UA-PTC and Argenta Arts District, ACANSA welcomes all ages to creative, hands-on activities for the young and young at heart. Pack your lawn chairs or blankets, bring a picnic or revel in delightful food and beverages onsite, enjoy the music and explore the arts. Family Arts Day segues into VIBE, Argenta Arts District’s free, live music series featuring Little Rock singer-songwriter Amy Garland and then Bella Rayne Band with its blend of Southern rock, blues and jam-band influences.  

The Wonder Bread Years   
Saturday, September 19 - Sunday, September 20 
7:30 pm Saturday / 2:00 pm Sunday 
Argenta Contemporary Theatre 
405 Main St., North Little Rock, AR 72114 
Tickets:  $35 

Playwright/performer Pat Hazell - a Tonight Show veteran, original writer for NBC’s Seinfeld, and voted one of the five funniest people in America by Showtime TV - has cooked up The Wonder Bread Years, a salute to cultural Americana. Kneading theatrical storytelling together with stand-up comedy, this fast-paced romp through childhood nostalgia puts a sense of awe and wonder in the bag. 

Dementia Man - An Existential Journey 
In partnership with Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts  
Thursday, September 24 
7:30pm 
AMFA Amerine/Calhoun Glass Box 
501 East Ninth Street, Little Rock, AR 72202 
Tickets: $35 

After decades as a tireless advocate for justice and social change, Samuel A. Simon faces the most personal 
fight of his life:  the slow, undeniable progression of cognitive decline. When the diagnosis of Alzheimer's 
disease comes, he refuses to fade quietly.  Dementia Man - An Existential Journey is an award-winning 
autobiographical story that peeks into the head and heart of the struggle with a broken medical system and a 
personal and family challenge. Is it possible to believe in a meaningful future with a neurocognitive disease?  

King Cabbage Brass Brand 
Friday, September 25 
7:30 pm 
CALS Ron Robinson Theater 
Library Square, 100 River Market Ave, Little Rock, AR 72201 
Tickets: $25 

Bring on the joy! King Cabbage Brass Band is a jukebox of funk, soul, jazz and R&B that transcends genre boundaries and makes it hard to sit still. Dedicated to honoring the originators of brass band music, KCBB starts a party wherever they land.  

Rachel Sumner & Traveling Light 
Saturday, September 26 
7:30 pm 
ACT II Sharon Heflin Performing Arts Education Center 
315 N Main St Suite A, North Little Rock, AR 72114 
Tickets: $30 

Get ready for tight harmonies, virtuosic musicianship and fearless storytelling! This acoustic folk trio has won the Kerrville New Folk Competition and garnered the 2025 Telluride Bluegrass Band Contest among its many accolades. Tune into the America Folklife Center where their Library of Congress performance is preserved, or better yet, hear them intimately at ACT II in the Argenta Arts District as we close out the 12th ACANSA Arts Festival of the South. 

For tickets and more information, visit ACANSA.org. 

ACANSA Arts Festival of the South is a multi-disciplinary arts festival dedicated to strengthening the cultural vitality of the entire community. A 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, ACANSA was founded by Charlotte Gadberry with the help of hundreds of dedicated volunteers throughout central Arkansas. The inaugural ACANSA Arts Festival was held in 2014 and established a legacy of community and artistic excellence that continues today.The Festival’s name, ACANSA, is borrowed from the Quapaw word for “southern place.” 

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