CHASSE Announces November Events
The College of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences, and Education (CHASSE) at UA Little Rock has announced its scheduled events for November during the fall 2025 semester. The lineup of events for the remainder of the semester can be found on the college’s website.
Department of History
Evenings with History: “Selling America on Independence: The 1950 Savings Bond Drive and its Replica Liberty Bells” with Kristin Mann
UA Little Rock’s Evenings with History series will continue on Nov. 11 with a fascinating lecture by Dr. Kristin Mann, professor of history, titled “Selling America on Independence: The 1950 Savings Bond Drive and its Replica Liberty Bells.” The presentation will take place at 7:30 p.m. in the Ottenheimer Auditorium at the Historic Arkansas Museum, with refreshments served at 7 p.m.
Mann’s talk will explore how the U.S. Treasury Department’s Independence Bond Drive of 1950 used patriotic symbols, including newly cast replica Liberty Bells, to promote savings bonds and American ideals. Working with the copper industry, the Treasury produced exact replicas of the Liberty Bell for each U.S. state and territory. Cast in France, shipped to the United States, and mounted on Navy trucks, the bells toured the country between May 15 and July 4, 1950, celebrating national identity and economic strength.
Arkansas’s replica Liberty Bell later became part of the Bicentennial Memorial at the Arkansas State Capitol in 1975. Mann’s lecture will examine how this campaign reflected broader themes of politics, economics, culture, and American identity in the early Cold War era. The event is free and open to the public.
School of Art and Design
Naima Green: Seismic Feelings Exhibit on Display Nov. 3-Dec. 8
The exhibition, “Naima Green: Seismic Feelings,” is on display from Nov. 3–Dec 8 in the Focus Gallery. Green, the Windgate Center Artist-in-Residence for the fall 2025 semester, is an artist and educator whose photography examines the nature of intimacy, sensuality, and self-recognition.
Her work documents individuals and communities in relationship to place and pleasure, synthesizing archival research with conversations and oral histories to create images that serve as “kinetic, living histories.” A reception will be held for Green in the main lobby of the Windgate Center from 5-7 p.m. on Nov. 20.
Holiday Art Sale and Open House Nov. 7
The UA Little Rock School of Art and Design will host its 2025 Holiday Sale and Open House from 3-8 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 7, in the Windgate Center of Art + Design.
The annual community event showcases one-of-a-kind work by students, alumni, faculty, and staff, featuring a diverse range of media, including drawings, prints, photography, illustration, jewelry, ceramics, textiles, sculpture, furniture, and graphic design. Organizers expect 60 to 70 artists to participate.
Studios across the Windgate Center will be open for self-guided tours, giving guests a behind-the-scenes look at student workspaces and processes. Additional highlights include:
- Utopia Deli on-site outdoors
- A student-organized Pop-Up Gallery in Room 234
- Make-and-take activities for kids (and kids at heart) in Room 220
- A festive photo booth
- New decorations created by illustration students
“We are really excited to share our space with the community, and we can’t wait for the community to see what our students and alumni have been working on,” said Kristi Crow, administrative analyst for the School of Art and Design. “Follow us on Instagram at @ualrart for a sneak peek at items that will be available for sale.”
Admission is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Kristi Crow at [email protected] or 501-916-5101.
Nicole Seisler-Some Truths About Clay Exhibition on View Nov. 7-Dec. 12
UA Little Rock will present “Nicole Seisler-Some Truths About Clay,” an exhibition by ceramic artist Nicole Seisler, from Nov. 7 to Dec. 12 in the North and South Galleries of the Windgate Center of Art and Design.
Seisler is known for her experimental and conceptual approach to ceramics that challenges traditional techniques and perspectives. Her work has been exhibited and presented at institutions including the California College of the Arts, Otis College of Art and Design, University of Florida, Ashoka University in India, Berkeley Art Center, and the Wignall Museum.
A graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (MFA) and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (BFA), Seisler has taught ceramics for more than a decade at universities across the country. She is the founder and director of A-B Projects, a space dedicated to exhibitions and alternative education in conceptual ceramics, and an assistant professor and head of ceramics at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon.
School of Literary and Performing Arts
UA Little Rock Percussion Ensemble to Present “Something New” Fall Concert
The UA Little Rock Percussion Ensemble will present its annual Fall Percussion Concert, titled “Something New,” on Tuesday, Nov. 4, from 7:30-9 p.m. at the Arkansas Repertory Theater in downtown Little Rock.
The concert will feature an evening of rhythmic energy and musical exploration, showcasing works by Steve Reich, Eckhard Kopetzki Pawassar, David Cole, and Alex Flannigan. The program highlights the ensemble’s creativity, precision, and range of percussion styles. In addition to the ensemble’s performance, the Trojan Steel Band will take the stage with a lively selection of traditional Calypso tunes, adding an upbeat Caribbean flair to the evening.
