University of Central Arkansas

Congratulations to Dr. Reinaldo Morales on his major discovery in the world of rock art: an ancient rock painting at a burial site from the Inca site of Machu Picchu in Peru. For more information see the official UCA press release.

The Friends of the Baum Gallery, UCA Foundation, Inc., received a Windgate Foundation grant to initiate ARTCLICKS!, an arts education outreach program.  Director Barbara Satterfield will coordinate the effort, combining the expertise of art education professor Dr. Deborah Kuster with student servicing learning to provide online resources, tours, and events related to the Fall 2009 art exhibition Cardinal Points/Puntas Cardinales.  Online registration for area teachers, students, and families interested in ARTCLICKS! begins February 15, 2009.

Liz Smith received the McKnight Artist Residency for Ceramic Artists, awarded by Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota. The residency  included a $5,560 stipend and grant.   Jurors: William Daley, Nora Naranjo-Morse, and Robert Winokur. She also participated in the following exhibitions in 2008:

• Artisan Gallery:   “Consider the Cup 2008” Invitational Exhibition,  Northampton, Ma.
• St. Francis University:  “Glass, Clay, Wood, Metal, Stone and Fiber: The Art  of  Contemporary Craft 2008” Fort Wayne, IN 
• Mississippi Valley State University: SOLO exhibition,"Liz Smith: New Work"   Idebena, MS.
• Red Star Studios:  ”Cups” Invitational Exhibition, Kansas City, MO,  curator- Lynn Smiser Bowers.

Michael Wyschock has appeared in several exhibitions recently, including:

• Martin McMullen Gallery, "Large Drawing Small Sculpture", Oneonta, New York
• "Digital Graffiti" in Alys Beach, Florida
• "Sketches" at Galerie SAW, Ottawa, Ontario
• "COOL STORIES" at the "Festival de l'Image Environmentale", Paris, France, Parc de Bercy/Chai- Orangerie- Maison du Lac in collaboration with the City of Paris and the WWF
• "Available Light", SAW Galerie, Ottawa, Ontario
• "Capturing a Transient World", Turchin Center for the Visual Arts, Boone, North Carolina

Dr. Deborah Kuster has achieved the following:

• Received a $750 Delta Award for her work "Wait Until I'm Four", Annual Delta Exhibition,  Arkansas Arts Center, October 3-November 16, 2008. Juror Eleana  Del Rio, Director of the  Koplin Del Rio Gallery in Culver City, CA
• Published article "A Museum Collaboration and Interdisciplinary Adventure with Pre-Service Teachers", in Art Education: The Journal of the National Art  Education Association, 61 (5), 33-39. September  2008.
• March 2008, presented "Building Bridges Toward Mastery: A Support Program for Novice Art  Teachers" with Dr. Jeff Young at the National Art Education Association (NAEA) annual conference, New Orleans, LA
• May 2008, presented in “Higher Education Roundtable” at the Arts in Education Forum: The Role of  Professional Development in Facilitating the Practice of Arts Integration at the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga, TN
• July 2008, led “Meaningful Art Curriculum from Start to Finish”, a three-day teacher professional  development workshop through Northcentral Arkansas Educational Cooperative.
• Spring 2008, received UCA Development Grant, for “Facilitating the Practice of Arts Integration”

Ray Ogar published issue 1 of PILCROW design/art journal, a juried publication collecting visual responses to design challenges. Contact Ray at rogar@uca.edu to be sent the next design challenge and submit your own response for possible publication. Issue 2 due out Summer/Fall 2009

For updates on Carrie Dyer, see her personal website at http://www.carriedyer.com/professional_accomplishments.html

Donna Pinckley has been actively exhibiting her work at both national and international shows. A sampling of her recent achievements are:

• "1212 Gallery National Photography Exhibition", Richmond, Virginia. Juror: Julian Cox, Curator of Photography, High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA.
• "2009 Portrait Exhibition", The Center for Fine Art Photography, Fort Collins, CO. Juror: Mary Ellen Mark, Fine Art Photographer
• Second place, "Texas Photographic Society International Exhibition 18", San Antonio, TX. Juror: Cig Harvey, Fine-Art Photographer and Educator
• Lens Culture Award, "2009 Black and White Exhibition", The Center for Fine Art Photography, Fort Collins, CO. Juror: Jim Casper, Editor and Publisher of Lens Culture, Paris, France
• "2009 Documentary Exhibition", The Center for Fine Art Photography, Fort Collins, CO. Juror: Ed Kashi, Photojournalist
• "26th Annual Juried Open Exhibition", Visual Art Alliance, Houston, TX. Jurors: Jean Caslin and Diane Griffin Gregory, Caslin and Gregory Agency, Art Consultants
• "30th Annual Paper in Particular National Exhibition". Columbia, MO. Juror: John Hull
• "Texas Photographic Society Members Only Show",  Dishman Art Museum, Lamar University, Beaumont, TX. Juror: Keith Carter, Photographer and Educator.

