The exhibit explores how ordinary Arkansans lived with and through music during the 19th and 20th centuries, featuring a collection of stories, photographs, and artifacts from university collections and state archives.

鈥淭his exhibit is a celebration of our community,鈥� said Dr. Marta Cieslak, director of 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Downtown. 鈥淲hen we think about the history of music, we often focus on famous musicians, but all famous artists were once unknown. We want to tell the stories of everyday Arkansans who found meaning in music, whether they became stars or not.鈥�

The exhibit includes rare photographs from the Center for Arkansas History and Culture, two Choctaw-language Christian hymn books from the Sequoyah National Research Center, a panel on Arkansas鈥檚 four official state songs, and 3D artifacts such as the boots of Arkansas-born country music star Patsy Montana, on loan from the Old State House Museum. The exhibit also contains items from the Arkansas State Archives and the CALS Butler Center for Arkansas Studies.

The exhibit was inspired, in part, by conversations with Stephen Koch, author and host of 鈥�,鈥� who has written about women鈥檚 contributions to Arkansas music history. Koch will be the featured speaker during a special event at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Downtown at 5:30 p.m. on April 9, where he will discuss his research and the state鈥檚 musical legacy.

鈥淲e鈥檝e already had visitors connect deeply with these stories,鈥� Cieslak said. 鈥淧eople share memories of band, choir, or teaching music, and it鈥檚 amazing to see how personal the history of music is to so many.鈥�

糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Downtown, located at 333 President Clinton Ave., Little Rock, is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visitors are encouraged to schedule a personalized tour by emailing downtown@ualr.edu. The exhibit is free and welcomes anyone interested in discovering the state鈥檚 musical history.

鈥淲e hope people find their own experiences reflected in this exhibit,鈥� Cieslak said. 鈥淭here are so many stories of Arkansans who self-published their music or wrote songs about the state. We鈥檇 love for visitors to share their own stories with us, too.鈥�

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鈥淚t is such an honor to know that we have received a competitive grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities,鈥� said Dr. Marta Cieslak, director of 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Downtown and principal investigator on the grant. 鈥淭he project centers on the history encapsulated in Jones鈥檚 mural, focusing mostly on Arkansas during the 1920s and 1930s. Too many people in Arkansas don鈥檛 know the mural exists, and we鈥檙e happy to have this opportunity to make the mural more accessible to the public.鈥�

Now housed at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Downtown, Jones created his mural at Commonwealth College in Mena, Arkansas, in 1935. The 44鈥� x 9鈥� mural portrays the plight of ordinary Southerners in the 1930s, including striking miners, sharecropping families, and African Americans facing violence.

糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock received a $79,233 grant for the project, 鈥淐ontextualizing the Struggle in the South: Place-Based Experiential Learning as a Path to Public Humanities.鈥� The project runs until Dec. 31, 2026.

Other investigators involved in the project include Danielle Afsordeh, community outreach archivist at CALS Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, Emily Housdan, programming and administrative assistant at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Downtown, Dr. Jess Porter, director of the Center for Arkansas History and Culture, who also serves as the project co-director, and Dr. James Ross, associate professor of history at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock.

The project will examine and document the history of Arkansas and the South, focusing on the themes and issues captured in the mural. The grant team will collect archival documents and develop two college history courses 鈥� an Arkansas history course taught during the spring 2025 semester and a public history course taught during the fall 2025 semester. Both classes will be open to all students, who will gain hands-on experience by creating materials for the educational website tied to the project.

The project team will create a website that will map the mural-inspired history of Arkansas. The website, which will also feature historical sources, will be available to everyone, including educators, researchers, historians, and members of the public.

