HELENA-WEST HELENA – The surreal visual world of Salvador Dali and his contemporaries makes a visit to the unique aural environment of the Delta in April when a new exhibit arrives at the Delta Cultural Center in historic downtown Helena-West Helena.

The temporary exhibit, “Mysterious Images: Contemporary Prints. Selections from the Arkansas Arts Center Foundation Collection,” will be featured in the gallery of the Delta Cultural Center Visitors Center at 141 Cherry Street from Monday, April 9, through Friday, May 4.

Dali’s scenes from the works of the Marquis de Sade, Don Colley’s odd clowns, Robert Andrew Parker’s playing monkeys, Seymour Rosofsky’s puppet-like figures and mutant toys, and Peter Paone’s grinning many-eyed “Face of the Moon” take on new nuances in a land where haunted voices sing of killing floors, crossroads, and a propensity for fattening frogs for snakes.

“Mysterious Images” is a traveling exhibition organized by the Arkansas Arts Center State Services Department. A unique selection of 18 prints is composed to challenge viewers and leave them wondering about the intent of the artist.

Among the works collected in the exhibit are: Pierre Alechinsky’s “Boef Gros Sel” (1975); Kimberly Paul Arp’s “Whole House With Trellis and Wild Dog” (1987); Don Colley, “Il Carnivalium” (1994); Salvador Dali’s “Calise Receives Germeuil’s Letter” (1968); Philip Sidney Field’s “Staying or Leaving” (1974); Dame Elisabeth Frink’s “Horse’s Head” (1970); Ynez Johnston’s “The Other World” (circa 1970); and Evan Lindquist’s “Hallucination” (1966) and “Ink Fantasy 1941” (1995).

Also included are: Peter Paone’s “Ms. Dutchmaster Keystone” (1974) and “Face of the Moon” (1965); Robert Andrew Parker’s “Four Monkeys” (1965); Stephanie Pogue’s “The New Hat” (1975); Seymour Rosofsky’s “Image #7 from The Good People of Lunidam” (1968); Lawrence Rugolo’s “Juxtaposition” (1970); Sarah Sears’ “Nightmare One – Destiny” (1979); Ralph D. Slatton’s “Best Friend” (1989); and H.C. Westermann’s “Death Ship in a Port” (1972).

Delta Cultural Center gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesdays through Saturdays. For more information, interested persons can contact the Delta Cultural Center at (870) 338-4350 or (800) 358-0972.

The Delta Cultural Center website, located on the Internet at deltaculturalcenter.com, offers visitors an overview of the center’s facilities and services, an up-to-date Delta Cultural Center calendar of programming coming to the center, features on current and up-coming exhibits, visitors information, a handy map to the center for travelers, an opportunity to subscribe to the Delta Currents e-newsletter, a sampling of the center’s popular “Delta Sounds” radio show on the legendary KFFA-AM 1360, and links to other sites of interest.

The Delta Cultural Center shares the vision of all seven agencies of the Department of Arkansas Heritage – to preserve and promote Arkansas heritage as a source of pride and satisfaction. Other agencies within the department are the Historic Arkansas Museum, the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, the Old State House Museum, the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, the Arkansas Arts Council, and the Natural Heritage Commission.

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