Congratulations to Nicole Atwell, a senior who participated in the Fall '08 BA Senior Exhibit. She was notified that one of her photographs has been selected for publication in the 2009 Best of College Photography Annual published in connection with Photographer's Forum. 

Johnny Appleby, Ray Brown, Mandy Clark, and Kerri Tindall, members of the UCA Art Ed Club, a student chapter of the National Art Education Association (NAEA), will be presenting "A Celebration of Community," at the 2009 NAEA National Convention, Minneapolis, MN, April 16 - 21.

Kristen Spickard, had two photographs accepted for publication in the Aisthesis Honors Student Journal, University of Minnesota, Duluth.  The competition is open to U.S. honors college undergraduate students. She also had a photograph accepted for Photographer's Forum's "29th Annual College Photography Contest". Her work will be published in the 2009 Best of College Photography issue.

Sean Canady,  was selected as a recipient of a Photoshop World Student Scholarship which includes registration to the three-day Photoshop World Conference & Expo (valued at $600) and a one-year membership in NAPP (National Association of Photoshop Professionals).

Andrew Boatright,  had work accepted for the Albion Review, a national literary journal, featuring visual art, published by Albion College, Michigan.

Beth Wilson Norwood, Aimee LaFlamme, Rebecca Moses, Adairro Fuller, Shannon Cantrell, Samantha Smith, and Chris O'Quinn will presenting their papers at the 19th Annual Arkansas College Art History Symposium. The Symposium will take place at Hendrix College on March 20th.

Samantha Smith has been accepted to the MA Art History program at Memphis.

Katie Parker had work accepted to the Paper in Particular exhibit in Columbia, Missouri.

• Grand Prize- Courtney Rolland
• Excellence Awards-Mark Monroe, Shelby Watkins and Lauren Crymes
• Honorable Mentions-Kelly Dugan,  Destin Layton, Rachel Oliver, Terri Hayes

Senior art history student Beth Norwood has had a paper accepted in the 2009 Arkansas Undergraduate Research Conference. Her paper reflects research on West Mexican ceramics, including one vessel from our collection here at UCA!

Kristen Spickard's work, Before the Discovery of Helium, has been accepted in the New York Graduate School for Psychoanalysis's "Dreamwork Exhibition."  The selection notification stated that Kristen was one of 33 artists whose 44 works were selected from over 600 artists submitting over 1,800 works. 

Brandon Mathis' The Aesthete  was accepted for "12 Angry Women", a juried exhibition at The Soundry, Vienna, VA. On exhibit: September 24-October 26, 2009.

Brandon Mathis and Melissa Kordsmeier were accepted for "Exhibiting the Works of Arkansas Sculptors", a juried exhibition at the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, Little Rock, AR. On exhibit: October 9-December 11, 2009.

Brett Anderson has exhibited work in the "Fourth Annual Arkansas Sculpture Invitational Show and Sale", in Little Rock, AR. Show was open from October 15-18, 2009.

Anna Sebourn ('08) is a graduate student at American University in Washington, D.C., working towards her MA in Arts Management.  She is the Development Intern at City/Dance Ensemble, one of Washington's two full-time professional dance companies.  She is also currently working on special online marketing projects for the 48 Hour Film Project.  Anna is interested in focusing her studies on Donor Relations and Marketing as it pertains to the fine and performing arts in the non-profit sector.

Several photographic works by  Mary Togni 's ('08)  were selected for the Daily Reader Art section of Juxtapoz Art and Culture Magazine's  on-line version. Juxtapoz has been published since 1994 in print and online.  . 

Morton Brown  ('96),  has been selected as the Public Art Manager for the City of Pittsburgh. He will manage the existing public art collection of Pittsburgh and work with city departments to find locations and opportunities for new public art in the city. The position was created in 2007 with a grant from the Heinz Endowments.  Brown was also a visiting artist at UCA in the fall of 2007. He directed students in the paining and creation of the Conway Mural which he also designed.

Becky Johnson graduated in December 2006 with a BA in Art History. The last year in a half, she has been pursuing a Master's at the University of Southern California in Public Art Studies. She is currently in her final semester finishing her thesis, which explores the growing trend of participatory art, specifically centering around the resurgence of participatory models within Los Angeles last year. Johnson is also interning at Metro (the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority) as an Administrative Intern for their art department. She enjoys the hands-on expereince of seeing the process from start to finish, from an artist selection panel, to meeting with artists, to see final drawings that will go on to fabricators in the coming months. She will graduate in May 2009 and will pursue a job in Art Administration.