July 13, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Sarah McGreer
sarah@maaa.org

Mid-America Arts Alliance Elects Garbo Hearne to Board of Directors

Mid-America Arts Alliance has announced the election of Little Rock resident Garbo Watson Hearne to its board of directors.

Hearne is the Director of Pyramid Art, Books & Custom Framing/Hearne Fine Art, located in the River Market District in downtown Little Rock.

Speaking of her appointment to the M-AAA board, Hearne said, “I strive to educate the public about collectible fine art, especially art by African American artists through our business. I see my involvement with Mid-America Arts Alliance as extension of that mission: it’s one more way to bring accessible art to the people of our state and our region.”

Paul Goodnight, John Biggers, and Alice Ayers are a few of the well-known contemporary artists whom Hearne represents and whose exhibits she has curated. Some of these exhibitions have been included in the National Black Fine Art Show and The Chicago Black Fine Art Exposition.

“Garbo’s devotion to the arts makes her an ideal addition to our board of directors,” says Mary Kennedy McCabe, Executive Director. “As a successful Arkansas entrepreneur, she represents the kind of talent that is vital to our core leadership.”

Hearne recently received a certification from New York University to provide fine art appraisals. She is a past member of the board of the Arkansas Humanities Council (1993-97) and a member of the Arkansas Arts Council since 2000. She also serves on the board of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra.

Hearne is a graduate of the University of Arkansas. Her husband is Dr. Archie Hearne III.

Other Arkansas board members include Bobbi Dodge, Chair of the Arkansas Arts Council, West Memphis; Juanita Dunn, Civic Leader, Fayetteville; June Freeman, Civic Leader, Little Rock; Dorothy Morris, President, Morris Foundation, Inc., Hot Springs; Don Munro, Chairman/CEO, Munro & Company, Inc., Hot Springs; and Joy Pennington, Executive Director, Arkansas Arts Council, Little Rock.

The mission of Mid-America Arts Alliance is to enrich communities through cultural experiences. Founded in 1972, Mid-America Arts Alliance is a nonprofit regional arts organization based in Kansas City, Missouri. It is governed by a board of directors drawn from its partner states of Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas. Major support is for Mid-America Arts Alliance is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, participant state arts agencies, and leading foundations and corporations. For further information, visit the Web site at www.maaa.org.

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