- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock /news-archive/tag/college-of-arts-letters-and-sciences/ ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Thu, 25 Apr 2019 19:41:30 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 Expo showcases student research and creative works /news-archive/2019/04/25/research-expo-2/ Thu, 25 Apr 2019 19:41:30 +0000 /news/?p=74128 ...]]> University of Arkansas at Little Rock students showcased their academic work this semester at the recent Student Research and Creative Works Expo held April 18 in the Jack Stephens Center. More than 200 students representing every college within the university participated this year, with projects spanning research in computer science/information science, creative work, economics, education, engineering/engineering technology/construction management, health science, humanities, interdisciplinary, life science, physical science, service work/professional application, social science, and social work. More than 100 of the participating students received Signature Experience Awards of up to $1,000 to fund their research this semester. Kajal Shukla, a senior computer science major, used machine learning to predict coronary heart disease. Shukla, who was mentored by Dr. Mariofannia Milanova in the Department of Computer Science, chose to investigate heart disease because a data set was already available for heart disease that allowed her to experiment with three different machine learning models to determine which was the most useful. Shukla will graduate May 11 with a Bachelor of Science in computer science and plans to start a master’s degree program in June. More than a dozen entries in this year’s expo were creative works. Aaron Prosser earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in graphic art in December but returned to campus to exhibit his “Organo Guys,” a series of action figures that combine his love of toys and his graphic design talent. Inspired by Captain Planet, Swamp Thing, and the Ninja Turtles, Prosser’s action figures were sent by Mother Earth to enforce the preservation of the environment. Prosser was mentored by Kevin Cates. Kat Hall, who will graduate May 11 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in theatre arts, explored the process and conventions used during the 16th century in England under strict sumptuary laws to transform male players into female characters on stage. Her project, “Cross Dressing: The Transformative Power of Costumes on Shakespeare’s Stage,” used contemporary flat pattern and draping methods to create costumes. “The Student Research and Creative Works Expo really captures the diversity, breadth, and calibre of our students, and is a testament to the expertise and engagement of their faculty mentors,” said Lawrence Smith, assistant professor in ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s Theatre Arts and Dance Department and co-chair of the Student Research and Creative Works Committee. “It gives you a great insight to the creativity and intellectual rigor that is the heart of our work at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock.” In addition to the expo, individual colleges at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock showcased their programs, research, and resources as part of a larger Research and Creativity in the Rock event. The College of Social Sciences and Communication hosted a two-day mini-conference featuring interdisciplinary panels with faculty, staff, and students. The College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences gave tours of its science laboratories to visiting high school students who were also treated to music and dance and music performances in the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall, a majors fair, and tour of the Windgate Center of Art and Design. The Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology also gave tours of its engineering, engineering technology, and earth science laboratories to visiting high school students who also toured the Emerging Analytics Center. The College of Education and Health Professions hosted an open house in the Bailey Alumni Center to showcase faculty and student research and information about the STEM Education Center, and the George W. Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology hosted an open house with student poster presentations and demonstrations. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock students discuss their research with visitors at the Student Research and Creative Works Expo held April 18 in the Jack Stephens Center. Photo by Benjamin Krain ]]> ��Vlog��ý Little Rock to showcase Student Research And Creative Works /news-archive/2019/04/15/research-expo/ Mon, 15 Apr 2019 19:59:42 +0000 /news/?p=74043 ...]]