2024-25 marks the 25th anniversary of UCA’s Artists in Residence program. Funded by the Fine and Performing Arts Fee, paid by all students, the program—as stated in the founding February 18, 2000 Board of Trustees minutes— “expands artistic opportunities and supplements and enhances university life and academic programs.” Since then, AiR has brought more than four hundred actors, choreographers, composers, creative writers, dancers, designers, filmmakers, musicians, visual artists, and others from around the world to our campus to give thousands of public exhibits, master classes, performances, readings, screenings, workshops, and various kinds of student-focused learning activities. Residencies have become a vibrant and vital part of the curriculum for all students at UCA.
Throughout the 2024-25 academic year, we are celebrating the anniversary with special events, giveaways, and, of course, an exciting roster of artists. Join us for this milestone year!
FULL SCHEDULE AVAILABLE ONLINE: uca.edu/cahss/artists-in-residence
Residencies are funded by the UCA Arts Fee with additional support from Engage Management and Pyramid Art, Books, and Custom Framing. All events are located on the campus of the University of Central Arkansas, 201 Donaghey Ave., Conway, AR 72035, unless otherwise specified.
All events are free and open to the public.
For more information, contact Dr. Gayle Seymour at gayles@uca.edu or (501)-450-3295.
FALL 2024
JONATHAN CHRISTENSEN CABALLERO | sculpture | SEP 15-21 & NOV 3-9, 2024
Jonathan Christensen Caballero is a multidisciplinary artist born and raised in Utah. He received BFA and MFA degrees in ceramics from Utah State University and Indiana University Bloomington, respectively. His work has been exhibited nationally in The Regional, the first major multi-museum survey dedicated to contemporary artists based in the Midwest, co-organized by the Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati and the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City; in the NCECA Annual: Social Recession at the Weston Art Gallery, Cincinnati; and in Figuring Space at The Clay Studio, Philadelphia. Currently, he works at the Kansas City Art Institute as Sculpture Shop Technician and teaches sculpture. Christensen Caballero’s mixed-media work focuses on the human figure and critiques the oppression of Latin American laborers in the US. For more information, contact Professor Liz Smith at Lizs@uca.edu.
Class Visit: Central American Literature Class
Sep17, 2024 | 10:50 am-12:05 pm | Irby 204
Class Visit: Central American Literature Class
Sep 18, 2024 | 9-9:50 am | Irby 310
Public Event: Harvesting Change: Art Activism and Latin American Labor in Arkansas Panel Discussion with Jonathan Christensen-Caballero, Magaly Licolli, Dr. Benjamin Garner, and Dr. Alejandro González Landeros
Sep 19, 2024 | 5 pm, | Windgate Center 167
Public Event: Artist Talk with Jonathan Christensen Caballero
Nov 7, 2024 | 6-7 pm | Windgate Center 167
AMA CODJOE | poetry | SEP 23-24, 2024
Ama Codjoe is the author of two books: Bluest Nude (2022), winner of the Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize, and finalist for the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Poetry, the Kate Tufts Discovery Award, and the Paterson Poetry Prize; and Blood of the Air (2020), winner of the Drinking Gourd Chapbook Poetry Prize. She has been awarded support from the Bogliasco, Cave Canem, Robert Rauschenberg, and Saltonstall Foundations, as well as residencies from the Amy Clampitt Program, Callaloo Creative Writing Workshop, Hawthornden Literary Retreat, Hedgebrook Artist Colony, MacDowell Colony, Willapa Bay AiR, and the Yaddo Retreat. Among other honors, Codjoe has received fellowships from the Rona Jaffe Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Bronx Council on the Arts, the New York State Council/New York Foundation of the Arts, and the Jerome Foundation. In 2023, Codjoe was appointed as the second Poet-in-Residence at the Guggenheim Museum. She is the winner of a 2023 Whiting Award and a recipient of a 2024 Arts and Letters Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. For more information, contact Professor Sandy Longhorn at Slonghorn@uca.edu.
