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

Wiebelhaus-Brahm to teach at international summer program in South Korea

Ajani Oyindamola — Mon, 25 Jun 2018 15:31:13 +0000

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock professor has been selected to teach in a prestigious international college exchange program in South Korea. Eric Wiebelhaus-Brahm, assistant professor in the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, will teach during the program at the University of Seoul. “The goal for the summer program is to bring students from around the world to South Korea,” Wiebelhaus-Brahm said. “They want to put South Korea on the map and to promote better understanding, appreciation, and knowledge of the country. International students get to see the country and experience the culture. The program also seeks to recruit faculty from around the world to teach in the program.” First established in 2000, the program has provided international students with a great opportunity to learn about Korean culture and tradition. During the five-week program that meets from June 26 to July 26, students will take three courses in topics ranging from economics and business, international studies, Korean language, Korean studies, and urban studies. Students will also take cultural visits to Jeju Island, a volcanic island and World Heritage Site, Hwaseong Fortress, and the Demilitarized Zone. The course Wiebelhaus-Brahm is teaching, Globalization and Multicultural Societies, is a new introductory course for the International Studies program at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. Globalization and Multicultural Societies is an interdisciplinary introduction to the way in which international influences shape the world’s economies, governments, and societies, and their consequences for global conflict and cooperation. He is thankful to get the opportunity to teach a pilot version of the course to international students before the course debuts at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in the fall. Outside of teaching, Wiebelhaus-Brahm will research South Korea’s experience with transitional justice and explore how the country deals with past human rights violations. “In the past 15-20 years, remembering and memorializing past atrocities in South Korea has become more accepted,” he said. “You have efforts to memorialize atrocities that happened during the Japanese occupation in the first half of the 20th century and major massacres during the Korean War in the early 1950s. After the Korean War, South Korea was ruled by a series of military dictatorships, which periodically used mass violence against pro-democracy uprisings. I’m fascinated to learn more about South Korea’s experience with dealing with these events.” Wiebelhaus-Brahm also plans to make contacts he can use in future research that will explore the international adoption of children. “I’ve long been interested in developing a new stream of research outside of post-conflict/transitional justice and look at the politics of the international adoption of children,” he said. “It’s something political scientists have not paid much attention to.”

Sister Cities Sculpture finds permanent home in South Korea

Ajani Oyindamola — Wed, 31 Jan 2018 22:00:24 +0000

With hundreds of people gathered around, Michael Warrick, while wearing pure white gloves that matched the chilly Dec. 15, 2017, weather, pulled on a golden rope to reveal a beautiful 7-foot sculpture previously hidden by a white satin sheet. While confetti was released to celebrate the dedication of the sculpture, “Youth,” Warrick, a professor of sculpture at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, looked upon the permanent resting home of his artistic creation in the new and beautiful Shinjangdong International Sister Cities Park in Hanam City, South Korea, smiled, and thought, “This is a beautiful site.” “The dedication was very memorable,” Warrick said. “In honoring the theme of youth, the activities included young drummers, dancers, karate kids, and teens demonstrating breaking boards. The American Taekwondo Association was one of the sponsors for the sculpture, so the Hanam City Martial Arts youth group also performed.” Warrick created the sculpture to commemorate the 25-year partnership and friendship between the sister cities of Little Rock and Hanam City, which began in 1992. Warrick, Joon Park, president of the Korean American Federation of Arkansas, and three members of the Little Rock Sister Cities Commission – Melanie Berman, Robert Coon, and Ashvin Vibhakar – traveled to South Korea in December to dedicate the sculpture given in the spirit of international friendship. A video of the ceremony can. “Hanam is one of Little Rock’s longest and most vibrant sister city relationships, and the commission was honored to participate in such a meaningful ceremony to celebrate our 25th anniversary,” Coon said. “Michael’s sculpture perfectly encapsulates Little Rock’s strong and growing relationship with Hanam, and our desire for that friendship to continue on for many years to come.” The sculpture is a 7-foot figurative female sculpture cast in bronze and composed of vines, leaves, and a small bird. The figure has a traditional green finish, while the small bird is coated with 23.75 karat gold leaf.

