Press Room:
Ancient Roman artifacts visit to Arkansas extended six weeks

For more information contact:
Emily Fraize, 501-396-0308
efraize@arkarts.com
January 25, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Ancient Roman artifacts visit to Arkansas extended six weeks

Arkansas Arts Center executive director, Nan Plummer, said, “The Arts Center is so fortunate to be able to extend the run of this extraordinary exhibition. This is the first show of its kind ever in Arkansas and the first exhibition under a new diplomatic agreement that allows treasures of Italian cultural heritage to travel in the U.S. for extended periods. Our audiences have been very enthusiastic--attendance is up 50% over the same period of time as last year--and we want to make sure that every Arkansan who wants to see these ancient treasures has the opportunity. We are grateful to the Restoring Ancient Stabiae Foundation and to International Art and Artists for granting us this flexibility for our visitors.”

This captivating installation of luxury villas, located on a bluff overlooking the Bay of Naples and the modern city of Castelammare di Stabiae and built by the Roman elite for summer residency, features 71 artworks and artifacts recovered from four ancient Roman villas. Among the artifacts are 26 remarkably well-preserved frescoes and 11 stucco fragments. The exhibition provides a stunning example of the environments that Roman builders created for their comfort. This is the first time these ornamental Classical frescoes created to adorn the halls of lavish resort residences tour the US.

Four principle villas are represented in the exhibition: the Villa San Marco, Villa Arianna (“of Ariadne,” named after a major fresco), Villa del Pastore (“Villa of the Shepherd,” named after a statue found on the site) and villa near Carmiano. (Explanatory panels provide information particular to each of the four villas and on the political significance of the villas. The panels also chart the intriguing history of discovery, the projection of power with which the owners imbued their homes, and the lifestyle and economics of the villas.)

The objective of the exhibition is to present these largely unknown villas, considered among the best preserved first century B.C. and A.D. seaside villas in the entire Mediterranean world, to the US public. “In Stabiano: Exploring the Ancient Seaside Villas of the Roman Elite” opened at the National Museum of Natural History – Smithsonian Institution, DC. The Arkansas Arts Center is the first stop on its nationwide tour. For more information call 501-372-4000 or visit www.arkarts.com. Admission is free.

Credit Line: The exhibition is organized by the Superintendence of Archeology of Pompeii with the collaboration of the Restoring ancient Stabiae Foundation and partially sponsored by the National Italian American Foundation, tour organized by International Arts & Artists.

GENERAL INFORMATION
Contact: 501-372-4000
Location: Arkansas Arts Center - 9th and Commerce, Little Rock, AR 72202
Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm
Sunday, 11 am to 5 pm
Closed Monday and Major Holidays

Sponsors: Bank of the Ozarks; Terri and Chuck Erwin; Pat and Dr. J. Floyd Kyser; Williams & Anderson PLC