鈥淵ou can obtain exciting and unexpected results when you put a motivated group of students before exceptional educators,鈥� Porter said. 鈥淭hey鈥檒l come out knowing much more about the 1930s and the thematic elements of the mural, including racial violence, organized labor, and sharecropping. They may develop a new understanding of a just and equitable world and how they might lead us there.鈥�

鈥淚 feel privileged to be able to be a part of this important project,鈥� Afsordeh said. 鈥溾�楾he Struggle in the South鈥� is such a magnificent mural and such an asset to the university and greater community. Jones’s work centers around social protests of the early 20th century that can be difficult to understand without knowledge of the historical context in which it was created. I look forward to helping contextualize its importance within the greater narrative of Arkansas history.鈥�

糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock purchased the mural in 1984. Conservation work began in 2010 when a portion of the mural was displayed in the 鈥淛oe Jones: Painter of the American Scene鈥� exhibit at the Saint Louis Art Museum. Following renewed interest in Jones鈥檚 work, 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock received three grants to complete restorative work on the mural, including $536,000 from the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council. 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock placed the restored mural on permanent display at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Downtown in 2018, where it鈥檚 available for public viewing and group tours.

鈥淭he mural is so central to 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Downtown’s mission, and we’ve been working towards creating more programming around it,鈥� said Emily Housdan, programming and administrative assistant at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Downtown. 鈥淭he grant will allow us to achieve this in an engaging and interactive way for the community. The mural focuses on social issues of the time, but Jones also wanted to express hope for a better future. We recognize that history always shapes the present and that we cannot build a better future without exploring and understanding the past.鈥�

If you would like to see the mural, email downtown@ualr.edu for details.

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The exhibition, 鈥淪lavery and Freedom: Journeys Across Time and Space,鈥� will open on Friday, May 3, with a reception from 4:30-6 p.m. at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Downtown, 333 President Clinton Ave., Little Rock. Separated by decades and thousands of miles, the exhibition shows how Abby Guy and Furcy Madeleine used the legal system to escape slavery.

The exhibit will be on display at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Downtown through Oct. 31. People may walk in to see the exhibit from 1-4 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Visitors may also email downtown@ualr.edu to schedule an individual or group visit.

The grant鈥檚 recipients are Dr. Marta Cieslak, director of 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Downtown, and Dr. Nathan Marvin, assistant professor of history and humanities scholar on 鈥淪lavery and Freedom.鈥� Emily Housdan, programming and administrative assistant at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, is also on the grant team. Marvin taught a special topics history course during the fall 2023 semester, where 11 students conducted research and developed materials that will be presented as part of the exhibit.

The inspiration for this project is an existing traveling exhibit, 鈥�,鈥� created by the Mus茅e de Vill猫le in R茅union Island, France. The exhibit explores the life of Furcy Madeleine, an enslaved man who in 1817 launched his freedom suit in the French colony of Isle Bourbon (today鈥檚 R茅union Island), a legal case that wasn鈥檛 resolved until 28 years later.

鈥淭he 鈥楽lavery and Freedom鈥� exhibit will build upon Madeleine鈥檚 story,鈥� Cieslak said. 鈥淚t will feature panels from the Furcy Madeleine original exhibit and new panels that will add a comparative context of slavery and freedom in Arkansas and the United States. This is the first time that Furcy Madeleine鈥檚 exhibit will be displayed in the United States. The Arkansas panels in the exhibit will focus on the story of Abby Guy.鈥�

Guy, who by some accounts lived as a free person until a man named William Daniel enslaved her and her children, launched her freedom suit in Arkansas in 1855. Guy v. Daniel reached the Arkansas Supreme Court twice, first in 1857 and then again in 1861.

Students in Marvin鈥檚 class learned what it takes to create a public humanities exhibit. They practiced such skills as transcribing documents, creating maps, a timeline, family trees, and text for the exhibit. They also photographed locations in southeast Arkansas important to Guy鈥檚 story. Their research contributed to the project. The team that researched, designed, and created the exhibit are Cieslak, Marvin, Housdan, and also Dr. Jess Porter, executive director of the Center for Arkansas History and Culture.

鈥淎bby Guy鈥檚 story makes this exhibit exciting from a local perspective,鈥� Marvin said. 鈥淭hey are both very well documented cases, and you really see the legal construction of race and enslavement at work through these court cases. The students loved researching the case and were very engaged in the practice of putting together content for a historical exhibit. The students produced some great work along the way.鈥�

As part of the class, students were able to examine some of the original files from the Guy v. Daniel case. The 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law Library houses some of those files, and Harry Lah, collections management librarian, and Melissa Serfass, professor of law librarianship, helped the students access the documents.

Another student who helped with the exhibition is Skylar Boone, a graphic design student from the School of Art and Design who was selected from multiple applicants to create watercolor paintings for the exhibition.

“Skylar created beautiful watercolors of the six figures central to the Guy v. Daniel case,” Cieslak said. “Her watercolors invite the audience to imagine what those six individuals looked like, and she did a terrific job.”

The exhibit explores the history and legacies of modern slavery from a comparative perspective.

鈥淲e have the story of a man from R茅union Island, and we might think that we have nothing in common with that part of the world,鈥� Cieslak said. 鈥淲hen you bring these two stories together, you see how similar they are. They are very fascinating cases, and we hope to do them justice.鈥�

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Dr. Eric Wiebelhaus-Brahm, political scientist from the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock School of Public Affairs specializing in human rights and conflict-affected societies, and Dr. Marta Cieslak, director of 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Downtown and historian studying East Central Europe, reflected on how social sciences can help us understand the ongoing conflict.

They were joined on the panel by Dr. Oleksiy Gudz, vascular surgeon and assistant professor at the Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (糖心Vlog传媒MS), and Dr. Kateryna Pitchford, professor of business at Central Baptist College in Conway, who represented the Arkansas Ukrainian community. Dr. Jess Porter, executive director of 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Center for Arkansas History and Culture, moderated the discussion.

The panelists covered a wide array of topics, from the differences in news coverage of the war between the US and Eastern European media, how the war has affected Ukrainians鈥� understanding of their own national identity, President Vladimir Putin鈥檚 use of history to justify the invasion, and the changing position of the US Congress on the issue of aid for Ukraine.

Gudz and Pitchford shared their personal experiences on how the war has affected their lives and the lives of their fellow Ukrainians. Gudz, who before joining 糖心Vlog传媒MS in 2023 lived and worked in Ivano-Frankivsk in Western Ukraine, recalled being woken up by the Russian missile attack at 5 a.m. on Feb. 24, 2022, the day the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine began.

Pitchford, who comes from Dnipro in Eastern Ukraine, stressed the unprecedented nature of the attack. She noted that few expected a major global power to violate the integrity of national borders in the 21st century, especially in Europe.

In response, Wiebelhaus-Brahm reflected on the limits of international law. He pointed out that the United Nations (UN) is not able to do much because of Russia鈥檚 veto power as a permanent member of the UN Security Council. He also discussed the weaknesses of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which holds individuals accountable rather than nations. While ICC indicted Russia鈥檚 President Putin and some of his collaborators, the organization has limited means to hold the Russian leadership accountable for the country鈥檚 documented violations of international laws. More hopefully, actions to hold Russia accountable, however futile, may create legal precedent that constrains other countries in a future conflict.

Cieslak commented on how Russia uses history to justify the invasion by presenting a version of Eastern European history in which Ukrainians are not a separate nation, but what Putin calls 鈥淟ittle Russians.鈥� Consequently, that version of history undermines Ukraine鈥檚 right to exist as an independent state. Gudz added that Putin often claims Ukraine has been taken over by fascists and thus explains the invasion in terms of Russia鈥檚 supposed attempt to 鈥渄enazify鈥� Ukraine. Wiebelhaus-Brahm concluded that such false narratives 鈥渉elp Russians come to terms with what they are doing.鈥�

The panelists also discussed the changing sentiments towards Ukraine and Ukrainians in the US. Shortly after the invasion, the US Congress welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky; today, the fate of US aid for Ukraine is uncertain. Gudz, Pitchford, and Porter specified that a huge part of the US aid for Ukraine stays in the US and boosts the American economy because the funds are direct investments in the defense industry. Camden, Arkansas, has been one of the largest beneficiaries of this trend.

Audience members in the fully packed room asked how they could support Ukraine. The panelists stressed that any help, not only financial, matters, including small individual actions. Wiebelhaus-Brahm pointed out the importance of staying informed by reading a variety of sources to discern between credible news coverage and misinformation surrounding the war.

