LITTLE ROCK, AR.- The Arkansas Arts Center presents the exhibition What Comes After Nothing: Post Minimalist Drawings from the Collection, on view January 16 – March 1, 2009, in the Sam Strauss, Sr. Gallery.

This exhibition, drawn from the Arkansas Arts Center Foundation Collection, showcases work by Joel Shapiro, Sol Lewitt, Richard Serra and William Anastasi. Minimalism, the dominant artistic movement of the 1970s, came in on the heels of Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art. Minimalist artists believed their work could speak on its own terms. Practicing artists turned away from the everyday imagery of Pop artists like Andy Warhol and avoided the expressive gestures of painters like Jackson Pollock. This exhibition examines work by contemporary artists who continue the compelling lines of inquiry opened a half-century ago.

The Arkansas Arts Center will host three lectures exploring Minimalism and Post-Minimalism in conjunction with the exhibition, What Comes After Nothing. On January 22, 2009, Assistant Professor of Art History at the University of Arkansas Little Rock Laura Amrhein will present the lecture Art Made of Nothing: An Introduction to Minimalism. On January 29, 2009, Curator of Drawings Phaedra Siebert will lead the lecture Nothing to Eat, Nothing to Dance to, Nothing to Wear: Minimalism’s Influence in Pop Culture. Siebert will speak again February 5, 2009, to discuss Post-Minimalism in the lecture What Comes After Nothing: Art After Minimalism. Each lecture is held at 6:30 p.m. and is free to the general public.