> The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will showcase the best of its students’ research and creative works on Thursday, April 18, at the 2019 Student Research and Creative Works Expo from noon – 3 p.m. in the Jack Stephens Center. The 2019 expo is part of the university’s Research and Creativity in the Rock event, which includes the expo as well as individual showcases and demonstrations within the university’s colleges. At the expo, more than 200 undergraduate and graduate students will display projects spanning research in computer science/information science, creative work, economics, education, engineering/engineering technology/construction management, health science, humanities, interdisciplinary, life science, physical science, service work/professional application, social science, and social work. Recipients of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s Signature Experience Awards and Student Undergraduate Research Fellowships from the Arkansas Department of Higher Education are among the students showcasing their work. The event is free and open to the public. “The Student Research and Creative Works Expo really captures the diversity, breadth, and calibre of our students and is a testament to the expertise and engagement of their faculty mentors,” said Lawrence Smith, assistant professor in ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s Theatre Arts and Dance Department and co-chair of the Student Research and Creative Works Committee. “It gives you a great insight to the creativity and intellectual rigor that is the heart of our work at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock.” Students from every college within the university are participating this year. “Each year, students’ research projects affirm the difference they and their mentors make on a wide range of relevant world issues, such as pollution, breast cancer, and social injustice,” said Elizabeth Ann Lee, assistant professor of nursing, who is also co-chair of the event committee. “Likewise, students’ amazing creative works enrich the arts, and their professional activities make our community a better place to live.” In addition to the expo, individual colleges within the university will showcases their programs, research, and resources as part of Research and Creativity in the Rock. The College of Social Sciences and Communication will host a two-day mini-conference beginning Wednesday, April 17, in the Donaghey Student Center that features interdisciplinary panels with faculty, staff, and students. An online schedule of events is available. The College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences will showcase its science laboratories to high school students who will see science experiments in the Departments of Chemistry, Biology, and Physics and Astronomy and tour campus. Dance and music performances begin at 10:30 a.m. in the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall; an Explore the Majors fair begins at 11 a.m. in the Maners-Papas Gallery; and a tour of Windgate Center for Art and Design begins at 11:30 a.m. The College of Education and Health Professions will have an open house from 10 a.m. – noon in the Bailey Alumni Center to showcase faculty and student research as well as information and activities from the STEM Education Center. The George W. Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology will host an open house for visiting high school students from 9-11:30 a.m. “This is a phenomenal showcasing of the work done by ��Vlog��ý Little Rock students, faculty, and staff,” said Dr. Abhijit Bhattacharyya, interim dean of the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Graduate School. Community members, including high school students, have also been invited to visit the events. Transportation will be provided between the venues for the convenience of visitors. A map of trolley stops is available online. For more information about any of the events, contact Tiffany McFadden-Kidd, Graduate School recruitment and communications coordinator, at tlmcfadden@ualr.edu or 501-569-3088. ]]> ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, ��Vlog��ýMS announce new 2+2 degree plans /news-archive/2019/01/07/2plus2-degree-plans/ Mon, 07 Jan 2019 19:35:37 +0000 /news/?p=73057 ...]]> Students at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock will have an easy transition should they decide to transfer to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences to pursue study in an allied health specialty. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock and ��Vlog��ýMS recently signed a series of 2+2 agreements that clearly outline pathways for students who earn the Associate of Arts in General Studies at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock to then transfer to ��Vlog��ýMS to complete a Bachelor of Science degree. Transfer options are available in seven degree program areas:

B.S. in Ophthalmic Medical Technology
B.S. in Radiologic Imaging Sciences
B.S. in Cytotechnology (1 year)
B.S. in Nuclear Medicine Imaging Sciences (1 year) – and online
B.S. in Respiratory Care
B.S. in Medical Laboratory Sciences
B.S. in Dental Hygiene

While ��Vlog��ý Little Rock has articulation agreements with other ��Vlog��ýMS colleges, the 2+2 agreements with the College of Health Professions are new. The agreements have the potential for saving students time and money because students will know exactly which courses are needed. “The goal of 2+2 is to provide clarity about degree requirements in an easy-to-understand format, so students know exactly what courses they need to complete at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, how they will transfer to ��Vlog��ýMS, and the professional coursework required for completion of their program of choice,” said Phyllis Fields, associate dean for student affairs in the . “This provides a clear pathway that will aid the student in planning while hopefully reducing time and cost associated with earning the degree.” All of the ��Vlog��ýMS degree options are full-time programs in high-demand fields. Dental hygienists, for example, easily find