Cieslak emphasized the significance of education. She noted each audience member could help their communities understand how the war affects us all now and how it may affect us in the future. She pointed out that the international community should be paying close attention to the war. Cieslak mentioned that Article 5 of the NATO Treaty, which states an armed attack against one NATO member is considered an attack against all members, has never been tested, and it remains uncertain if and how the war may escalate beyond Ukraine鈥檚 border.

Pitchford encouraged the audience to call their representatives in Congress and express their support for Ukraine. She also stressed the importance of spreading awareness about how Ukrainian people feel and what they experience on a daily basis, both in Ukraine and in the US where Ukrainian refugees are trying to establish new lives. She noted that some of the people in the audience were recent refugees who could use help with simple things, such as learning English language skills or finding a job.

Gudz stressed the importance of international solidarity and thanked the audience for attending the panel and supporting Ukrainians.

鈥淔or the Ukrainian people, it is the most important thing to know that we are not alone,鈥� Gudz said.

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Medici and Bruno met with several groups of students at the Bailey Alumni and Friends Center on March 11, including art, history, and business majors as well as members of the Donaghey Scholars Honors Program and the Chancellor鈥檚 Leadership Corps.

Medici discussed his love of art, philanthropy, Medici family history and its relevance in today鈥檚 economy, while Bruno shared his insights as a successful real estate developer.

Dr. Nate Marvin, an assistant professor of history who moderated one of the student meetings with Medici and Bruno, discussed how his students examined early Medici portraits and asked if Medici thought there were similarities between the use of portraits by his family and social media influencing today. Medici commented that the use of portraits was an early marketing and communications tool embraced by his family.

鈥淭he Medici family was the first to use media as an instrument to talk,鈥� Medici said. 鈥淎 painting is a medium in the old times. All the paintings were labeled with my family crest so people would know that this information is provided by the Medici family. They communicated through the first time in history through advertising. They used themselves as the face of the influencer through each sector. It鈥檚 very similar to things today.鈥�

Dr. Marta Cieslak, director of 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Downtown and a native of Poland, asked Medici about his Polish history with the understanding that his mother is a member of a Polish aristocratic family.

鈥淵ou were the first person to talk to me in Polish in my adult life,鈥� Medici remarked. 鈥淢ost people think I don鈥檛 know Polish. Poland is a great part of my life. My mother gave me respect of art, respect of nature, and respect for people from different cultures.鈥�

One student, who noted Medici鈥檚 love of cooking, asked if he critiqued Italian food while he is traveling.

鈥淣inety percent of people bring me to their favorite Italian restaurant, which is the worst thing they can do,鈥� Medici laughed. 鈥淚t is very difficult for me to find the right food. The only two places in the United States where you can get good Italian food are Florida and New York. Florida is the closest place to Italy in the United States, and there is a big Italian community.鈥�

Another student asked Medici how he keeps his 8-year-old daughter informed about Medici family history.

鈥淚 have a daughter that I love so much,鈥� Medici said. 鈥淚 am telling the same stories to her, and she is listening maybe 80 percent of the time. I think she likes stories, not history. I am trying my best and thinking about how to tell her our history. It鈥檚 probably my biggest mission in life. She lives in America, and she may be a future politician. She may be the first woman president. I want her to know how important freedom is.鈥�

Anna Hursey, a sophomore double majoring in English and art history from Pineville, Louisiana, found the visit to be fascinating and enlightening.

鈥淧rince Lorenzo is an excellent storyteller and held a captivating conversation,鈥� Hursey said. 鈥淚 found Prince Lorenzo de’ Medici’s comments on the importance of getting the next generation interested in art and its history incredibly compelling. As an art history student, I care deeply about this concept and appreciate Prince Lorenzo’s words and perspective.鈥�

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The next Woman to Watch at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock of 2024 is Dr. Marta Cieslak, director of 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Downtown!

Tell us about yourself and your background.

I grew up in 艁臋czyca, a small town in Central Poland. After high school, I moved to Warsaw, Poland鈥檚 capital city, to attend the University of Warsaw, where I got my bachelor鈥檚 and two master鈥檚 degrees, one in Polish Studies and one in American Studies. After graduation, one of my MA advisors encouraged me to apply to a Ph.D. program in the United States. I didn鈥檛 even know where to start but my professor was very supportive. That鈥檚 how I ended up at the University at Buffalo (UB), where I got my Ph.D.

