UALR’s Gallery III will host the Arkansas Arts Council’s 2010 Small Works on Paper touring art exhibition Tuesday, Oct. 5, to Sunday, Oct. 31, at the Fine Arts Building. A public reception will be from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 10, at the Gallery.

Several area artists are represented in this exhibition, including John Ahlen, Lynn Bell, Melissa Bacon, John Bridges, David Dodson, Ray Ogar, Ted Grimmett, Nancy Sadler, David Warren, Kenna Westerman, and Terry Wright, all of Little Rock; Brian Cormack and John Watson of North Little Rock; Mindy Lacefield and Dennis McCann of Maumelle; and Ellen Ishee O’Lonney of Roland.

Admission is free. Hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday; and 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Now in its 23rd year, this year’s Small Works on Paper exhibition presents 39 works by 39 Arkansas artists. More than 300 entries were submitted. The annual exhibition showcases up to 40 small-sized visual works — no larger than 24 by 24 inches — by Arkansas artists in a year-long traveling show to 10 or 11 galleries, often in rural areas or small towns.

A professional from the arts community selects the artwork and designates pieces for purchase awards.

This year’s exhibition was juried by Suzanne Bloom, a professor of art at the University of Houston. Bloom holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and a Master of Fine Arts degree in painting from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. She is the recipient of two fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and has served as juror for numerous national and local organizations.

Four artists were selected to receive purchase awards ranging from $200 to $1,000 each: James P. Bell of Fort Smith, John Bridges of Little Rock, Evan Lindquist of Jonesboro, and Dennis McCann of Maumelle.

Purchase awards, funded by entry fees, represent the cash amount equivalent to the value of the selected works. Pieces selected for purchase awards become part of the exhibition’s permanent collection.