work. In Arkansas, 85 percent of state’s dental hygienists are ��Vlog��ýMS graduates, Fields said. The cytotechnology program can be completed in one year at ��Vlog��ýMS, and graduates are in demand nationwide. They work in non-direct patient care in hospitals and private labs and play a vital role in the discovery and detection of cancer, pre-cancerous cell changes and diseases using a microscope. The Nuclear Medicine Imaging Sciences program also can be completed in one year and is an online only program. Employment in allied health overall is projected to grow, with 2.4 million additional jobs expected between 2016 and 2026, Field said. “We are glad to partner with ��Vlog��ýMS in preparing practitioners for these high demand fields,” said Sarah Beth Estes, interim dean of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences. “These agreements allow students to obtain a good foundation in the liberal arts while also efficiently achieving the prerequisites required to enter allied health programs.” Students in the 2+2 program must maintain a 2.5 GPA in the Associate of Arts in General Studies program at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock and gain admission to ��Vlog��ýMS. Advisors between the two institutions will work together with students. To learn more, visit the Trojan Academic Advising and Support Center. ]]> Back to school for future doctor /news-archive/2019/01/04/quinshell-smith/ Fri, 04 Jan 2019 17:55:27 +0000 /news/?p=73043 ...]]> Quinshell Smith graduated from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in December with two degrees – a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and a Bachelor of Science in biology, but she’s not ready to leave campus yet. On Jan. 22, she will return as a graduate student to begin work on a Master of Science in Applied Science. The work she is doing is all part of her plan to one day be a neurologist. Smith, 23, knew she wanted to attend college after she graduated from Hall High School in 2013, but as the first in her family to go to college, she didn’t have help sorting through the college process. “At the time, I wanted to get out of Little Rock, and I went with the school that sent me the first acceptance letter,” she said. “I didn’t do my research.” The school wasn’t a good fit, and Smith transferred to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock to continue her biology studies. “I chose biology because I thought it would help me understand the human body,” she said. “I’ve always had a love of science, and I want to be a doctor.” Then she took a class with Dr. Rachel Tennial, associate professor of psychology, and decided she wanted to double major in both biology and psychology. “I just fell in love with the psychology department,” she said. “All of the professors had an open-door policy, and a lot of my research came out of the psychology department.” Smith’s passion to be a doctor stems from the death of her father at young age. “Not having my father around affected me as a girl growing up,” she said. “My father’s death, along with being raised in a single parent household, impacted my decision to pursue psychology because a lot of the things I learned in my psychology, I realized I have encountered. It helped me understand the situation and the way the people around me think. It also helped me have the capacity to forgive his killer.” Smith underwent much counseling after her father’s death, and on campus, she has worked to increase awareness of mental health. As president of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s Psychology Club, she helped start Mental Health Awareness Week that brought together different campus organizations and student groups for a week of mental health related activities in October. She also organized a donation drive through the Psychology Club to benefit Methodist Behavioral Health. Smith also served on Student Government Association as a senator for the College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences. One of her most rewarding experiences at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock has been the extensive undergraduate research she’s participated in alongside ��Vlog��ý Little Rock faculty. In one research project, she interviewed stage 3 and 4 cancer patients about their end-of-life preparations as part of a research study at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. “I had to ask the tough questions,” Smith recalled. “A lot of patients really touched me. It gave me a different perspective. I feel like this research truly prepared me for life as a doctor when I do make it to that point. Doctors have to talk about the tough stuff that people don’t want to talk about.” She also worked with psychology professor David Mastin on a sleep study, measuring how technology affects students’ sleep. “Dr. Mastin taught me how to really conduct research,” she said. “It is what I will need for my graduate research.” When the spring semester starts, Smith will work as a graduate assistant in the Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence on campus. The assistantship will cover her graduate school tuition. Down the road, Smith plans to attend medical school, but for now she’s content with the work she’s doing to prepare. “I know I will get there,” she said. “I’m taking my time because I realized that not everything is a rush. I’m taking my time to learn every subject.” Photo by Benjamin Krain ]]> ��Vlog��ý Little Rock receives $1 million to study genetics of heat-tolerant rice /news-archive/2018/12/19/rice-research/ Wed, 19 Dec 2018 16:30:32 +0000 /news/?p=73015 ...]]