Upcoming art exhibitions at UALR concern the complexity of relationships and the human spirit.

The exhibit “FuN HoUSe” will feature an amusement park funhouse experience with an adult twist from Oct. 15 to Dec. 10 in Gallery I of the UALR Fine Arts Building. The exhibits are free and open to the public.

The exhibit, designed for mature audiences, is thought-provoking, yet playful in nature, according to Brad Cushman, gallery director and curator.

The colorful and expressive large-scale drawings of UALR graduate Zina Al-Shukri, who now lives in San Francisco, is included in the exhibition. Artist Dustin Farnsworth has also created works of fabricated sculptures in wood and metal for the exhibit.

Also represented are Chuck and George, the Dallas-based collaborative team of Brian Keith Jones and Brian Keith Scott. Artist Heidi Schwegler is represented by video and unusual portrait photography of a doll with adult features.

In Gallery II, “Nocturne,” a drawing exhibit by Marjorie Williams-Smith, will be on display from Oct. 10 to Nov. 24. Using metal, the overall emotion these drawings convey are pensive, mysterious, and introspective, says Cushman.

Over the past two years, Williams-Smith has worked almost exclusively with black acrylic gesso as a ground in her silverpoint drawings, as opposed to the light-colored grounds traditionally used.

Instead of using the drawing tool to create the shadow areas, as with a pencil, the metal serves as the light or highlighted areas, and the dark ground translates into shadows. On dark ground, the color of the metal is evident; the silver shimmers and copper appears red in bright light.

As part of her recent studio project, Williams-Smith collaborated with Dr. Robert Boury of the UALR music department. She created artwork in response to his piano playing. Boury will be playing the piano in the gallery at the reception for “Nocturne” scheduled from 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16.

Gallery II will also be the location of the master’s thesis exhibition from late November through December, and undergraduate senior exhibitions will be on display from mid-October through December in Gallery III.

Contact Brad Cushman, gallery director and curator in the Department of Art, at 501.569.8977 or becushman@ualr.edu for more information.