Years of Work, One Site: UA Little Rock BFA Students Take the Gallery Stage

Justin Bates
|
Two artworks displayed side by side in a gallery setting: on the left, a grid-like arrangement of mixed digital images and collage elements mounted on a white wall; on the right, a sculptural installation made of layered, draped fabric and lace with printed text in soft pinks, creams, and purples, gathered into a mound-like form.
Students and visitors view works featured in Aggregate: BFA Projects, on display at the Windgate Center for Art + Design on the UA Little Rock campus from April 30 to May 17. The exhibition showcases work by graduating seniors across a range of media, including digital composition and textile-based sculpture. Featured here are Skylar Boone’s Autopsy, a multi-part digital media work, and Maggie Bamburg’s Remnants, created with upcycled doilies, fabric, and ink stamps. The exhibition is free and open to the public. Submitted photo

After years of late nights in the studio, critiques and creative breakthroughs, 17graduating artists are ready to show the world what they’ve made. The Windgate Center of Art + Design at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock will host Aggregate: BFA Projects, a spring exhibition showcasing the work of the university’s graduating Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) students. Works will be on display from April 30 to May 17. The exhibition is free and open to the public at the Windgate Center of Art + Design on the UA Little Rock campus.

Organized by Clark Valentine, Assistant Professor of Drawing; Brian Young, Gallery Director; and Nathan Larson, Assistant Gallery Director, the exhibition is a collaborative effort between students and faculty in the School of Art and Design (SoAD). Students with a BFA emphasis in either Studio Art or Applied Design work alongside SoAD faculty and staff to install their work in a professional, museum-quality setting.

For Studio Art BFA students, participating in the senior BFA exhibit isn’t optional — it’s a rite of passage. The exhibition has become one of the most anticipated events in the SoAD’s calendar, drawing students, faculty, families, and art lovers from across central Arkansas.

“This exhibition is an important tradition that a number of people in the UA Little Rock community enjoy visiting. We openly welcome our students, staff and family, and the public,” said Brian Young, Gallery Director.

Joli Livaudais, SoAD director, sees the exhibition as more than a checkbox on the path to graduation. 

“This exhibition is the culmination of their art education at UA Little Rock. Collectively, the work represents a cross-section of the overall effort in the art department. In addition, it allows the graduating seniors the chance to prepare their work for a professional setting alongside that of their peers.”

Beyond the diplomas and the milestone, Aggregate is also a gift to Little Rock, it is a chance for the broader community to step inside the Windgate Center and experience some of the most compelling new art being made in the region.

This year’s exhibiting artists come from across Arkansas and beyond:

  • Arianna Kegler, Sherwood, AR
  • Leianna King, North Little Rock, AR
  • Sarah Roberts, Bryant, AR
  • Skylar Boone, Vancouver, WA
  • Savannah Brinkley, Little Rock, AR
  • Chloe Risques, Hot Springs, AR
  • Virginia Singleton, Moore, OK
  • Aidan Pianalto, Benton, AR
  • Sydney Davidson, Sherwood, AR
  • Maggie Bamburg, Palmer, AK
  • Madelyn Hall, Sherwood, AR
  • Rocio Pantoja, Sherwood, AR
  • John Davis, Little Rock, AR
  • Chelsea Lakey, Little Rock, AR
  • Scarlett Clements, Little Rock, AR
  • Aubrey Sprinkle, Dover, AR
  • Nat Emons, Philadelphia, PA

For more information, contact Gallery Director Brian Young at (501) 916-5117 or [email protected].

View more stories in Uncategorized
Tags: