UALR magazine
Fall/Winter 2007 • Vol. 3 No. 2
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Chancellor’s Message
To prospective UALR students and to businesses owners considering a move here, I am glad to say that Little Rock and North Little Rock together are an arts town. The twin cities notably offer an arts center, a symphony orchestra, and a repertory theatre—all of a quality typical of much larger metropolitan areas. There are numerous galleries, several major chamber music series, a strong tradition of choral music, plus a growing presence of public art downtown and elsewhere. Our metropolitan community also boasts many individuals and small businesses that make their lives and their living in the creative arts.
In Arkansas, UALR students have the advantage of place. Besides on-campus opportunities, they benefit from the rich metropolitan arts environment, an environment in which faculty have established great partnerships with community organizations. These partnerships become a support network when students start their careers.
The University fuels the arts in the metropolitan community and beyond. Graduates of UALR are found throughout the arts scene. They sing, play, act, dance, paint, sculpt, draw, photograph, design graphics, and make prints. They write stories, poems, and plays. They produce videos, video games, and films. They teach young and old. In addition, thanks to the launching of an ambitious applied design program, made possible by philanthropy, they make furniture, cast metal, make jewelry, weave fibers, and more.
Graduates of UALR also become educated staff, volunteers, and board members of arts organizations, and they become consumers and patrons of the arts. They play vital roles in making it possible for all of us to enjoy the nurturing of mind and heart that comes most powerfully from the arts.
Across the nation there is a belated recognition that the arts do more than nurture and elevate a people. A vibrant arts community also has broad economic impact. The Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation recently funded a study by Regional Technology Strategies, Inc. (RTS), of Carrboro, N.C., a consulting group that helps governments, foundations, and other organizations increase regional competitive advantages. RTS found that nearly 35,000 Arkansans are involved in creative work generating approximately $927 million in personal income per year.
Viewing the arts strictly as a cultural resource no longer provides the complete picture. On campus and off campus we need to understand the role of the arts in both our cultural life and the economy. This issue of the UALR Magazine should contribute to thoughtful discussion of the broad significance of the arts.
Joel E. Anderson
Chancellor