At UB, I studied both American and Polish history. While working on my doctorate in American Studies, I was a graduate assistant in the Polish Studies Program for three years. Being able and encouraged to study both helped me develop a transnational perspective on the history of both regions. I wrote my dissertation on the migration of Polish peasants to the US after the abolition of slavery in the US. I specialize in transatlantic history, which means different things for different scholars, but in my case, it鈥檚 studying connections between the US and Poland, and more generally, East Central Europe.

What is your current position and professional duties at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock?

I serve as director of 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Downtown. 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Downtown is a community engagement unit of our university, and I鈥檓 responsible for all aspects of our operations. I organize and coordinate events and programs that aim to connect the University with the community, our state, and beyond. 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Downtown is also home to a mural that Joe Jones, a St. Louis artist, painted at Commonwealth College in 1935. The college was an experimental educational institution that trained labor leaders. One of the most interesting aspects of my job is to co-serve as a steward of the mural by researching its history, developing programming around it, and making it accessible to the public.

I wouldn鈥檛 be able to do what I do every day without another 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock woman, Emily Housdan, our programming and administrative assistant, who is a graduate of the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Public History program.

What brought you to 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock?

I moved to Little Rock in late 2016, when my partner took a position at 糖心Vlog传媒MS. I was in a new city, where I didn鈥檛 know anyone, with no job. I started applying for open positions but also contacting various institutions that I thought might use people with my credentials. One of them was the Department of History at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock. Dr. Jess Porter, who was at the time chair of the history department, responded politely that they didn鈥檛 need anyone. Sometime after that, he called me to ask if I would be interested in teaching as an adjunct professor. I wasn鈥檛, because I was already doing contract-based jobs and needed something more stable, but Jess convinced me to meet with him. When I walked into his office, he said their Eastern European history professor had just resigned to take a different job. That meant the department was now looking for a full-time visiting assistant professor. He encouraged me to apply and I got the job. One year turned into a recurrent position and in January last year, I transitioned to my current job. I still occasionally teach at the History Department and feel lucky I can remain connected to teaching and our students.

What are some of the exciting projects that you are working on at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock?

Our biggest project at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Downtown right now is an exhibit titled 鈥淪lavery and Freedom: Journeys Across Time and Space.鈥� It examines the history of modern slavery from a comparative perspective. The inspiration for it is a traveling exhibit, 鈥淭he Surprising Story of Furcy Madeleine,鈥� created by the Mus茅e Vill猫le, R茅union Island, France. The exhibit explores the life of Furcy Madeleine, an enslaved man who in 1817 launched his freedom suit in the French colony of Isle Bourbon (today鈥檚 R茅union). 鈥淪lavery and Freedom鈥� will build upon Madeleine鈥檚 story. It will feature panels from the R茅union exhibit and original panels that will add a comparative context of slavery and freedom in Arkansas. The original panels will focus on the story of Abby Guy. Guy, who lived as a free person until a man named William Daniel enslaved her, launched her freedom suit in Arkansas in 1855. We received a grant from the Arkansas Humanities Council to fund this project and the exhibit should open to the public starting on May 3.

On March 12, we will host a panel on the current state of affairs in Ukraine, in light of the second anniversary of the Russian invasion. Another event we鈥檙e planning is a storytelling workshop that will take place on April 27. This event, which we鈥檙e working on in partnership with the Central Arkansas Library System (CALS), is part of a Big Read series inspired by Tommy Orange鈥檚 book “There There” that CALS is coordinating. We鈥檙e also working with social studies and art educators to develop lesson plans around the Joe Jones mural that we will make available to teachers.

In the fall semester, I鈥檓 scheduled to teach a course on the Holocaust at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Downtown. As all classes taught in our space, it will include a community engagement component. Dr. Barclay Key, History鈥檚 chair, and I agreed it鈥檚 important we offer this course right now, when once again we鈥檙e seeing surveys suggesting shockingly limited knowledge of Holocaust history among American students.