Michael Warrick visits a local temple on Jeju Island, South Korea.

“The South Koreans were very proud and honored by the focus and quality of the work,” Coon said. “It doesn’t matter where you are from. You are always looking toward the future, and your children, the youth, are an important part of that. Your culture, community, and businesses are grown from involvement with you. They felt the subject and approach to the sculpture were very appropriate.” Warrick found inspiration for the sculpture while watching the 2014 Summer Olympics in Rio, and finds it fitting that the sculpture was dedicated shortly before the 2018 Winter Olympics are held in PyeongChang, just a few hours from Hanam City. “I was very impressed by the grace of the women’s gymnastics team member,” Warrick said. “The figure of the young woman in ‘Youth’ was inspired by the gymnasts.” He also infused the sculpture with elements of nature – green vines, golden leaves, and a small bird that is meant to represent a person’s soul. Warrick gifted Hanam City Mayor Oh Boo Bong with a small sculpture of a bird and goal leaf, the same elements used on the “Youth” sculpture, on a cherry wood base. The South Korean delegation gifted the Arkansas visitors with a trip to Jeju Island, a volcanic island and World Heritage Site. During the Dec. 16 tour of the island, the group stopped at a Buddhist Temple. Warrick wrote a prayer in remembrance of his first art teacher, Joe Corsello, who fought in the Korean War. Warrick described this as one of the most memorable experiences of the trip. “Joe taught for 53 years, 30 in high school and 23 with grade school kids twice a week,” Warrick said. “Our tour guide offered to pay for me to write a prayer on a roofing tile with a white-paint style marker.” In the future, Hanam City will also donate a Sister Cities sculpture to Little Rock. In the upper right photo, a delegation from Little Rock attends the dedication ceremony for Michael Warrick’s sculpture, “Youth,” which was gifted to Hanam City, South Korea. The group includes (L to R) Robert Coon, Warrick, Joon Park, Ashvin Vibhakar, and Melanie Berman.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock to host exhibit on Michael Warrick’s Sister City sculpture

Ajani Oyindamola — Mon, 09 Oct 2017 13:28:14 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will host an exhibit detailing the creation of a sculpture built to commemorate the 25-year partnership and friendship between the sister cities of Little Rock and Hanam City, South Korea. The exhibit, “Creating Youth,” will be on display from Oct. 11 to Nov. 10 in the Maners/Pappas Gallery in the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Fine Arts Building. A reception for the exhibit, which is free and open to the public, will be held from 2-4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 14. Michael Warrick, professor of sculpture at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, created a sculpture entitled, “Youth,” during 2016 and 2017. Little Rock officials recently sent the sculpture to South Korea. “Youth” will be dedicated in December and stand in Hanam’s Sister City Park, which will commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Sister City partnership that began in 1992. The sculpture is a 7-foot figurative female sculpture cast in bronze and composed of vines, leaves, and a small bird, Warrick said. The figure has a traditional green finish, while the small bird is coated with 23.75 karat gold leaf. The “Creating Youth” exhibit is meant to capture the “complexity and energy that goes into the idea of creating the sculpture,” Warrick said. The exhibit will feature smaller bronze sculptures of “Youth,” early sketches, 3-D digital renderings, test castings, failures, and a full-scale casting of the final sculpture. The ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Art Gallery is located in the Fine Arts Building. The gallery is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, and 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday. For more information, contact Art Gallery Director Brad Cushman at becushman@ualr.edu or 501.569.8977.