> A University of Arkansas at Little Rock professor and several doctoral students are researching heat tolerance in rice in hopes of helping rice farmers improve their yield – and ultimately – reduce hunger. Dr. Mariya Khodakovskaya, a biology professor and interim associate dean in the College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences, received a $1 million grant to study the genetic qualities of rice to determine its heat tolerance. She is part of a consortium of researchers from the University of Arkansas Fayetteville, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, Oklahoma State University, and Louisiana State University. Dr. Andy Pereira, professor of crop, soil and environmental science in the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and the ��Vlog��ý Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, leads the consortium. The four universities collectively received $4.65 million from the National Science Foundation to support their work over a four-year period. The team is studying the genetics of more than 400 rice varieties collected from around the world. The goal of the project is to ensure active, stable rice production to keep up with future population growth and environmental changes. The results will be shared with farmers. “We are working in live science,” Khodakovskaya said. “This is important because it is close to the needs of society and close to industry. We target a lot of practical problems, and the final results will be results that public can assess and use.” The consortium will study rice grown in two different environments: one under heat stress and one under the actual air temperature of the environment. By comparing the two groups of plants, the researchers will be able to identify varieties of rice that produce high-quality grains in spite of rising temperatures. At ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, four doctoral students in applied science are assisting Khodakovskaya – Diamond McGehee, Sudha Shanmugam, Zoya Nadeem Faruqui, and Kamal Pandey. Kamal Pandey also manages the greenhouse located atop ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s Center for Integrative Nanotechnology Sciences, where the students grow and monitor rice specimens. Their study examines the links between plant metabolism and heat response in rice in order to identify proteins and biomolecules, called metabolites, associated with heat tolerance. The team will use liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry to monitor rice metabolism. “Using that and other data, we can go through and find out which compounds are being produced and identify different sensitivities to heat stress,” said Diamond McGehee of Conway. “We hope it will give us insights into mechanisms for heat tolerance in rice.” Shanmugam, who is from India, said the research is important for the long-term applications. “Rice is a staple food for half of the world’s population,” she said. “Millions of farmers are having trouble growing rice because of climate. Each year, 40 percent of the crops are lost due to drought. Because of that, it’s better to create a drought-tolerant rice if it will help the farmers.” Arkansas is the country’s largest producer of rice, which is also the state’s top export. The project is funded by the National Science Foundation’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research. Dr. Mariya Khodakovskaya (right) and her team of applied science doctoral students are researching the heat tolerance of rice. Students include (from left) Diamond McGehee, Zoya Faruqui, Kamal Pandey and Sudha Shanmugam. Photo by Benjamin Krain]]> Hollywood costume designer offers advice to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock students /news-archive/2018/11/28/costume-design/ Wed, 28 Nov 2018 22:48:26 +0000 /news/?p=72811 ...]]> Students in ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s Department of Theater Arts and Dance got an inside scoop on what it takes to be a professional costume designer from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock graduate Jacqueline Saint Anne, who is an Emmy Award winning costume designer and president emeritus of the Costume Designers Guild. Saint Anne has worked as a costume designer in theater and film now for nearly 50 years. Her films include “Seeing Other People,” “Lady in White,” “Normal Life,” and “Pippi Longstocking” while television credits include “Arli$$,” “Columbo,” “Quantum Leap,” “Webster,” and “Sliders.” She’s worked on more than 100 Movies of the Week and miniseries including “An American Story,” “Fatal Vision,” “Max and Helen,” and the “Munsters.” She also teaches at the Los Angeles-based , where she is the creative director the for film and TV costume design. A resident of West Hollywood now, Saint Anne returned to Arkansas over the Thanksgiving holiday to visit her sister in DeWitt. On Monday, Nov. 26, before she returned home, she led a master class for theater and dance students in the Haislip Theatre in ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s Center for Performing Arts, where she first got her start in costume design as a student at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in the 1960s. Saint Anne remembered the theater’s closet of costumes that she remade over and over again.

