UA Little Rock will open new virtual exhibit celebrating diversity Sept. 20
The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has launched a new virtual art exhibit celebrating diversity.
The exhibit, “Being Seen: Power Through Diversity,” contains 66 pieces from two collections at UA Little Rock and is being held in commemoration of Arkansas Peace Week, Sept. 20-27. The exhibit will run through May 2021.
“We, as individuals, are more alike than not, yet cultural and community silos keep many people separate and isolated. There are racial and cultural divisions in our world that fuel the fear and hatred of others,” said UA Little Rock Art Gallery Director Brad Cushman. “Instead of promoting xenophobia, ‘Being Seen: Power Through Diversity’ promotes learning about and celebrating cultural differences, to overcome the barriers that causes us to demonize others.”
Cushman, who curated the exhibit, noted that a concentrated effort has been made to diversify the UA Little Rock Permanent Art Collection to include more art by women, Black, Latin, Asian, African, Native American, and LGBTQ artists. Additionally, the exhibit contains pieces from the J.W. Wiggins Native American Collection, a vast representation of the indigenous artists working in North America.
“Artists are addressing systemic racism and institutional and community biases. They acknowledge the pain and suffering of marginalized people,” Cushman said. “In a time of unrest, there is urgency in their messaging, a call to dismantle pervasive racial, gender, and identity disparities, inequities, and injustices requiring persistent and immediate actions.”
Anyone who would like to visit the UA Little Rock Art Gallery in the Windgate Center of Art and Design in person may contact Cushman at 501-916-3182 or becushman@ualr.edu. Appointments are available from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday.
Current exhibits on display through Oct. 11 at the Windgate Center of Art and Design include “British Studio Ceramics from the Arkansas Arts Center (Part 2),” “Objects from the UA Little Rock Collection,” and “Landscapes.”
In the upper right photo, Luis Jimenez’s “The Mass of Mankind” is one of the pieces featured in the exhibit.
