CHASSE Announces April and May College Events
The College of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences, and Education (CHASSE) at UA Little Rock has announced its remaining events for the spring semester.
To see the full list of events, visit the UA Little Rock calendar online.
School of Art and Design
artWORKS Lecture and Workshop by Vivian Chiu: The School of Art and Design welcomes artist Vivian Chiu to UA Little Rock as part of its artWORKS program, which is made possible through support from the Windgate Foundation.
Chiu will be leading a workshop titled “Piece by Piece” at 1:40 p.m. Wednesday, April 2 and at 1 p.m. Friday, April 4 in the Windgate Center of Art + Design. She will also give a lecture titled “From Tradition to Abstraction: Woodworking Techniques in Sculpture” at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 3 in Room 101 of the Windgate Center of Art + Design.
Chiu received her BFA in Furniture Design from the Rhode Island School of Design and her MFA in Sculpture from Columbia University. She describes her artistic process as using “wood to create optical sculptures through repetitive, labor-intensive processes.”
For registration information, contact the school’s administrative analyst Kristi Crow Pruett at [email protected].
“Beverly Buys: Gone But Not”: The Focus Gallery is unveiling its final exhibition of the semester on Friday, April 4. This exhibition showcases work from Hot Springs photographer Beverly Buys until Friday, May 30.
Buys’ series in the Focus Gallery is a group of 11 cyanotypes. She utilizes light sensitive materials and chemistry in order to create her photographs.
“All the work is derived from film and darkroom processes and relies on the very earliest practices of exposing light sensitive paper to the ultraviolet rays of the sun for exposure,” Buys says on her website. “The work is seasonal, and I am connected to the sun’s cycles, just as the Delta farmers and farmlands are.”
A reception will be held at 5 p.m. Thursday, April 17 in the Windgate Center of Art + Design. The event is free and open to the public.
“Dawn Holder: Strange Meetings”: The work of Dawn Holder, a sculptor and installation artist, will be unveiled in the North and South Galleries on Friday, April 11 and will be on display until July 11.
According to her website, Holder “investigates various elements of landscape and their socio-cultural significance through ceramics, photography, and mixed media.”
Holder’s work will be featured in the April 17 reception alongside Beverly Buys.
Puppy Mugs: A School of Art and Design tradition—Puppy Mugs—is making its return on Saturday, April 19 from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. in the Windgate Center of Art + Design.
Photography students will use solid color backdrops and fashion lighting to photograph dogs. The photo session is free, but the following can be purchased for $25 each: two 5×7 prints, one 8×10 print, or one digital file.
This event is open to the public and is a fundraiser to support UA Little Rock’s Photography Program. For additional information, contact the school’s interim director Joli Livaudais at [email protected].
“BFA Projects:” The annual student showcase will make its return on Thursday, May 1 with the reception that evening at 5 p.m. in the Brad Cushman Gallery in the Windgate Center of Art + Design. The exhibition will be on display until Saturday, May 17.
The artwork that makes up the exhibition is created by School of Art and Design students who are graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, including Olivia Bacot, Sunny Jenkins, Kate Lusk, and Charla Tozer. Their work in their studio emphasis culminates with a presentation of their final project.
“artLAUNCH”: An exhibition highlighting the 2024 artLAUNCH recipients will be on display from May 24 until June 30 in the Ann Maners and Alex Pappas Gallery in the Windgate Center of Art + Design.
Funded by a grant from the Windgate Foundation, UA Little Rock’s artLAUNCH program provides early-career alumni with funding and mentorship opportunities to accelerate their artistry. The five recipients for 2024 are Emma Estelle, Bailey Holley, Emmy Reynolds, Annika Shunn, and Courtney Wilson.
Free and open to the public, the UA Little Rock galleries are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. The galleries in the Windgate Center of Art + Design have additional hours on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. All UA Little Rock galleries are closed on university holidays.
For additional information, contact Gallery Director Brian Young at [email protected].
Department of History
Evenings with History: Dr. Kyungsun Lee, “The Arkansas River: Navigating the Impact of Climate Change”: The final Evenings with History lecture for this academic year features Assistant Professor of Geography Kyungsun Lee at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 1 at the Historic Arkansas Museum.