“Because I had some sewing skills, that made me the the costumer,” she said. At that time, she wasn’t planning on a career in design. She was a biology major and was on a pre-med track that her parents wanted for her. “The great thing about a university education is that you become educated about what’s around you,” she said. She earned a Bachelor of Science but never made it to medical school. Instead she went to the University of Miami for a master’s degree in costume design. Her first job out of college took her to Grand Ledge, Michigan, where she worked the summer at the Boars Head Theater and costumed 12 shows in 13 weeks. The hectic pace was valuable training. It’s where she learned to work within a budget and on tight deadlines, developed her work ethic, and started making a reputation for herself. She returned for three more summers and taught theater at State University of New York’s Auburn campus the rest of the time. After four years, she returned to Miami and became entrenched in theater costume design. She turned down several offers to work on films before she finally said yes to “Shock Waves,” a 1977 horror film (starring Peter Cushing) about underwater Nazi zombies. “They presented unique costuming challenges,” Saint Anne said. “The uniforms couldn’t be made of wool because of the water. Filming would go on for months, so the costumes had to hold up and maintain color.” Students were interested in how Saint Anne crossed over from theater into film. “The way a costumer succeeds is having a sense of the medium in which they are working,” she told them. “The most important thing in theater is the audience. I feel my success comes from my ability to see what my audience sees, so if it’s a big opera house or a small intimate stage, or film being shot on HD or 35mm, there are differences in the communication that I’m making with my audience.” She also gave the students practical advice – from having a label for their costumes to having a website they can show to clients on their phone – to professional advice on working with difficult people, collaborating with set designers and directors, and staying current with industry trends. “It was nice to hear her talk about the difference between theater and film projects,” said Kat Hall, a senior design student who has worked on both theater and film projects and hopes to work as a wardrobe supervisor at a regional theater after graduation. Saint Anne’s advice was also helpful for senior dance major Emily Shellabarger, who is taking a course in flat patterning and drafting this semester from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock costume shop manager Don Bolinger. Unlike the students, Saint Anne learned stitching skills on her own. A self-described “Air Force brat,” she was was born in Panama and moved around a lot growing up. “One of the fortunate places I lived was Paris,” she said. As a teen, she saved up money to buy fabric, and her mother showed her how to thread her sewing machine. “I would go to design shops in Paris and look at clothes,” she said. “Then I’d go home and try to figure out how to make them. I taught myself pattern making. My skills were not taught to me. They were intuitive, the result of trial and error, just wanting to know how things were made and having curiosity about how things are put together.” Early on in her career, while working on “Little Mary Sunshine,” Saint Anne developed a disciplined approach to how she works, and she’s stuck with it ever since. “I was still sewing a piece for Act 2, after the Act 1 curtain went up,” she recalled. “I was physically destroyed. I said I will never do this again. And fortunately, I haven’t. I’m in my 48th year as costume designer. I would not be able to do that without taking care of myself and knowing what I need. Some people thrive in chaos. That’s not me. To this day, I finish anything I’m working on three to four days before opening, so that if I need to change something, I have the time and clarity to do it. “My preparation is never last minute,” she said. “If I’m going to do an all-nighter, it’s going to be a week before the show. It won’t be the night before because that makes me feel out of control.” For the past 13 years, Saint Anne has designed mainly for opera. She doesn’t do modern TV projects anymore, prefers instead to costume period pieces or fantasy. She also offered this nugget of advice to young people just starting out: “At a certain place, when you are the master of your craft, you have little forbearance for people who are ignorant or rude,” she said. “It’s important you learn how to be considerate and kind. Your collaborators – and your competition – will be with you your entire career.” Top Right Photo: Costume designer Jacqueline Saint Anne greets freshman theater student Kaitlynn Mitchell after a master class in Haislip Theatre. Above: Costumer designer and ��Vlog��ý Little Rock graduate Jacqueline Saint Anne poses for a group photo with students, faculty and staff in the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance. ]]> History on display /news-archive/2018/11/09/robinson-display/ Fri, 09 Nov 2018 22:12:06 +0000 /news/?p=72641 ...]]> Little Rock’s Robinson Center unveiled a new permanent exhibit on Friday, Nov. 9, that is the result of research and creative work by the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s Collections and Archives and the Department of Art and Design.