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

��Vlog��ý Little Rock Holiday Art Sales Returns Dec. 1-2

John Hill — Mon, 28 Nov 2022 13:46:09 +0000

It’s the most wonderful time of the year for art lovers! ��Vlog��ý Little Rock will host its annual Department of Art and Design Holiday Art Sale on Thursday, Dec. 1, and Friday, Dec. 2. The holiday sale will be held from 6-9 p.m. Thursday and 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Friday in the Windgate Center of Art and Design. Patrons who attend the sale will have the chance to purchase a wide array of unique and beautiful items from the students, faculty, and staff in the Department of Art and Design. The Holiday Art Sale gives student artists a chance to learn about the fast-paced world of buying and selling art and what it takes to earn a living as an artist. This sale, which is free to attend and open to the public, is a great opportunity to buy handmade holiday gifts from local artists while also supporting ��Vlog��ý Little Rock students. “This is a great time to come check out the Windgate Center of Art and Design and see what the students, faculty, and alumni are making,” said Kensuke Yamada, assistant professor of ceramics. “It’s been three years since we’ve been able to hold the Holiday Art Sale, and there is a lot of anticipation for everyone to show their best work and holiday cheer.” The event will also feature music, hot cocoa, faculty art demonstrations, and more. For more information, contact Prof. Yamada at kyamada@ualr.edu.

Arkansas Arts Council Selects Yamada for Individual Artist Fellowship

John Hill — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 14:27:59 +0000

The and the Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism has selected Kensuke Yamada, an assistant professor of ceramics at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, as a recipient of the 2021 Individual Artist Fellowship Award. Individual Artist Fellowship awards are unconditional, non-matching awards made directly to individual Arkansas artists. An independent panel annually selects nine artists in rotating categories to receive fellowships of $4,000 each. “Being selected for the Arkansas Arts Council fellowship is an absolute honor,” Yamada said. “I’ve spent about seven years working and living in Arkansas. This fellowship makes me feel like I’m a part of the Arkansas arts community, and that’s a wonderful thing.” This year, artists from around the state submitted applications for the fellowships in three categories: cinematic arts, poetry and contemporary crafts. Yamada, of Little Rock, earned a fellowship for contemporary crafts. The Arkansas Arts Council honored the fellowship recipients during a virtual evening program on Oct. 6 in conjunction with ArtLinks 2021, the virtual, statewide arts conference sponsored by the Arkansas Arts Council. “Arkansas Arts Council fellowships showcase the wide range of arts our state has to offer,” said Stacy Hurst, secretary of the department. “From music and dancing to painting and sculpture, art is a driving economic force in Arkansas, and we take pride in knowing that these grants help artists pursue their projects, which in turn enhance the lives of all of us.” A native of Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan, Yamada earned a bachelor’s degree in studio art at the Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, and a master’s degree in studio art at University of Montana, Missoula. Originally, Yamada took a very different path from art.

Professor Kensuke Yamada is surrounded by his artwork.

“When I was in Japan, I studied speech pathology, and I did a residency at a hospital for a year,” Yamada said. “I was so young to commit my life to one job, and I came to America to try to find what I liked to do. I took a ceramic class, and I had a great teacher, and I got hooked. I used to be the kind of person who didn’t want to wake up to go to school in the morning. With ceramics, I feel like I found something. From the very first time, I felt like I was so excited that I just wanted to create.” Before joining ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in 2018, Yamada previously worked as a visiting artist at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and Center College in Danville, Kentucky. He has exhibited his work extensively throughout the United States. He has participated in artist residency programs at The Archie Bray Foundation, Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts, Oregon College of Art and Craft, and was an invited guest to make a sculpture at Chihuly, Inc. and Ox-Bow. His most recent exhibit, “Collectively Alone,” was displayed earlier this year at Historic Arkansas Museum. The work of Yamada and ��Vlog��ý Little Rock photographer Ben Krain converged around the artists’ observations and thoughts surrounding the loneliness of creating during the COVID-19 era. Yamada is currently working on a ceramic sculpture for the Truro Center for the Arts at Castle Hill in Massachusetts that will be completed in summer 2022.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock Dedicates New Student Mural “Koi” in Ottenheimer Library