Admission is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Dr. Justin Bunting at [email protected]
Dr. Justin Bunting to Present Faculty Percussion Recital Nov. 6
Little Rock will present a faculty recital by Dr. Justin Bunting, associate professor of percussion, on Thursday, Nov. 6, from 7:30-8:30 p.m. at the Arkansas Repertory Theater.
The recital will feature an engaging program of solo percussion works, including the world premiere of Bunting’s newly composed marimba solo. Additional selections include Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1 arranged for marimba, a piece for solo children’s deskbells, and works by Michael Burritt, Ivan Trevino, and Blake Tyson.
Admission is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Dr. Justin Bunting at [email protected].
Dr. Michael Underwood to Perform Faculty Recital Nov. 10
UA Little Rock will host a faculty recital by Dr. Michael Underwood, instructor of music, from 7:30-9 p.m. Monday, Nov. 10, in the Haislip Theatre at the Center for Performing Arts.
The performance will feature an evening of dynamic and expressive music highlighting Underwood’s versatility as both a low brass performer and jazz artist. His program will blend classical, contemporary, and jazz influences, offering audiences a diverse showcase of his musicianship and creative range.
Admission is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Underwood at [email protected].
Visiting Writers Series Features Brian Turner
Celebrated American poet, essayist, and U.S. Army veteran Brian Turner, will speak Friday, Nov. 14, from 2-3 p.m. in the Fine Arts Building, Gallery 1. Turner will offer a poetry reading, followed by Q&A and a book signing as part of the School of Literary and Performing Arts Visiting Writers Series. During his visit, Turner, who is the founding director of the University of Nevada, Reno Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing, will also meet with students of creative writing at UA Little Rock.
Turner is the author of five collections of poetry (from Here, Bullet to The Wild Delight of Wild Things) and a memoir (My Life as a Foreign Country), and is the editor of The Kiss and co-editor of The Strangest of Theatres anthologies. His poems and essays have been published in The New York Times, The Guardian, National Geographic, Harper’s, among other journals, and he was featured in the documentary film Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience, which was nominated for an Academy Award. A Guggenheim Fellow, he has received a USA Hillcrest Fellowship in Literature, the Amy Lowell Traveling Fellowship, the Poets’ Prize, and a Fellowship from the Lannan Foundation.
Sponsored by the Cooper Honors in English Program, this event is free and open to the public.
For more information, contact Heather Hummel, creative writing faculty, at [email protected] or Dr. Kris McAbee, SLPA director, at [email protected].
Festival Featuring Senior Capstone Performance set for Nov. 18-19
Join us for the Kerry Kennedy Foundation Festival of New Student Work, an inspiring evening of original and directed works as senior theatre students present their capstone projects. Sponsored by the Kerry Kennedy Aspiring Playwright Endowment, the festival will be held Nov. 18-19 at 7:30 p.m., in the University Theatre at UA Little Rock.
This year’s showcase features Kenshi Lewis, who has written and directed an original piece titled “The Mistake,” and Jaye Bottom, who is directing “The Most Massive Woman Wins” by Madeleine George. Each performance reflects the artists’ unique vision and marks a defining moment in their transition from students to emerging professionals.
Experience two powerful works, performed back to back each evening, that celebrate storytelling, risk-taking, and the next generation of theatre makers.
Admission is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Caelon Colbert, SLPA coordinating assistant at [email protected].
UA Little Rock Jazz Ensemble to Perform Nov. 19
The UA Little Rock Jazz Ensemble will present its fall concert from 7:30-9 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 19, in Morgan Hall at the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra building.
Under the direction of Dr. Michael Underwood, the ensemble will perform an exciting program featuring a blend of classic and contemporary jazz. The concert will include a dynamic mix of swing, blues, and modern jazz styles, showcasing the group’s creativity, precision, and improvisational talent.
Admission is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Underwood at [email protected].
UA Little Rock Wind and Chamber Ensemble to Perform Nov. 20
Join the UA Little Rock Wind and Chamber Ensemble for Defying Gravity, an evening of powerful and imaginative music celebrating the spirit of flight, freedom, and transformation. The concert will be held on Thursday, Nov. 20 from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. in the University Theatre, Center for Performing Arts. The program will feature This Cruel Moon by John Mackey, Open Space by Brian Balmages, Selections from Wicked by Stephen Schwartz (arr. Bocook), and Berceuse and Finale from Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite (arr. Longfield).
In a playful nod to the release of Wicked Part 2 hitting theaters the same day, the Modern Band will also perform Gravity by John Mayer, bringing a contemporary edge to the program.
Admission is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Dr. Nick Doshier at [email protected].