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

Windgate Center subject of Architecture and Design Network lecture

Ajani Oyindamola — Thu, 05 Apr 2018 20:45:18 +0000

The design of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s new Windgate Center of Art and Design will be the subject of an April 10 lecture by the Architecture and Design Network. The Windgate Center of Art and Design, which opened in January 2018, is the result of a $20.3 million gift from the Windgate Charitable Foundation. The lecture, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 6 p.m. in the Windgate Center with a reception at 5:30 p.m. The panelists feature members of the Windgate Center’s building committee, including Tom Clifton, dean of the College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences; Mia Hall, director of Penland School of Crafts and former chair of the Department of Art and Design; Floyd Martin, professor of art history; Carey Roberson, chair of the Department of Art and Design; and John Greer, principal architect for WER Architects. The Windgate Center is physically divided into two distinct architectural forms based on the unique use of the spaces. Both forms are connected and share common utilities and circulation patterns. The studio arts portion of the building is a three-story, structural steel-framed building that houses classrooms, galleries, a lecture hall, departmental administration suite, and permanent collection storage that make up the visual arts program. The applied design area of the building is a single-story, high-bay industrial-style space that lends itself to three-dimensional forms of art. The building is designed to have a strong community presence to help strengthen the various community partnerships that have been forged over the years. Access for gallery shows, art festivals, and other events is an important component in the building design. Sustainable measures are fully integrated into the building orientation, exterior envelope, and support systems to support energy and long-term maintenance efficiencies. The building will pursue LEED Gold and is currently being registered in the LEED Certification program. The talk is a part of the Architecture and Design Network’s. For additional information, contact ArchDesignNetwork@gmail.com.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock to host exhibit, lectures, and weekend workshop on 19th-century photographic printing process

Ajani Oyindamola — Thu, 29 Mar 2018 17:23:14 +0000

A husband and wife photography team are bringing the 19th-century photographic printing process of Kallitype back to life at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock will host an exhibit with works featuring how photographers Kaden Kratzer and Nadezda Nikolova-Kratzer employ 19th-century photographic techniques in their contemporary photographic practice. The exhibit, “Alae,” will be on display from April 1-30 in the Focus Gallery in the Windgate Center of Art + Design. Patented in 1889, Kallitype is an iron-silver contact print process with a rich tonal range, extended shadow definition, and contrast control. A growing number of photographers are incorporating 19th century processes in their practice as a reaction to the ubiquity, efficiency, and transience of digital imaging. These artists are drawn to the slow and messy aspects of darkroom photography and the materiality of the image-object. The Kratzers will host an artist talk at 6 p.m. Friday, April 6, in the Windgate Center of Art + Design Room 101. The lecture, “Photographic Art and Antiquarian Processes,” will discuss the range of possibilities offered by historic processes; mixing processes and incorporating technology; and the importance of building an enduring community in light of the growing interest in obscure processes. The artists will also discuss their individual and collaborative work, including their process and inspiration. The artists will also teach an Artworks workshop on Kallitype on April 7-8. Participants will learn about the chemistry required for coating and processing the image, brush technique for coating the paper, exposing and developing the prints, and toning for different hue effects. Participants will bring their own 5×7 inch negatives and produce up to four toned Kallitype prints. The ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Art Gallery 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. Admission is free. The artist talk and weekend workshop are free and open to the public. Advanced registration is required. To register for the events and for more information, contact Joli Livaudais, assistant professor of photography, at jklivaudais@ualr.edu. More information about Kaden Kratzer and Nadezda Nikolova-Kratzer Husband and wife team Kaden Kratzer and Nadezda Nikolova-Kratzer are artists experimenting with historic photographic processes who live in the Bay Area, California. Kaden Kratzer took up photography after advance studies in film production. He is interested in antiquarian and obscure photographic processes of the 19th century. He studied photography in a variety of venues, including Stanford University, KALA Berkeley Art Institute, Rayko Photo Center, F295, and George Eastman Museum. Kaden has exhibited nationally and internationally, and his work has been featured in a variety of publications, including “Guide to Photographic Alternative Processes: Popular Historic and Contemporary Techniques” by Jill Enfield. Kaden is passionate about building a community around contemporary avant-garde use of antiquarian processes. He holds a master’s degree in political science from San Jose State University and a bachelor’s degree in international relations from the Institute of Social and Political Science in Lisbon. Nadezda Nikolova-Kratzer’s practice is informed by an experimental approach to early photography and her interest in the image as object. Spellbound by the fluidity of wet plate collodion, a 19th-century photographic process, she explores new directions in cameraless photography by manipulating the medium while simultaneously relying on chance. She studied photography at University of Kentucky and George Eastman Museum. She is the 2018 finalist for LensCulture Exposure Awards. Her work has been shown nationally and internationally and featured in LensCulture, Oxford American, Plates-to-Pixels, The Hand Magazine, and MonoVisions. Nadezda holds a master’s degree in public administration and a bachelor’s degree in natural resources and environmental sciences from the University of Kentucky.

��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 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.

Windgate Center to debut new gallery spaces

Janea Snyder — Mon, 08 Jan 2018 22:40:22 +0000

The Windgate Center of Art and Design opens this month, and with it come two new gallery spaces that will feature works from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s Permanent Collection as well as temporary exhibits. The Main Gallery on the second floor will house “Building A Collection: Recent Acquisitions made possible by the Windgate Charitable Foundation,” featuring art purchased for the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Permanent Collection. Gallery Director and Curator Brad Cushman has selected about 30 of the university’s more recently acquisitions for the exhibit, running Jan. 16 through March 11. The ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Permanent Collection, started in 1972, now includes more than 1,600 drawings, paintings, fine art prints, photographs, graphic illustrations, political cartoons, sculptural objects, ceramics, and contemporary crafts. “It is very important as a teaching tool and continues to grow because of the generous support of donors such as the Windgate Charitable Foundation,” Cushman said. “Most of the works featured in the inaugural exhibit have been acquired since 2011, but we are also featuring work done by the artists in residence in painting and metals.”

Beacon by Sylvia Rosenthal

The painting residency began in 2003, and the metal residency began in 2010. The Windgate Foundation has funded both residencies. “The foundation’s support of the department’s Applied Design program is reflected in several works from the Contemporary Craft Movement, in which artists interpret and question traditional approaches about design, materials and function,” Cushman added. The Windgate Charitable Foundation awarded a grant to the Gallery Program at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in 2011. The funding has supported exhibitions, the conservation of two public sculptures on campus, the development and publication of a catalog featuring highlights of the permanent collection, and the purchase of artworks for the permanent collection. The Lower Level Gallery will exhibit “Discovering Kate Freeman Clark,” introducing the work of an American Impressionist from Holly Springs, Mississippi. The exhibit runs Jan. 16 – March 11. Kate Freeman Clark, who spent much of her childhood in Holly Springs, Mississippi, enrolled in an oil painting class taught by Impressionist William Merritt Chase on Long Island, New York, in the summer of 1896. She became one of Chase’s most successful students, and between 1896 and 1923 she produced more than one thousand works of art, including still lifes, landscapes, portrait drawings and paintings. More than 40 of these works will be on display in Windgate. Clark worked at a time when female artists often used a gender-ambiguous pseudonym to receive serious professional attention. She often signed her work “Freeman Clark” so her skill would not be judged based on gender. She gave up her painting career after the death of her teacher, grandmother and mother and returned to Holly Springs. There has been a renewed interest in Clark’s work and career. A new book entitled “The Artist’s Sketch: A Biography of Painter Kate Freeman Clark” by Carolyn J. Brown and a recent exhibition at The University of Mississippi Museum entitled “Lasting Impressions: Restoring Kate Freeman Clark” has introduced her work to a new generation of art patrons. Works for this exhibition are on loan from Kate Freeman Clark Art Gallery in Holly Springs, Mississippi. Two lectures are planned around the gallery exhibits. On Jan. 21, Annette Trefzer, associate professor in the Department of English at the University of Mississippi, will speak on “Discovering Kate Freeman Clark,” beginning at 2 p.m. in Lecture Hall Room 101 in the lower level of the Windate Center. On Feb. 25, Cushman will discuss “Building A Collection: Recent Acquisitions” at 2 p.m. in the Main Gallery. Both lectures are free and open to the public. In the photo (upper right) is Through the Trees, an oil on canvas by Kate Freeman Clark.

