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

��Vlog��ý Little Rock artists featured in Delta Exhibition

Janea Snyder — Thu, 31 May 2018 18:57:22 +0000

Three University of Arkansas at Little Rock staff and faculty members have art in the Arkansas Arts Center’s 60th Annual Delta Exhibition on display through Aug. 26, 2018. The exhibit showcases 52 contemporary works by 46 artists living or working in Arkansas and border states. AJ Smith of Little Rock, an art professor at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, created a graphite on paper drawing titled “Faces of the Delta: Geraldine.” It is one in series of Smith’s large-scale graphite pencil drawings that portray people living in remote Arkansas and Mississippi Delta communities.

“Faces of the Delta: Geraldine” by AJ Smith

Benjamin Krain of Maumelle, a photographer at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, has a metallic photographic print on Kodak Endura paper titled “Trains,” which was taken in North Little Rock. Krain was a long-time photojournalist for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette before joining ��Vlog��ý Little Rock earlier this year. Marjorie Williams-Smith of Little Rock, professor emeritus in ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s Department of Art and Design, created “The Messengers,” using copper point, aluminum point, silverpoint, Conte crayon, and graphite pencil on black acrylic gessoed paper.

“The Messengers” by Marjorie Williams-Smith

Their art is among the 52 works selected from more than 1,400 submissions. “Every year, the Delta Exhibition gives Arkansas Arts Center patrons the opportunity to experience some of the Delta region’s most talented contemporary artists,” said Todd Herman, Arkansas Arts Center executive director. Founded in 1958, the exhibition provides a unique snapshot of the Delta region and reflects the region’s strong traditions of craftsmanship and observation, combined with an innovative use of materials and an experimental approach to subject matter. This year’s exhibition was juried by a panel of three distinguished art professionals: Bradbury Art Museum director Les Christensen, conceptual artist Shea Hembrey, and Baum Gallery director Brian K. Young. “We selected work with faux fur, coffee, cold wax, ziatype, video, yucca, fluorescent tubing, resin, found objects, copper point, and of course the traditional materials,” Young said. “Despite this seemingly endless list of media, there is a thoughtfulness and subtlety in nearly all of the works. These traits come in the manner in which these Delta artists have captured the essence of the region. People, place and nature remain strong unifiers.” The exhibit is located at the Arkansas Arts Center at 9th and Commerce streets in Little Rock. Admission is free. Gallery hours are 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. For more information, contact 501-372-4000 or visit the Arkansas Arts Center . Top photo: “Trains” by Benjamin Krain

��Vlog��ýLR’s Joli Livaudais to lead Feed Your Mind Friday Talk

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 28 Jun 2016 17:26:02 +0000

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock professor will lead a discussion on her artwork that is on display in one of the region’s most prestigious art exhibitions. Joli Livaudais, an assistant professor of photography, will discuss her artwork featured in the 58th Annual Delta Exhibition during the Feed Your Mind Friday talk July 8 at the Arkansas Arts Center. The talk, which begins at noon, is free and open to the public. The Delta Exhibition began in 1958 to feature contemporary artists from Arkansas and bordering states. It has grown to encompass works in all media, showcasing the dynamic vision and traditions of artists of the Mississippi Delta region. Livaudais’ talk will focus on her artistic process and the inspiration behind her artwork. She has two pieces in the exhibit, “Sacred Earth No. 1” and “Grassland No. 4,” that were inspired by cycles of life and patterns in nature. “I’m really interested in how people think about things, like the constructs that we use to understand the world,” she said. “I think that we see patterns in nature. We look for patterns in cycles of life and the way things grow. We see patterns and they comfort us. We want to make these patterns something that we can predict.”

Joli Livaudais’ “Grassland No. 4.” Photo courtesy of Arkansas Arts Center.

The artwork consists of photographs printed on kozo paper, aluminum, and epoxy resin, which are folded into an origami tessellation. “My art pieces are folded into patterns, but the patterns are also disrupted. Although there are patterns in nature and life, that doesn’t really give us control over anything. Life cannot be contained,” she said. Livaudais earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in experimental psychology from the University of Texas at Arlington before establishing herself as a freelance commercial photographer in Dallas. She received an MFA from Louisiana Tech University in 2013 and joined ��Vlog��ýLR as an assistant professor in 2014. The is on display at the Jeannette Edris Rockefeller and Townsend Wolfe Galleries until Aug. 28. The center is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays. For more information on the exhibit, visit Delta Exhibition’s .