What woman has inspired you the most and why?

My maternal grandmother, Zosia. She finished five grades of elementary school and spent most of her life working as a small-scale farmer. She gave birth to seven children, two of whom died at a young age. Her experience was quite typical for an Eastern European peasant woman whose life spanned through most of the 20th century. She was also an avid reader. She especially enjoyed historical novels. She loved reciting poems in public and she knew many by heart. She also loved nature.

When she was older and losing stamina, she once went for a walk to the woods that was around a mile away from her house. She decided she was too tired to walk back home so she slept in the woods and walked back in the morning. My grandma lived through two world wars and many personal struggles and labored very hard. And she always appreciated whatever she could in life. I aspire to develop that kind of gratitude. And to have the courage to break into poetry in public without worrying what others will think, or to sleep in the woods overnight alone.

What advice would you give to the next generation of female leaders?

Surround yourself with people from whom you can learn. Smart, compassionate, and empathetic individuals will be your greatest network, whether in your professional or personal life. A good mentor can change your life, and you would be surprised how many people would be willing to support you. Don鈥檛 ever be afraid to ask for help or advice.

One of the greatest things about 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock is the program for students over 60 years of age. These students are typically retired professionals. They don鈥檛 have to be in college and, yet, they choose to come to our classrooms. And they bring the wealth of knowledge and experience. This is to say that your mentor may be sitting next to you in your class right now if you are a 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock student. These life-long learners are retired nurses, doctors, lawyers, teachers, editors, etc. Some are women who had successful careers in male-dominated fields. Just pay attention.

Name something about yourself that most people would be surprised to learn.

I really didn鈥檛 want to be a teacher. It鈥檚 a long story but when I was young and making decisions about my future, teaching repeatedly presented itself as a career path, and I always tried to run away from it. I took my first teaching job because I needed to pay my bills. I had no license or experience but the shortage of teachers was so acute, it didn鈥檛 matter. Once I started teaching, I immediately fell in love with it. I鈥檝e done many things as an academic, and I鈥檓 grateful for all the growth opportunities but I will always consider myself a teacher first.

What is your favorite quote and why?

I don鈥檛 have a favorite quote, but one quote from my favorite historical figure, Rosa Luxemburg, resonates with me: 鈥淲e will be victorious if we have not forgotten how to learn.鈥� But the truth is I don鈥檛 walk around quoting great East Central European thinkers and revolutionaries. Much more often I quote Arrested Development, because, you know, 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 allow you to have bees in here.鈥�

Is there anything else you鈥檇 like to add?

If you can, get a dog. Dogs make life infinitely better.

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The panel discussion, 鈥淭wo Years Later: Past, Present, and Future of Ukraine,鈥� is being held in light of the second anniversary of Russia鈥檚 invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. The event is scheduled from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 12, at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Downtown (333 President Clinton Ave., Little Rock).

Experts Dr. Eric Wiebelhaus-Brahm, professor of public affairs, and Dr. Marta Cieslak, director of 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Downtown, will offer their perspective and insights on the current situation in Ukraine as well as their experiences teaching topics related to the ongoing events.

Two special guests from the local Ukrainian community, Dr. Oleksiy Gudz (University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences) and Dr. Kateryna Pitchford (Central Baptist College), will share their first hand experiences with the war, including how it has impacted their lives and the lives of their loved ones. Dr. Jess Porter, executive director of the Center for Arkansas History and Culture, will moderate the panel.

The event is free and open to the community. Parking will be available in the Central Arkansas Library System 鈥淟ibrary Square鈥� parking garage, situated behind 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Downtown. Attendees are asked to bring their parking tickets for validation.

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Dr. Marta Cieslak, director of 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Downtown, took a unique approach to helping her students bridge the continental divide. As a scholar of both East-Central European and U.S. history, she wanted to create a course that would shed light on Eastern Europe, a region that most American students are less familiar with than they are with Western Europe.

