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

New exhibit pairs collections of Arkansas artists

Janea Snyder — Tue, 13 Aug 2019 18:36:02 +0000

A new exhibit opening Aug. 16 at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock showcases more than 30 works that offer a snapshot of the 1980s and reflect on an active and expanding art community in Arkansas. “Pairing Collections: Contemporary Art in 1980s Arkansas” will be on display through Sept. 29 in ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s Brad Cushman Gallery, located on the second level of the Windgate Center of Art + Design, 2801 S. University Ave. The exhibit includes 22 works from the corporate art collection at , P.L.L.C. and 11 works from the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Permanent Collection. Many Arkansas artists are represented in both collections, and their works are placed side by side in the exhibition – thus the title “Pairing Collections.” Artists represented include former ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Art professors Al Allen, , and ; ��Vlog��ý Little Rock art students , , Kitty Mashburn, Gertrude Tara-Casciano, and Anne Fordyce; Evan Lindquist, former Arkansas State University art professor and Arkansas’s first artist laureate; Tarrance Corbin, former University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff art professor; and artists David Bailin, Patrick McFarlin, , Sally Williams, Cheryl Wall, Lou Boswell, Reita Miller, Margaret Speer, and Warren Sims. “As we celebrate our firm’s 65th anniversary, we are delighted to collaborate with ��Vlog��ý Little Rock to showcase the work of the vibrant Arkansas artists in both collections,” said Mitchell Williams Managing Partner Rick Beard. “We are happy to share our art collection with visitors to the Windgate Center of Art + Design.” The firm’s art collection started in 1967 when the firm’s managing partner, Maurice Mitchell, and attorney Chris Barrier began collecting art by Arkansas artists, including work created by faculty and students at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. The university established an art collection in 1972 that would supplement the teaching mission of the Department of Art. “Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard has been a tremendous community partner of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock for many years and has supported many initiatives that directly benefit our students,” said Brad Cushman, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s gallery curator. “We are thrilled to be able to host this joint exhibition that showcases the incredible talent of so many Arkansas artists.” Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard has been a long-time university community partner, having sponsored ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Trojan athletic events as well as Taste of Little Rock, the university’s signature alumni fundraising event. Maurice Mitchell, one of our firm’s founders and long-time managing partner, served on the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Foundation Fund Board from 1988-1993. Attorney Sherry Bartley currently serves on the board. The law firm also supports the William H. Bowen School of Law, where a courtroom is named in honor of Maurice Mitchell. The firm awards the H. Maurice Mitchell Leaders in Law Scholarship annually to the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law Moot Court board chair and sponsors student association events at the law school. The photos above right depict artwork by Sally A. Williams (1945 – 2010). On the left is “Then the Sun Rise,” a mixed media piece that is part of the Mitchell Williams Corporate Collection. On the right is “Distance and Layering Series: Show Card” a graphite on paper work in the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Permanent Collection. The painting above left is “Blue Rock” by Alice Andrews, oil on canvas, in the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Permanent Collection.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock hires art outreach specialist

Janea Snyder — Wed, 17 Jul 2019 14:23:06 +0000

Andrea M. “AnDi” Tompkins has been hired as the inaugural Windgate Center of Art and Design art outreach specialist.

In her new role, effective July 1, Tompkins will build department community, recruit art students from Arkansas and the contiguous states to attend ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. She will coordinate summer and year-long programming geared toward junior high and high school students and their teachers, and she will manage department scholarships for current and first-time students.

“We’re excited to have AnDi join us,” said Tom Clifton, chair of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s Department of Art and Design. “With AnDi’s experience in the visual arts, I’m sure she’ll have a tremendous positive impact on the department and our students.”

Tompkins is a native Arkansan, having grown up in Hot Springs. She has a B.A. with distinction in art from Hendrix College and a Master of Science in education with a focus on educational leadership from Northwest Missouri State University. She has also completed two years of graduate course work and passed the comprehensive exam at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock toward a Master of Art in art history.

Tompkins has more than 20 years of experience in specialized residential high schools and collegiate programs, including Arkansas Governor’s School; Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts; and the Missouri Academy of Science, Mathematics, and Computing. She has a broad background in Student Services, including staff supervision, office and facilities management, budget management, and extensive experience in developing educational programming for gifted adolescents.

For the past 12 years, Tompkins has served as the manager for the Arkansas Arts Center’s Museum School, where she supervised 50 art instructors, oversaw the daily operation of the community art school for nearly 2,400 students per year, aided in the development of art class curricula, and managed the school’s budget.

Tompkins lives in Bryant with her husband, Joe Harvey, and their daughter, Maryn.

Andrea Tompkins is ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s new art outreach specialist. Photo by Benjamin Krain

��Vlog��ý Little Rock artWORKS lecture series to feature photographer Alec Soth March 27

Ajani Oyindamola — Wed, 21 Mar 2018 13:49:38 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock is proud to present an evening with photographer and artist Alec Soth Tuesday, March 27. The free public lecture, “: The Space Between Us,” will begin at 6 p.m. in Room 101 of the Windgate Center of Art + Design. Soth will discuss the evolution of his artwork with special emphasis paid to the subject of portraiture. Seats for this special event are limited. Please reserve your seat by emailing Joli Livaudais, assistant professor of photography, at jklivaudais@ualr.edu. Soth is a photographer and artist born and based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He has published more than 25 books and had more than 50 solo exhibitions, including survey shows organized by Jeu de Paume in Paris (2008), the Walker Art Center in Minnesota (2010), and Media Space in London (2015). He has received numerous fellowships and awards, including the Guggenheim Fellowship in 2013. In 2008, Soth created Little Brown Mushroom, a multimedia enterprise focused on visual storytelling. Soth is represented by Sean Kelly in New York, Weinstein Gallery in Minneapolis, Fraenkel Gallery in San Francisco, and is a member of Magnum Photos. The event is part of the Department of Art and Design’s artWORKS 2018 lecture series, which provides community events dedicated to creativity and growth through the making and understanding of the visual arts. It is made possible by a grant from the Windgate Foundation.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock Annual Student Competitive on display March 26 to April 15