Donors pledge nearly $500k for art and design scholarships

Ajani Oyindamola — Thu, 23 Feb 2017 19:41:14 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has raised nearly $500,000 for endowed scholarship funds for art and design students. Tom Clifton, dean of the College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences, announced the scholarship campaign progress during a Feb. 23 topping out ceremony at the site of the future Windgate Center of Art + Design, located on the northeast corner of campus off 28th Street near Fair Park and Boulevard. “The Windgate Center is the culmination of a 22-year relationship with the Windgate Foundation,” Clifton said. “As our commitment, the university has promised to raise $3 million in scholarships for students attending this art school.” Construction is 25 percent complete on the new state-of-the-art educational facility scheduled to be completed in November and 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. During the ceremony, Nabholz construction officials raised a 400-pound beam — signed by Robyn Horn of the Windgate Charitable Foundation, Chancellor Andrew Rogerson and his wife, Janessa, as well as donors and art faculty — to the top floor of the Windgate Center. The American and Arkansas flags as well as a ceremonial tree lie on top of the beam.

Nabholz construction officials raise a 400-pound beam to the top floor of the Windgate Center on Feb. 23. Photo by Lonnie Timmons III/��Vlog��ý Little Rock Communications.

The Windgate Center shows the university’s commitment to providing a high-quality and affordable educational experience for art and design students in central Arkansas. “Current studies are showing that creative industries account for about one in six jobs,” Rogerson said. “It’s imperative that we include liberal arts as an equally valuable education component. Today, employers are seeking students with an arts and design background. They have the skills for a creative workforce, and employers value abilities in communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and problem solving.” In addition to educational programs in art and design, the Windgate Center will provide non-credit classes open to the community as well as art exhibitions, workshops, and lectures. The Windgate Center will become a premier gathering place for the arts in Little Rock. The ceremony was broadcast live on Facebook and a replay can be viewed at . Contact the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Office of Alumni and Development at 501-569-8326 or visit to support art and design scholarship at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. In the upper right photo, donors, art faculty, and administrators sign the beam that marks the highest point of the Windgate Center of Art + Design at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Pictured, from left to right, are Win Bruhl, Deborah Baldwin, Belinda Schultz, Janessa Rogerson, and Anne Mourning. Photo by Lonnie Timmons III/��Vlog��ý Little Rock Communications.

��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

��Vlog��ýLR to break ground on new visual arts building

Ajani Oyindamola — Fri, 07 Oct 2016 17:41:51 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will break ground on a new visual arts building funded by a $20.3 million grant from the Windgate Charitable Foundation on Tuesday, Oct. 11. ��Vlog��ýLR students, employees, alumni, friends and members of the community are invited to attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Windgate Center of Art + Design. The ceremony will take place at 10:45 a.m. in parking lot 15 near the intersection of 28th Street and East Campus Drive. In the event of rain, the celebration will be held in the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall in the ��Vlog��ýLR Fine Arts Building. The building will integrate ��Vlog��ýLR’s applied design, art history, and studio arts classes into a facility that promotes collaboration and creativity between students, faculty, and guests. Speakers include Tom Clifton, interim dean of the College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences, Chancellor Andrew Rogerson, Laura Raborn, a ��Vlog��ýLR graduate and Little Rock artist, and Christian O’Neal, vice chancellor of advancement.

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

Windgate Center subject of Architecture and Design Network lecture

����Vlog��ý Little Rock to host exhibit, lectures, and weekend workshop on 19th-century photographic printing process

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

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