�� The “Timeline of Historic Robinson Center” was unveiled Nov. 9 at a ceremony in the second-floor Historic Lobby on the east side of the Robinson Center. The exhibit’s opening coincided with the second anniversary of Robinson’s 2016 reopening following an extensive renovation. The timelines stretches more than 50 feet along the interior wall, detailing the history of the center from the 1930s to the present. At one end of the timeline is a 10-foot-tall photograph of Joseph Taylor Robinson, the former Arkansas governor and U.S. senator for whom Robinson Auditorium was named. At the other end is a reproduction painting of the newly remodeled building that re-opened Nov. 10, 2016, following a 28-month, $70-million restoration, renovation, and expansion led by the Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Anyone who has spent time in central Arkansas has a personal story of Robinson Center,” said Gretchen Hall, president and CEO of the Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau. “The facility has touched so many within our community. Maybe you experienced your first symphony concert or Broadway production there; graduated or performed on the stage; or attended a wrestling, boxing, or basketball game in the original basement. The facility has long been a prominent landmark for performing arts and cultural entertainment in Little Rock.” The exhibit was a collaboration between ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s Archives and Special Collections, Center for Arkansas History and Culture, Department of Art and Design, Department of History, and the Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Our archivists and historians did the research and writing for the historical pieces, and the artists created the visuals and design,” said Deborah Baldwin, associate provost of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s Collections and Archives. “It’s been a nice match of skills.” Shannon Lausch, an archivist at the Center for Arkansas History and Culture, was the lead researcher and wrote the primary text panels for the exhibit. Charles Romney, associate professor of history, and Vincent Vinikas, professor of history, also contributed to the research. Kevin Cates and Thomas Clifton, professors in ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s Department of Art and Design, oversaw the exhibit design. Cates, who teaches graphic arts, oversaw the on-site installation on Oct. 22. He also used the exhibit as a teaching moment for students in his Print Production class, who toured the exhibit. Cates explained the installation process and the inevitable troubleshooting required on a large public exhibit to his class, which includes mainly art and graphic design majors. Cates also pointed out subtle design elements – the type font, color choices, and repeating art motifs – that mimic the art deco vibe of Robinson Center’s original design. Planning and design of the project has been in the works for about a year. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s Collections and Archives hold the archival items used in the exhibit and proposed the permanent exhibit as a way to feature this material about the Robinson Center’s history. The exhibit details the historical significance of the Robinson Center and the many functions that it has served for nearly a century. The center was born out of the desperate need for work for the jobless in the Great Depression, which struck hard in Arkansas. Little Rock also needed a municipal auditorium. Construction of Robinson Auditorium was one of several building projects made possible under President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal legislation. At the groundbreaking ceremony on Dec. 14, 1937, city officials dedicated the building to Sen. Robinson, who had died six months earlier. The city saw it as a fitting tribute to name the structure after Robinson, whose work in supporting the New Deal had enabled projects like the Robinson Auditorium. Over the years, Robinson has hosted theater, music, dance, lectures, sports, and civic events. When it opened, it became the first auditorium in the South with air conditioning. Conventions, theatrical shows, and numerous musical acts all came to Little Rock. In fact, the first recording of Elvis Presley’s “Hound Dog” was made on Robinson’s stage. Robinson also provided a platform for figures of national significance. In 1947, Dwight Eisenhower shared his experiences as supreme commander of the allied forces in World War II. Pres. Harry Truman also spoke and attended a ball at Robinson on June 10, 1949. During their presidencies, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush chose Robinson Center to speak with audiences in Little Rock. The Robinson Center exhibit is the second permanent exhibit that the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Center for Arkansas History and Culture has completed recently in downtown Little Rock. In 2014, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock completed an exhibit for the lobby of the city’s Arcade Building. The exhibit intersperses images of early construction scenes, blueprints, and photographs of the Arcade Building with historical facts about its founders and architects. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock professor Kevin Cates explains some of the design elements of the new “History of Robinson” timeline in Robinson Center to some of his students. Photo by Benjamin Krain ]]> ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Dance Harvest set for Nov. 8-11 /news-archive/2018/10/29/dance-harvest-2018/ Mon, 29 Oct 2018 19:03:03 +0000 /news/?p=72470 ...]]> The University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s Department of Theatre Arts and Dance will host Dance Harvest 2018 on Nov. 8-11, featuring choreography by dance faculty member Robin Neveu Brown and eight undergraduate Bachelor of Fine Arts students who are completing the required two-year choreography sequence. Performances will be in the University Theatre in the Center for Performing Arts, 5900 University Drive, at the following times:

Thursday, Nov. 8 – 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 9 – 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 10 – 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 11 – 2:30 p.m.