Last year, Lee was one of 14 selected to participate in the second cohort of the SciComm Identities Project Fellowship. The April 1 lecture will showcase her research thus far from the five-year fellows program.
The public is invited to attend the event at no cost in the Ottenheimer Auditorium at the Historic Arkansas Museum. More details regarding the Evenings with History series can be found on the Department of History’s website. For additional information, contact Dr. Michael Heil at [email protected].
School of Literary and Performing Arts
Guest Recital: Yun Park, Percussion: The School of Literary and Performing Arts will welcome percussionist Yun Park for a Guest and Faculty Recital alongside music faculty Naoki Hakutani and Jaeyeon Park at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, April 4 in the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall on the UA Little Rock campus.
The program will include “The Final Precipice” by Jeffrey Payton, “Spider Walk” by Marta Ptaszynska, and “The Planets” by Gustav Holst.
The recital is free and open to the public. For additional details, contact Naoki Hakutani, associate professor of music, at [email protected].
Brought to Light: Plays from the Archive: Dr. Lawrence Smith leads “Brought to Light: Plays from the Archive,” a reading of Kerry Kennedy’s play “The Last Beautiful Words.”
As a continuation of collaborative efforts between the School of Literary and Performing Arts and UA Little Rock Downtown, the performance will take place at 5 p.m. at UA Little Rock Downtown. The reading is free and open to the public.
Chancellor’s Concert: The fourth annual Chancellor’s Concert will be held at 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 12 in the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall.
This special event spotlights student musicians and ensembles as they celebrate their dedication and artistic growth throughout the academic year. This year’s program highlights Arkansas composers and will feature selected student soloists.
Composers for the choral portion of the event include Jordan Bennett, Andrea Ramsey, Sean Sweeden, and Gideon Brewer. The concert, which is free and open to the public, is the music program’s largest event of the year.
Theatre Production: Student Devised Work: The spring 2025 student-led production will be showcased in Haislip Theatre at the Center for Performing Arts from April 17 to April 19 at 7:30 p.m. each evening. The performances are free and open to the public.
This original production was created and performed by students under the mentorship of Jimmy Maize, a member of the Tectonic Theatre Company. The Company has been in residence at UA Little Rock for the semester, which has been made possible, in part, through the Kerry Kennedy Aspiring Playwright Endowed Fund.
April Jazz Ensemble Concert: Led by Dr. Michael Underwood, the April Jazz Ensemble Concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 22 in the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall.
This exciting performance will showcase a wide variety of jazz styles performed by talented student musicians. The concert is free and open to the public.
April Chamber and Wind Ensemble Concert: Led by Dr. Nickolas Doshier, the April Chamber and Wind Ensemble Concert will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 24, in the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall.
This concert will feature performances by multiple ensembles, highlighting a varying repertoire within the music program. The concert is free and open to the public.
April Percussion Concert: Led by Dr. Justin Bunting, the April Percussion Concert will be at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 29, in the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall.
This collaborative performance will feature the Percussion Ensemble, the Trojan Steel Band, and the West Memphis High School Percussion Ensemble. The concert is free and open to the public.
UA Little Rock Choirs Finale Concert: At 7:30 p.m. on Friday, May 2, the UA Little Rock Choirs Finale Concert will take place at St. Edward Catholic Church on 801 Sherman St. in Little Rock. The concert is free and open to the public.
Led by Dr. Lorissa Mason, the concert titled “Beautiful Wild Forces” marks a celebratory conclusion to the UA Little Rock Choirs’ season. The music will feature both choral ensembles and soloists performing in a range of music styles, each performance with its own distinctive character.
May Piano Ensemble Concert: The final performance of the spring semester will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, May 5, in the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall. Dr. Naoki Hakutani will lead ensemble performances by student pianists. The event is free and open to the public.
For additional information regarding the events hosted by the School of Literary and Performing Arts, contact the school’s coordinating assistant Caelon Colbert at [email protected] or 501-916-3291.