鈥淚 thought that the war in Ukraine is an important opportunity to bring this region closer to our students,鈥� Cieslak said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a moment when more of our students would be interested because of what鈥檚 going on in Eastern Europe. I also hoped the topic would attract the students who are interested in current events.鈥�

Cieslak created a special topics course in the Department of History, 鈥淩ussian War in Ukraine.鈥� The goals of the class were twofold. The students studied and examined the historical roots of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, focusing on the relationship of what is today Ukraine and Russia going all the way back to the 10th century.

The second goal was community engagement. Cieslak connected with Dr. Pavlo Kudish and Dr. Vitaliy Andreyko from the in Ukraine, who recruited undergraduate and graduate students who would meet virtually with 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock students approximately once a week throughout the semester.

鈥淚 wanted our students to connect with individuals in the midst of that experience and to hear from their peers what it means to live in a country that is at war,鈥� Cieslak said. 鈥淭he war is concentrated in Eastern and Southern Ukraine, and these students are near the western border with Slovakia. Ukrainian students have been saying that it鈥檚 almost strange to live there because everything is almost normal. At the same time, they have public funerals for the fallen soldiers from their town who went to the front line. This is a really difficult experience to talk about.鈥�

Cole Hadden, a history major, said he bonded with his Ukrainian peer over a love of J. R. R. Tolkien books, but that it took a while for his peer to open up about the difficult topics.

鈥淭o speak with people from a country that is sadly involved in this massive world-changing event is incredibly fascinating,鈥� Hadden said. 鈥淚鈥檝e had several meetings where my partner had to take a moment to cry. Their home is getting attacked and bombed. It doesn鈥檛 feel like they get to talk about this with their peers in Ukraine.鈥�

Many of the students said that their Ukrainian peers loved talking with their American counterparts as a way to feel normal again and would avoid talking about the war.

鈥淚 went to a wedding, and I asked my Ukrainian peers what a wedding is like there,鈥� said Scott Bradshaw, who is earning a master鈥檚 degree in public history. 鈥淚t starts at midday, and they party all through the night until the next day. I think it鈥檚 just cool that we get to talk to these people. Meeting with our peers gives a human face and voice to what just used to be a news story on a TV or a computer.鈥�

Breaking traditional boundaries of classroom learning, this innovative initiative transcends borders, fostering a cultural exchange that goes beyond textbooks and timelines.

Trevor Standridge, a political science major, had a unique experience being assigned a Ukrainian student who was born in Russia and whose family has been especially divided by the conflict.

鈥淢y Ukrainian peer was born in the Russian city of Novosibirsk and moved to Ukraine at 7 or 8,鈥� Standridge said. 鈥淪he is involved in international law and relations and works for a humanitarian organization and travels a lot. Her sentiment is sort of a negative one. She is disenfranchised being a Russian living in Ukraine. She said she can鈥檛 talk to her family who live in Russia because the government monitors her communication. It鈥檚 interesting to hear her perspective being a former Russian national, not being able to travel to Russia.鈥�

Shattering the confines of a conventional classroom, these students have embarked on a remarkable journey of understanding, forging connections that extend far beyond the pages of a history textbook. Cieslak said she enjoyed reading the students weekly reports and seeing how they had developed deeply personal connections with the Ukrainian students.

鈥淲e were all surprised by how much our students had in common with their Ukrainian peers,鈥� Cieslak said. 鈥淥ne student really likes Harry Potter and Star Wars and so did their Ukrainian peers. We had a student who was a dad, and his peer was a dad as well. It was interesting to see what they had in common and how everyone connected on a human level. Some of my students told me they are still keeping in touch with their peers. It鈥檚 really wonderful to see how many of them have established a true connection and even friendships. One student even started learning how to speak Ukrainian.鈥�

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The panel, 鈥淐ultivating Civic Engagement Through Art: How Art Can Help Us Reflect on the Past and Engage in the Present,鈥� brought together artists, educators, and historians.

The panelists included Rex DeLoney, artist and educator at Little Rock Central High School; Jose Hernandez, artist with the X3Mex art collective and the Dedicated Visual Art Studio & Gallery in North Little Rock; Dr. James Ross, historian and professor at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock; and Jessica Taverna, art educator at Little Rock Central High School. Dr. Marta Cieslak, director of 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Downtown and historian, moderated the discussion.