��Vlog��ýLR artists featured in Delta Exhibition

Ajani Oyindamola — Fri, 24 Jun 2016 19:25:15 +0000

Eight artists with ties to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Department of Art represent more than a quarter of the 30 artists selected for one of the region’s most prestigious art exhibitions. The 58th Annual Delta Exhibition at the Arkansas Arts Center includes 52 artistic works selected by the show’s juror, Liz Garvey, co-founder and owner of Garvey-Simon Art Access, Inc. Nearly 460 artists applied, and more than 1,000 entries were submitted. The is on display at the Jeannette Edris Rockefeller and Townsend Wolfe Galleries until Aug. 28. The center is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays. The exhibition began in 1958 to feature contemporary artists from Arkansas and bordering states. It has grown to encompass works in all media, showcasing the dynamic vision and traditions of artists of the Mississippi Delta region. David Bailin, a former adjunct professor of drawing and painting in the ��Vlog��ýLR art department was the winner of the Delta Award and a $750 prize for his charcoal, pastel, and coffee piece, “Lamp.”

David Bailin

Other art department faculty members in the show include Mia Hall, an associate professor of furniture design, Win Bruhl, a professor emeritus of drawing and printmaking, Heidi Hogden, a visiting professor of painting, and Joli Livaudais, an assistant professor of photography. Livaudais, who has two pieces in the exhibition, said it was an honor for her work to be displayed in the prestigious show. “The series of work that these two pieces come from is inspired by cycles and patterns in nature, and my personal meditations on science, spirituality, and human limitations,” Livaudais said. “I enjoy the Delta Exhibition because it’s a wonderful opportunity to see the strong artwork being made by the artists in our region, and it’s great to have my pieces seen in such a beautiful venue.” In addition to ��Vlog��ýLR professors, Anne Greenwood, a ��Vlog��ýLR art student from Hot Springs, Arkansas, also has two pieces in the show. Two alumni – Laura Raborn, a 2014 graduate with a master’s degree in art, and Nathaniel Roe, a 2015 graduate with a master’s degree in art — also are featured. “I was thrilled to have so many of our faculty and students chosen to participate in the exhibition,” said Tom Clifton, chair of the art department. “Considering the standing of the Delta Exhibition and its reach, it’s an honor to be so well represented. I believe it speaks to the quality of education available to our students and the positive impact that our presence has on the region.” These talented ��Vlog��ýLR faculty members and students are looking forward to teaching and learning in the new visual arts building, which is scheduled to open in early 2018. The state-of-the-art building will be funded by a $20.3 million grant, the second largest gift in ��Vlog��ýLR’s history, from the Trustees of the Windgate Charitable Foundation. The new facility, located at 28th Street and East Campus Drive, will integrate ��Vlog��ýLR’s Applied Design, Art History, Art Education, and Studio Art classes into a facility that promotes collaboration and creativity between students, faculty, and guests under one roof. In order to attract and retain the region’s best and brightest art students, a scholarship campaign is underway to help art students who will benefit from learning and collaborating at the new visual arts building. “The new visual arts building will give our faculty, who have helped design it, the best possible spaces for instruction in all media,” said Joseph Lampo, director of development and external relations for the ��Vlog��ýLR College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences. “Our focus is the students who will be taught in these spaces by our award-winning faculty, and this scholarship campaign is critical to bringing the best art students here.” For more information on the exhibition, visit Delta Exhibition’s. In the upper right photo, ��Vlog��ýLR artist Mia Hall stands next to her artwork with her daughter, Fiona Clemmons.

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

����Vlog��ý Little Rock artists featured in Delta Exhibition

����Vlog��ýLR’s Joli Livaudais to lead Feed Your Mind Friday Talk

����Vlog��ýLR artists featured in Delta Exhibition

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

��Vlog��ý Little Rock artists featured in Delta Exhibition

��Vlog��ýLR’s Joli Livaudais to lead Feed Your Mind Friday Talk

��Vlog��ýLR artists featured in Delta Exhibition