Tickets are $10 for general admission and $5 for children, students, seniors, military, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock faculty and staff. Tickets can be purchased or from the box office from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays or by phone at 501-569-3456. In addition, the Theatre Arts and Dance department will host a dance workshop on Saturday, Nov. 10, from 3:30-7 p.m. for dancers ages 10-24 as part of the Fall Dance Festival 2018. Dancers will be divided into groups based on age and ability and taught by members of the dance faculty and ��Vlog��ý Little Rock dance majors. Check-in will be from 3:30 to 4 p.m. The cost is $20 and includes dinner provided by the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Department of Theatre Arts and Dance and two tickets to the 7 p.m. Dance Harvest performance. The deadline to sign up is Nov. 5. More information and registration is available online. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock dance majors Yannick Ibanez, LaDarius Doaks, and Travis Clark rehearse for Dance Harvest. Photo by Benjamin Krain.]]> Little Rock Theater Guild to host student showcase /news-archive/2018/10/26/student-showcase/ Fri, 26 Oct 2018 18:32:32 +0000 /news/?p=72466 ...]]> ��Vlog��ý Little Rock students will take to the stage Saturday to showcase their performing arts talents at the Little Rock Theater Guild’s Student Showcase on Saturday, Oct. 27, at 7 p.m. in Haislip Theater in the Center for Performing Arts. The hosts the Student Showcase, which will feature students from multiple departments. Admission is free. ]]> Día de los Muertos Altar Exhibit opens at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock /news-archive/2018/10/19/dia-de-los-muertos/ Fri, 19 Oct 2018 20:48:09 +0000 /news/?p=72399 ...]]> A new exhibit in the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s Ann Maners and Alex Pappas Gallery in the Fine Arts Building invites visitors to explore the widely celebrated Día de los Muertos holiday – or Day of the Dead. The exhibit – a partnership between ��Vlog��ý Little Rock and the Consulate of Mexico – opened Friday, Oct. 19, and will remain open through Nov. 16. It can be viewed during normal gallery hours, 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. The exhibit is free and open to the public. The exhibition’s altar was designed and created by educator and artist Patricia Quilantán, the wife of Mexican Consul Rodolfo Quilantán Arenas, and Consulate staff. At a private reception on Thursday, Oct. 18, Mrs. Quilantán explained the roots of the celebration and symbolism of some of the objects that adorn the multi-level altar. Candles and brightly colored flowers illuminate the way for the spirits of the deceased to find their way back to their families. Crepe paper chains made with alternating purple and orange links represent the circle of life and death. Purple represents mourning associated with death, and orange represents the vibrancy of life. Offerings, such as bread and tamales, are placed on altars to entice deceased loved ones to come back for a visit. The altar is placed against an arch, representing passage between life and death.

Hanging from the gallery’s ceiling are dozens of decorative monarch butterflies, known for their two-way migratory pattern in North America. Mrs. Quilantán dedicated the altar to migrants worldwide. “We are all migrants,” she said. Day of the Dead is celebrated in Mexico on Nov. 1-2. Though the holiday originated in Mexico, it is celebrated in Latin America and the United States with colorful calaveras (skulls) and calacas (skeletons). Although the festival coincides with Halloween, the two events are very different. While Halloween inspires horror and mischief, Day of the Dead is a demonstration of love and respect for deceased family members. The celebration was named by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Junior and senior history students in Dr. Kristin Dutcher Mann’s Historian’s Craft class (History 4309) researched and wrote text panels for the exhibit as part of their coursework. They met with Mrs. Quilantán, assistant gallery director Nathan Larson, and College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences Associate Dean Dr. Johanna Miller Lewis to learn about exhibit design and construction. The goal of the coursework was to learn how historians sort through compelling narratives, perspectives, and evidence to craft arguments and explanations. The text panels display information about the holiday, the ofrenda, and its components, the significance of skeletons and skulls, and the work of the Mexican Consulate. Educator and artist Patricia Quilantán and her husband, Mexican Consul Rodolfo Quilantán Arenas, speak during an opening reception for the Día de los Muertos Altar Exhibit. Photos by Benjamin Krain ]]>