The Arkansas Capital Corporation Group (ACCG) is dedicated to helping small businesses and entrepreneurs throughout Arkansas succeed. Arkansas artists are certainly entrepreneurs. In 2013, ACCG began showcasing the work of Arkansas artists in our offices and began hosting open houses open to the public to help support the artists, as well as provide our community of staff, clients and visitors with a chance to be inspired by the art and be able to network at our offices as part of downtown Little Rock’s 2nd Friday Art Night. We are continuing that successful public-artist venture with the September 12th Friday Art Night with works by Matt McLeod, Tod Swiecichowski and Robert Bean in a show titled “Bold Contrasts.” Robert Bean is also the show curator. Whether you are interested in learning more about the many lending products or just need a little visual inspiration, please stop by our offices Friday, September 12 from 5-8 p.m. Light hors d’oeuvres and drinks will be served. The artists will all be at the event to discuss their work, and all work is for sale with proceeds directly benefiting the artist. Our offices are located at 200 River Market, Avenue, Suite 400, Little Rock, AR 72201. Two nearby parking decks, as well as street parking are available. We are at Trolley Stop 10. Additional details about the trolley are available here.

About the Artists 

Matt McLeod

Matt McLeod is a painter, sculptor and muralist, specializing in fine art for residential, commercial and public art projects. After graduating from Southern Methodist University in 1987, McLeod spent a 15-year career in advertising, before becoming a full-time artist. McLeod spent the last 11 years in fine art, developing paintings into his bold, vibrant style – what he calls “Energetic Color.” McLeod’s “Energetic Color” is included in several private and corporate collections across the U.S. and has brought significant recognition, including pieces in the Delta Exhibition at The Arkansas Arts Center and a painting on the front cover of the first Arkansas Artists Calendar, created by The Arkansas Governor’s Mansion Association. In 2011, McLeod was the featured artist for Riverfest music festival. McLeod was the featured artist for MusicFest El Dorado, in 2012. In 2013, McLeod was the featured artist for The Thea Foundation’s Annual Spring Fine Arts Festival. In 2014, McLeod will open a gallery in downtown Little Rock, specializing in highly collectible local, regional and national artists and residential and commercial commissions.

Tod “Switch” Swiecichowski

Working as an architectural photographer since 1991, Tod “Switch” Swiecichowski has had many artistic experiences while traveling throughout the U.S. and 18 countries around the world. Making the transition to the fine arts in 2010, Swiecichowski started by using what came naturally to him, visualization. He saw intrinsic beauty in found objects and transformed them into his own vision with the addition of metal, wood and stone. Composition, form and perspective – concepts he utilized daily with photography, are now put to use in his work. Swiecichowski has recently narrowed his focus to a new series, Keyholes! The keyhole shape is simple, iconic, and holds many meanings to him. It shows a past and also the promise of the future. There is something mysterious and even a little voyeuristic that wants one to look into it or pass through it without being observed. His goals in public art are to appeal to the largest audience and have them say, “I wish I would have thought of that,” and to produce site-specific works of art that will stand the test of time.

Robert Bean

Robert Bean grew up in central Arkansas admiring the pulpy pages of comic books, learning to draw from the inspiration he found in those yellowing narratives. Taking that early inspiration, Bean honed his skills as an artist in the wonderfully grungy studios of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. It was there that he found a way to combine his love of the story with his love of painting and drawing. Having spent the past 15 years telling his brand of visual stories, Bean has built a career of exhibitions that range from regional to national in scope. He still resides in Little Rock with his wife Maria, keeping his pencil to the drawing board and telling his brand of visual narratives.     2nd Friday Art Night is a time once-a-month when galleries, museums and businesses in downtown Little Rock are open from 5-8 p.m. for an after-hours gallery walk.