Class Visit: Interview with Editors of Arkana, UCA’s national online literary magazine
Sep 23, 2024 | 3:15 pm | Win Thompson Hall 331
Master Class: Creative Writing MFA Students
Sep 23, 2024 | 4 pm | Win Thompson Hall 331
Public Event: Ama Codjoe Reading with Book Signing
Sep 23, 2024 | 7:30 pm | McCastlain Hall 143
Craft Talk: Creative Writing Students
Sep 24, 2024 | 10:50 am-12:05 pm | Win Thompson Hall 331
THE JIM SELF & JOHN CHIODINI DUO | jazz | SEP 30 – OCT 4, 2024
Jim Self, (F Tuba and Fluba) is a Los Angeles-based freelance musician and veteran of thousands of Hollywood motion pictures, television shows, and records. A tuba soloist on many prominent movies, he famously performed the tuba solo, as the “Voice of the Mothership,” in John Williams’ score to Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Self is Principal Tuba with the Pacific and Pasadena Symphonies, and the Los Angeles Opera and Hollywood Bowl Orchestras. He holds a DMA from University of South Carolina’s Thornton School of Music where he is an adjunct professor of Tuba and Chamber Music. Jim Self has composed more than 90 works and produced 21 solo jazz and classical recordings. He has recorded with hundreds of artists including vocalists Placido Domingo, Mel Tormé, Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, and jazz trumpeter Don Ellis.
John Chiodini, (Arch-top Electric and Acoustic Electric Guitars) is a guitarist and composer originally from New England. A member of the Boston Pops under Arthur Fiedler, he played on the long-running PBS Series Evening at Pops. After playing with the Maynard Ferguson Band, he moved to Los Angeles in the early ‘80s where he became a busy session guitarist. His solo CD Weightless was critically acclaimed. John wrote for, toured, and recorded with Peggy Lee, did the “Unforgettable” World Tour with Natalie Cole, has recorded with many famous artists including Tony Bennett, Michael Bolton, Michael Bublé, Nina Simone, Barbra Streisand, and has many TV and motion picture credits. For more information, contact Dr. Gail Robertson at Grobertson@uca.edu.
Master Class/Discussion: Jim Self
Oct 1, 2024 | 1:40 pm | Recital Hall, Snow Fine Arts
Open Rehearsal: Jim Self and John Chiodini Duo
Oct 1, 2024 | 7:30 pm | Windgate Concert Hall
Master Class/Discussion: Jim Self Tuba-Euphonium Studio
Oct 2, 2024 | 11-11:50 am | Ricky Brooks Rehearsal Hall, Snow Fine Arts
Public Performance: “The Jim Self and John Chiodini Duo and Natural State Brass Band Concert”
Oct 2, 2024 | 7:30 pm | Windgate Concert Hall
Student Event: “Meet Jim Self — ‘John Williams’s Favorite Tubist’”
Oct 3, 2024 | 1:40-2:30 pm | Windgate Concert Hall
Student Event: “Freelance Guitar with John Chiodini”
Oct 3, 2024 | 2:40-3:30 pm | location TBD
Public Performance: UCA Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band Playing Music of Jim Self with Soloist Jim Self
Oct 3, 2024 | 7:30 pm | Windgate Concert Hall
Public Event: “Meet Guitarist John Chiodini”
Oct 4, 2024 | Time TBD (afternoon) | Palmer Music, 1131 Front St., Conway
Public Performances: Jim Self and John Chiodini, “Neighbors, An Art Show”
Oct 4, 2024 | 6-6:30 pm and 7-7:30 pm | The Brick Room, 1020 Front St., Conway
KORTO MOMOLU | fashion design | SEP 30 – OCT 11, 2024
Designer Korto Momolu (pronounced Cut • Toe – Mo • Mo • Lu), originally from Liberia, is renowned for her body-friendly designs that skillfully blend her African heritage with current fashion trends. Her vibrant creations feature bold colors and daring patterns, reflecting her cultural background through traditional prints and a bohemian chic style. After gaining recognition on Bravo’s 5th season of Project Runway, followed by two seasons of Project Runway All Stars, Korto has showcased her collections at New York Fashion Week and various international platforms. For more information, contact Dr. Crystal Harris at cdr02003@uca.edu.