The leading theme of the panel was representation and inclusion. The panelists agreed that fostering civic engagement through art and history starts with young people seeing themselves in social studies and art classrooms and textbooks. They also noted the critical role of educators in creating spaces, where all students feel respected and heard.

鈥淐reating cultural awareness in the classroom is the most important thing we can do,鈥� Taverna said.

During the 2021-22 school year, Taverna and her students in the Drawing 1 class explored the 1919 Elaine Massacre through historical documents. The students reflected on that experience by creating art. The exhibit, 鈥淭heir Voices,鈥� in which the young artists examine how art can help tell the story of the difficult past, is an outcome of that project.

Young artists featured in 鈥淭heir Voices鈥� include Blakely Campbell, Elena Coleman, Lindsay Collins, Brieanna Conley-Smith, Steven Davis, Emma Ebenezer, Gracie Foster, Ahona Ghosh, Hayden Glover, Hallie Johnson, Rachel Laster, Ashley Lopez, Daijon McDaniel, William Onyango, Zachary Onyango, Bhavi Patel, Janae Porter, Asher Simmons, Jack Tackett, Johanna Weinheimer, and Noah Whitlow.

When asked why they have chosen to create art that explores history and engage with communities, DeLoney said, 鈥淵ou want your art to spark a change.鈥�

He noted that as a child he never saw artists or art that represented people like him and the people around him. Today, as a Black artist whose art has been displayed in private and public art collections across the US and as an educator, he wants to give his students the courage to understand what matters to them and to express themselves through art.

鈥淭here is a responsibility and accountability with art,鈥� Hernandez agreed. 鈥淐reate something that matters and gives back to the community.鈥�

Hernandez, who moved from Mexico to Arkansas as a young child in the 1990s, remembered that he never heard of Mexican artists at school. He had to go back to his grandmother鈥檚 house in Mexico to see books with the art of great Mexican muralists, like Diego Rivera and Jos茅 Clemente Orozco. That inspired him to become a muralist too. Hernandez spearheaded the 7th Street Mural Project in Little Rock. Various artists, some of whom attended the panel, have created a series of murals along 7th Street. The murals display scenes relevant to the past and present of Little Rock communities.

Ross stressed the importance of connections between history and art. He noted that both history and art have the same ability to create space, where we can explore our own experiences and learn about the experiences of those who are different from us. He observed that not only in the classroom but throughout our lives history and art teach us about 鈥渂eing human鈥� and how to 鈥渆ngage truth.鈥�

The message resonated with the audience. One audience member shared that art fostered their interest in history, including the history of Little Rock communities, at a time when they found some history books too challenging to read.

When asked what advice the panelists could give to those who wanted to engage with the communities around them, they agreed that everyone, regardless of their skills, could foster a positive change. The panelists remarked that civic engagement means different causes and actions. They stressed the importance of doing what we can.

鈥淵ou don鈥檛 have to do something radical all the time,鈥� Hernandez said. 鈥淏eing yourself is radical.鈥�

Those interested in seeing the 鈥淭heir Voices鈥� exhibition may email downtown@ualr.edu for viewing hours.

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The panel discussion, 鈥淐ultivating Civic Engagement Through Art: How Art Can Help Us Reflect on the Past and Engage in the Present,鈥� will be held from 5:30-7 p.m. at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Downtown, 333 President Clinton Ave., Little Rock.

The panelists include Rex DeLoney, artist and educator at Little Rock Central High School; Jose Hernandez, artist with the 7th Street Mural Project and X3Mex; Dr. James Ross, historian and professor at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock; and Jessica Taverna, art educator at Little Rock Central High School. Dr. Marta Cieslak, director of 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Downtown will moderate the discussion on art, history, and civic engagement.

This panel discussion will accompany the opening of the exhibit, “Their Voices,” which will be on display through Dec. 7 at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Downtown. The exhibit features the artworks of young artists, who under the guidance of art teacher Jessica Taverna, reflected on the history of the Elaine Massacre. The question of how people can examine the past and engage in the present through art is in the center of this interdisciplinary project.

The “Their Voices” project was originally supported in part by a We The People grant from the Arkansas Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities as well as Thea Foundation.

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