John Hill — Wed, 26 May 2021 14:08:42 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock dedicated a new student mural in the lobby of Ottenheimer Library during a ceremony on May 11.�� The new mural, entitled “Koi,” is eight feet wide and 16 feet long. Emma Chambers, the student artist who created the mural, hopes the peaceful painting of fish swimming in a koi pond will bring a sense of calm and tranquility to all who see it. “Previously, I was struggling with grounding myself, especially during the pandemic,” Chambers said. “I lost my sense of place as I believe many of you also did. Meditating, looking at koi fish, and finding my inner peace were some things that helped me. I wanted to give that to other students by sharing my love of koi fish and giving everybody else a sense of place.” The mural is the result of the first campus-wide competition designed to honor and highlight the wonderful work of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s student artists. Chancellor Christina Drale praised the mural as “the people’s choice.” “This project is also special because it represents a unique collaboration that represents the best of who we are at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock,” Drale said. “This effort was so successful, and the results so marvelous, that I am encouraging the Building and Grounds Committee to continue the collaboration and make this an annual event.” The campus partners involved in the student mural competition and installation include the Student Government Association (SGA), the Buildings and Grounds Committee, Facilities Management, the Department of Art and Design, and Ottenheimer Library staff. “Most of you probably know that koi are a type of carp fish bred for their vibrant colors,” Drale said. “You see them frequently in garden ponds. What you might not know, and what Nancy Hamilton has graciously shared with me, is that in Japan, the koi is a symbol of prosperity and good fortune, but also of perseverance in the face of adversity. I have to say, I can’t think of a better symbol for the year we’ve been through than that. And what a wonderful testimony to the resilience of our students at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock!” SGA President Landon DeKay said the idea for a student mural competition originated with former SGA President Katie Zakrzewski in 2019. When DeKay began his presidency last fall, the SGA was determined to bring the student mural to fruition.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock student artist Emma Chambers, left, is congratulated by her friend during a dedication ceremony for the mural at the Ottenheimer Library. Photo by Ben Krain.

“It’s been a very hectic school year, and we need something bright to lift our spirits. The mural is very beautiful,” DeKay said. “SGA wants to get students involved on campus. We are very excited to showcase student artwork around campus, and we hope to continue this tradition for years to come.” Chambers, a junior Bachelor of Fine Arts major with a concentration in painting, said it took two weeks to complete the mural. She received help from several of her professors in the Department of Art and Design, including Ricky Sikes, Peter Scheidt, and Kensuke Yamada. A patron from the library helped prime the mural, and her brother helped her paint. “The mural turned out very well,” Chambers said. “I have a whole new appreciation for teamwork. Painting is solitary, but I had no idea how many people were involved in the creation of a mural.” In the upper right photo, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock student artist Emma Chambers, center right, poses in front of her winning mural with Student Government Association President Landon DeKay, left, Chancellor Christina Drale, center left, and Nancy Hamilton, Faculty Senate Building and Grounds Committee member, far right, during a dedication ceremony for the mural at Ottenheimer Library. Photo by Ben Krain.

Krain, Yamada featured in exhibit that explores aloneness of creativity during COVID-19

John Hill — Fri, 11 Dec 2020 18:41:06 +0000

Two University of Arkansas at Little Rock employees are featured in a new art exhibit at the Historic Arkansas Museum that converges around the artists’ observations and thoughts surrounding the aloneness of creating during the COVID-19 era. The exhibit, is curated by the Arkansas Arts Council and reflects on the experiences, moments, and thoughts of beauty and individuality. Whether in crowds or in solitude, some people have always been living in their own world. The featured artists included Benjamin Krain, university photographer at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, and Kensuke Yamada, assistant professor of ceramics at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock.

Kensuke Yamada’s Bud Series

“This exhibit is going to be about the reflection on the people and myself in everyday life,” Yamada said. “This idea can transfer somewhat to our life and time during the pandemic era. I think 2020 had many events, including the pandemic, to make us think about people, community, and myself. I requested to lift the pedestal up higher to eye level to ensure that people can experience the face-to-face moment and conjure reflection.” While he’s spent decades photographing news events, disasters, and wars, Krain’s photos in the exhibit represent moments of everyday life that “are accessible to anyone with a camera and a desire to explore.” “The more challenging photographs are those of everyday life,” Krain said. “The simple exploration of nothing. The moments in-between the moments. I find these unplanned encounters the most interesting. The content is not about the news. It is about the human spirit. These are the photographs in this exhibit. They can be taken by anyone. There is no special access or credential required other than just being present.” A graduate of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, Krain spent more than 20 years as a photojournalist with the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette before joining the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Office of Communications and Marketing. He has won numerous state and national awards, and his work has been featured in publications like Time, Newsweek, and the New York Times.

Vertigo by Ben Krain

A native of Japan, Yamada came to the U.S. to attend Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree and later a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Montana. He has traveled widely for professional residencies including Resident Artist at the Archie Bray Foundation in Montana and the Clay Studio in Philadelphia, as well as guest and adjunct positions at Tyler School of Art, Temple University, and more before joining the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock faculty in 2018. The exhibit will be housed in the Trinity Gallery for Arkansas Artists at the Historic Arkansas Museum until March 26, 2021. The exhibit can also .

Two professors featured in new exhibit at Boswell-Mourot Gallery

Ajani Oyindamola — Wed, 17 Jul 2019 13:27:46 +0000

The artwork of two art educators at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock will be on display at a new exhibit at.�� The exhibit will feature fine art created by Kensuke Yamada, assistant professor of ceramics, and Ricky Sikes, instructor of drawing and painting. The exhibit will be on display from Saturday, July 20, to Saturday, Aug. 10. An opening reception will be held from 6-9 p.m. July 20, at the gallery at 5818 Kavanaugh Blvd., Little Rock. Boswell Mourot Gallery is open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. For more information, call Boswell Mourot Gallery at 501-664-0030.

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