Warrick creates sculpture to be given to Little Rock’s sister city in South Korea

Ajani Oyindamola — Fri, 10 Mar 2017 18:20:11 +0000

As a professor with 40 years experience teaching art, Michael Warrick finds great inspiration from young people. “It’s hard not to be inspired by young people and your own children,” said Warrick, a professor of sculpture at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. “Part of the reason why we are here is to nurture and help young people develop, but to also see the world the way they do with open eyes and excitement.” Warrick, who worked with kindergarten through 12th-grade students for five years and has been a college instructor for 35, is now using youths as the idea behind one of his newest sculptures. His creation will soon cross oceans and cultures to symbolize the partnership and friendship between the City of Little Rock and its sister city in Hanam City, South Korea. Hanam City will also give Little Rock a sculpture later this year. “Hanam City is one of our most vibrant relationships,” said, one of the liaisons to the South Korean city and a partner at Impact Management Group. “They have frequently done the youth exchange program, which has been a strong piece of our relationship. We have sent a number of high school delegations to Hanam City to learn about their culture and way of life, and we have received a number of delegations from Hanam City to share our culture as well.” The gift will commemorate the 25th anniversary of the sister city relationship with the two cities, which began in 1992.

A Sister Cities delegation from Hanam City, South, Korea visited ��Vlog��ý Little Rock to see the progress of a sculpture created by Michael Warrick that will be given to Hanam City as part of a sculpture exchange between the sister cities. Pictured from left to right are: Commissioner Kim Kapchul, Vice Mayor Lee Jong Soo, Chancellor Andrew Rogerson, Professor Michael Warrick, Commissioner Kuk Seunghyun, Ashvin Vibhakar, and Tom Clifton, dean of the College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences.

With a goal of using the youth exchange program as a symbol for the bond between the communities, Warrick’s sculpture is titled “Youth” and is inspired by pieces he created for his own children, Annika and Phillip, when they turned 13 and transitioned into young adulthood. “Youth” is a 7-foot figurative female sculpture cast in bronze and composed of vines, leaves, and a small bird, Warrick said. The figure has a traditional green finish, while the small bird is coated with 23.75 karat gold leaf. “The use of the vines and the bird represent the Natural State and also represent the idea of growth, and that is what we are investing in as teachers, administrators, and staff. We are investing in the youth to have a better future,” Warrick said.

Members of a South Korean Sister Cities delegation watch as Professor Michael Warrick pours bronze for a sculpture that will be given to Hanam City as part of a sculpture exchange between Hanam City and Little Rock.

During an annual visit to Little Rock on Feb. 8, an eight-person delegation from South Korea recently got firsthand experience with Warrick’s creative process. Using the university’s foundry, Warrick poured bronze that will be used in the sculpture — to the delight of the visiting delegates, who captured the event with their cameras. “It was pretty amazing to see the sculpture being cast in bronze,” Coon said. “The delegates were very impressed. The experience makes the sculpture exchange that much more special when you see the artist going through the artistic process yourself.” The South Korean delegation presented Warrick with a beautiful box in the shape of a house containing a variety of teas. In turn, Warrick gave each delegation member a small sculpture of a house made in purpleheart wood with a gold leaf at the top. “It’s called a spirit house,” Warrick said. “I told the vice mayor of Hanam City that I started making these spirit houses about 19 years ago when my wife almost died giving birth to our son. Family and friends came out often to help us during the first six months of my son’s life. I wanted to give them something special as a way to say thank you.” Now, whenever Warrick wants to thank or honor someone, he often creates a spirit house. Once Warrick’s sculpture is completed, it will be delivered to South Korea sometime this summer and will stand in Hanam City’s new Sister City Park. Though a final destination for the sculpture that Hanam City will give to Little Rock has not yet been determined, the delegates toured several sites that might house the sister city sculpture, including Main Street, the River Market, or MacArthur Park. In the upper right photo, Patrick Fleming (left), Marianne Hedinger (center), and Michael Warrick (right) pour bronze for the sculpture, “Youth,” which will be given to Hanam City as part of a sculpture exchange between Hanam City and Little Rock. Photos by Lonnie Timmons III/��Vlog��ý Little Rock Communications.

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

Wiebelhaus-Brahm to teach at international summer program in South Korea

Sister Cities Sculpture finds permanent home in South Korea

����Vlog��ý Little Rock to host exhibit on Michael Warrick’s Sister City sculpture

Warrick creates sculpture to be given to Little Rock’s sister city in South Korea

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

��Vlog��ý Little Rock to host exhibit on Michael Warrick’s Sister City sculpture