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 20 Mar 2018 16:08:37 +0000

University of Arkansas at Little Rock art and design students will show off the best of their work during the Annual Student Competitive art show on display in the Brad Cushman Gallery in the Windgate Center of Art + Design from March 26 to April 15. The winners of the competition will be announced during an awards reception at 12:15 p.m. Tuesday, March 27, at the Windgate Center of Art + Design lobby. Joshua Brinlee, assistant professor of art at the University of Mississippi, will serve as the competition’s juror. The exhibition includes drawing, paintings, prints, graphic design, photography, illustrations, textiles, metals, sculptures, ceramics, and furniture. The ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Art Gallery, which is free and open to the public, is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays, and 1-5 p.m. on Sundays. For more information, contact Gallery Director Brad Bushman at becushman@ualr.edu or 501-916-5103. In the upper right photo, Alecia Walls-Barton, a fall 2017 graduate of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, shows off her art pieces on display.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock to celebrate new Windgate Center of Art + Design with scholarship fundraiser

Janea Snyder — Tue, 23 Jan 2018 17:39:33 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will celebrate the opening of the Windgate Center of Art + Design on Friday, Feb. 16, with a signature scholarship fundraiser for art and design students presented by Affirmative Risk Management. The event begins at 7 p.m. and honors the Windgate Charitable Foundation for its generosity in making the new visual arts facility possible and its ongoing support of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s Department of Art and Design. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock students and faculty members will conduct art demonstrations throughout the evening, and libations and hors d’oeuvres, sponsored by Trio’s and ROXOR Artisan Gin, will be located throughout the building to encourage exploration. Tickets are $100 for general admission, $50 for lifetime members of the Alumni Association and ��Vlog��ý Little Rock employees, and may be purchased at ualr.at/cre8. A VIP reception for sponsors will take place from 6-7 p.m. The 65,000-square-foot center brings all programs in ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s Department of Art and Design under one roof. The department currently has the broadest art and design course offerings in Arkansas, including the only programs in furniture design and metalsmithing. All proceeds from sponsorships and ticket sales will go toward the $3 million goal to endow art student scholarships. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock has raised more than $1 million for endowed scholarship funds for art and design students since 2016, said Tom Clifton, interim dean of the College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences. Scholarship funds raised will substantially enhance the 10 existing scholarships dedicated to art and design students. The increased scholarship opportunities are expected to help attract the most talented and promising art students to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. “The Windgate Center for Art + Design scholarship initiative is an incredibly worthy endeavor, and all Little Rock citizens have an opportunity to be part of this legacy by helping students achieve success and by helping the university gain national attention as a great art center,” said Mark L. Pollack, a 1988 graduate of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock and founder of Affirmative Risk Management. “Giving back to those who have helped my wife Patricia and me reach our goals in life is one of the most rewarding things we’ve had the honor of doing,” Pollack continued. “��Vlog��ý Little Rock has provided us the underpinning that enabled us to reach a point in our lives where we are able to give back and help other students reach their goals through higher education.” Other event sponsors include Mark and Patricia Pollack, Thompson Electric, Arvest, BK Moulding & Mainframe Artworks, Glass Erectors, Anne Mourning, LaRand Thomas, Hogan Taylor CPA’s + Advisors, and WER Architects/Planners. For sponsorship information, contact Joseph Lampo, director of development for the arts, at 501-569-8326 or email jwlampo@ualr.edu.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock to announce scholarships for art and design students

Ajani Oyindamola — Thu, 16 Feb 2017 21:35:34 +0000

Feb. 23 topping out ceremony will be broadcast on Facebook Live

Next week, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock will announce a significant total of donations raised for endowed scholarship funds that will make quality art and design education attainable for more ��Vlog��ý Little Rock students. The scholarship campaign update will be announced at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 23, during a topping out ceremony on the construction site of the new Windgate Center of Art + Design, located on the northeast corner of the campus. The brief ceremony will be streamed on Facebook Live as construction crews will raise the center’s highest beam on the 64,000-square-foot building. The beam will bear signatures of scholarship donors, art faculty, and others, and display the American and Arkansas flags and a ceremonial live tree. According to an , the tree celebrates a safe construction site, expresses hope for the completion of the building, and blesses the building and its future occupants. The public is invited to attend the ceremony, view the ceremony live on , or watch the video at a later time. Parking is available in Lot 15, off 28th Street near Fair Park Boulevard. Viewers will hear from Chancellor Andrew Rogerson and Tom Clifton, dean of the College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences, among others, who will describe educational and community opportunities at the center and an update on scholarships.

Construction is 25 percent complete on the new state-of-the-art educational facility scheduled to open Jan. 8, 2018. The new center is funded by a $20.3 million gift from the Windgate Charitable Foundation. After the new building was announced, the university launched a $3 million endowed scholarship campaign to make art and design education more affordable to students.

Drawing of the new Windgate Center of Art + Design

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

New exhibit pairs collections of Arkansas artists

����Vlog��ý Little Rock hires art outreach specialist

����Vlog��ý Little Rock artWORKS lecture series to feature photographer Alec Soth March 27

����Vlog��ý Little Rock Annual Student Competitive on display March 26 to April 15