Collaborating with the Arkansas Arts Center, UALR’s College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences is bringing ancient Egypt to UALR this semester.

Laura Amrhein, associate professor of art, was approached by Director Nan Plummer of the Arkansas Arts Center to design a course to coincide with the World of the Pharaohs: Treasures of Egypt Revealed exhibit.

“We thought presenting this UALR course at the museum would be a wonderful way for students and community members to have direct access to one of a kind art works with lectures to place them in some deeper context,” Amrhein said.

Throughout the spring semester, scheduled lectures and discussions will take place in the Art Center’s exhibition space. Students will choose a piece from the exhibit to use for research projects and presentations.

“Viewing art works in person rather than studying images in textbooks or slides is truly a unique and sometimes life-changing experience,” Amrhein said. “I hope students will benefit from their direct contact with art – which in turn I hope will inspire creative approaches to their research and learning process in general.”

A wide range of students has signed up  for the course, and Amrhein said it may result in new ideas for research or propel creative experimentation in painting, sculpture, ceramics, and applied design. She says the course will benefit students wishing to expand their knowledge of other cultures, and is a good resource for students in the Middle Eastern Studies program.

“Students may even decide to develop their studies further or pursue fields such as art history, archaeology, anthropology, and epigraphy – all of which have greatly informed our current knowledge of Egyptian art,” she said.

For more information about the special topics class regarding Egyptian art, contact Amrhein at 501-569-3182, at lmamhrein@ualr.edu, or visit the UALR Department of Art and the Arkansas Arts Center on the web.