Class Visit: Interior and Apparel Construction I
Oct 1, 2024 | 8-10:40 am | McAlister 311
Class Visit: Consumer Problems in Clothing
Oct 1, 2024 | 12:15-1:30 pm | McAlister 114
Class Visit: Interior and Apparel Construction I
Oct 2, 2024 | 9-11:50 am | McAlister 311
Class Visit: African/African American Literature
Oct 4, 2024 | 12-12: 50 pm | Irby 313
Public Lecture: “An Evening with Fashion Designer Korto Momolu”
Oct 9, 2024 | 7 pm | Windgate Concert Hall
Student Event: “Project Runway-style Competition” moderated by Korto Momolu
Oct 10, 2024 | 6-9 pm | Windgate Concert Hall
Public Event: Conway Fashion Week Fashion Show and Student Expo moderated by Korto Momolu
Oct 11, 2024 | 7-10 pm | Windgate Atrium and Keystone Steps (ticketed event)
The AIDS Memorial Quilt | visual art | OCT 1-13, 2024
The AIDS Memorial Quilt, the epic 54-ton, handmade tapestry that stands as a memorial to more than 110,000 individuals lost to AIDS, began with a single panel created in San Francisco in 1987. Today, The Quilt comprises more than 50,000 individual 3’ x 6’ panels (the size of a standard coffin), commemorating the lives of those who have died of AIDS. These panels are sewn by hundreds of thousands of friends, lovers and family members into this memorial, the largest piece of ongoing community art in the world. Two 12’ x 12’ blocks honoring Arkansans who died of AIDS will be on display. By revealing the humanity behind the statistics, The AIDS Memorial Quilt helps us remember the unique lives and stories of ones lost, raises awareness about the history and continuing impact of the epidemic, and teaches us compassion, healing, and hope for the future. For more information, contact Dr. Paige Rose at Prose@uca.edu.
On View: The AIDS Memorial Quilt
Oct. 1-11, 2024 | M-F, 10 am-4 pm and Oct. 13, 5:30-10 pm | Reynolds Performance Hall Lobby, UCA
Public Event: The AIDS Memorial Quilt Opening Reception with Remembrance Tribute
Oct. 1, 2024 | 1:30-2:30 pm | Reynolds Performance Hall Lobby, UCA
Indigo Girls | folk rock music | OCT 13, 2024
With their 1987 debut album Strange Fire, Indigo Girls Amy Ray and Emily Saliers sold more than two million copies under the power of singles “Closer to Fine” (reprised in the 2023 movie Barbie) and “Kid Fears,” turning the Indigo Girls into two of the most successful folk artists in history. Over a thirty-seven-year career that began in clubs around their native Atlanta, Georgia, the multi-Grammy-winning pair recorded sixteen studio albums, sold over 15 million records, and built a dedicated, enduring following across the globe. Rolling Stone describes them as the “ideal duet partners.” They are co-founders of Honor the Earth, a non-profit dedicated to the survival of sustainable Native communities, Indigenous environmental justice, and green energy solutions. This event is a collaboration with UCA Public Appearances. For more information, contact Dr. Paige Rose at Prose@uca.edu.
Public Film Screening: Indigo Girls, It’s Only Life After All (2023, Alexandria Bombach dir., 2h 3m, mature audiences)
Oct. 13, 2024 | 3-5 pm | Brewer-Hegeman Conference Center 111-113 (free event; no tickets required)
Public Event: Indigo Girls in Concert, Reynolds Performance Hall*
Oct. 13, 2024 | 7 pm | Reynolds Performance Hall
*UCA students can obtain one free ticket to this event by visiting the box office at Reynolds Performance Hall or Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts. Students must present their UCA Bear Card to receive a ticket; however, a limited number of tickets are available.)
This event is a collaboration with UCA Public Appearances.
MECCA JAMILAH SULLIVAN | creative writing | NOV 6-7, 2024
Writer/scholar Mecca Jamilah Sullivan is the author of three books: the novel Big Girl (2022), a New York Times Editors’ Choice and winner of the Next Generation Indie Book Award for First Novel and the Balcones Fiction Prize; the short story collection Blue Talk and Love (2015), winner of the Judith Markowitz Award from Lambda Literary; and her contribution to literary theory The Poetics of Difference: Queer Feminist Forms in the African Diaspora (2021), winner of the William Sanders Scarborough Prize from the Modern Language Association. Sullivan has earned honors from Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, Institute for Citizens and Scholars, Mellon Foundation, Center for Fiction, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, and National Endowment for the Arts. Originally from Harlem, NYC, Sullivan is Associate Professor of English at Georgetown University and lives in Washington, DC. For more information, contact Dr. M. Shelly Conner at Mconner3@uca.edu.
Interview with Creative Writing Graduate Students for Arkana, A Literary Journal of Mysteries and Marginalized Voices
Nov 6, 2024 | 3:15pm | Win Thompson Hall 331
Master Class with Graduate Students
Nov 6, 2024 | 4 pm | Win Thompson Hall 331
Public Reading and Book Signing
Nov 6, 2024 | 7 pm | Windgate Concert Hall
Craft Talk with Creative Writing Students,
Nov 7, 2024 | 11 am | Win Thompson Hall 331