UCA Artists in Residence Program
The University of Central Arkansas Artists in Residence (AiR) program is a dynamic initiative that brings nationally and internationally recognized artists to campus each year. Funded by the Fine and Performing Arts Fee paid by all students, the program is rooted in a vision established by the UCA Board of Trustees on February 18, 2000: to “expand artistic opportunities and supplement and enhance university life and academic programs.”
Since its founding, the AiR program has hosted more than 700 artists—including actors, choreographers, composers, creative writers, dancers, designers, filmmakers, musicians, visual artists, and others. These residencies have offered thousands of enriching experiences such as public exhibits, master classes, performances, readings, film screenings, workshops, and other student-centered learning opportunities.
Artist residencies have become an essential and vibrant component of the curriculum at UCA, contributing meaningfully to both academic and cultural life on campus and to the Central Arkansas community.
The program is supported by the UCA Arts Fee, with additional sponsorship from Engage Management and Pyramid Art, Books & Custom Framing. Unless otherwise noted, all events take place on the UCA campus at 201 Donaghey Ave., Conway, AR 72035.
All events are free and open to the public (no ticket required unless specified).
For general information, contact Dr. Gayle Seymour, Associate Dean, College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, 501-450-3293, gayles@uca.edu.
FALL 2025 SCHEDULE
Bernadette Speach | music composition | Sept. 15–19, 2025
Bernadette Speach is a composer, pianist, and educator whose 40-year career spans classical, jazz, and avant-garde traditions. A native of Syracuse, NY, she earned degrees in music from The College of Saint Rose and SUNY Buffalo, where she studied with Morton Feldman. Speach’s music blends precision with raw emotion, as showcased in her latest opera, The Little Rock Nine, a collaboration with librettist Thulani Davis about the 1957–58 school desegregation crisis at Little Rock Central High School. Her works have been commissioned by leading arts institutions and performed by renowned ensembles, including the Arditti String Quartet and pianist Anthony de Mare. A recipient of numerous grants and awards—including an Opera America Discovery Grant—Speach has also led influential arts organizations and taught at institutions including The New School and Brooklyn College. Her long-standing collaborations with Davis have redefined poetry-music fusion, earning praise for their innovative, emotionally resonant style.
Student Event: Conversation with Composer Bernadette Speach about Interdisciplinary Projects
Sept 16 | 12:15–1:30 pm | Stanley Russ Hall 103
Film Screening: The Crisis Mr. Faubus Made: The Role of the Arkansas Gazette in the Central High Crisis (2010, Kevin Clark, dir., 30 min.), with Q & A by Composer Bernadette Speach and Film Co-Writer Dr. Donna Lampkin Stephens
Sept 16 | 1:40–2:30 pm | Stanley Russ Hall 103
Student Event: Round-Table Discussion for Interdisciplinary Students with Composer Bernadette Speach, Journalist Ernie Dumas, and Civil Rights Activist Elizabeth Eckford, moderated by Dr. Donna Lampkin Stephens
Sept. 17 | 12–12:50 pm | Stanley Russ Hall 103
Public Event: A Conversation with Little Rock Nine Opera Composer Bernadette Speech with Video Clips from the Little Rock Nine Opera, moderated by Dr. Donna Lampkin Stephens
Sept. 18 | 7–8:30 pm | Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts Concert Hall
Katie Waters | Foley arts | Sept. 24–26, 2025
Foley artist Katie Waters brings stories to life through the power of sound. With a background in acting and a B.A. in Film from Columbia College Chicago, Waters discovered her passion for post-production and the unique artistry of Foley. Her work involves creating and recording live sound effects that heighten realism and emotion in film, podcasts, and video games. Since joining Noisefloor in 2014, Waters has worn many hats—Studio Manager, Producer, and now their in-house Foley artist—helping to build and run the organization’s custom Foley stage. She skillfully performs, cues, and edits Foley sessions, and supervises sound on select film projects. A proud MPSE member, her work on Destiny 2 has earned Golden Reel and G.A.N.G. Award nominations. Waters believes in the storytelling power of custom Foley, and passionately advocates for its creative value over pre-recorded libraries.
Public Event: Interactive SoundFX for Movies Event
Sept. 25 | 1:40 pm–3:00 pm | Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts Lobby
Student Event: Sound Lab with Foley Artist Katie Waters
Sept. 25 | 2025 | 5–6:30 pm | Stanley Russ 103
Kai Coggin | poetry | Oct. 7, 14, & 21, 2025
Kai Coggin (she/her) is the inaugural Poet Laureate of Hot Springs, Arkansas, and a 2024 Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellow for her community poetry project SHARING TREE SPACE. She is the author of five poetry collections, most recently Mother of Other Kingdoms (2024). A Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominee, Coggin’s work appears in POETRY, “Poets.org,” Prairie Schooner, Sinister Wisdom, and more. Ten of her poems are headed to the moon via the Lunar Codex project. A K-12 teaching artist with the Arkansas Arts Council and Certified Master Naturalist, she also hosts Wednesday Night Poetry, the nation’s longest-running weekly open mic, in Hot Springs. Coggin has received the 2023 Don Munro Leadership in the Arts Award, the 2021 Governor’s Arts Award for Arts in Education, and two “Best Poet in Arkansas” honors. She serves on several editorial boards and lives in a peaceful valley with her wife, devoted to poetry, nature, and community.
Student Event: Generative Writing Workshop #1
Oct. 7 | 10:50 am–12:05 pm | Main Hall 203
Student Event: Generative Writing Workshop #2
Oct. 14 | 10:50 am–12:05 pm | Main Hall 203
Public Event: The AIDS Memorial Quilt Opening Reception and Remembrance Tribute. Hosting and poetry reading by Kai Coggin
Oct. 21 | 1:40–2:30 p.m. | Reynolds Performance Hall Lobby
Korto Momolu | textile art | Sept. 29–Oct. 10 & Oct. 21, 2025
Korto Momolu (pronounced Cut • Toe – Mo • Mo • Lu), a distinguished fashion designer originally from Liberia, is internationally recognized for her innovative, body-inclusive designs. Her work thoughtfully integrates traditional African aesthetics with contemporary fashion, resulting in collections that are both culturally rich and visually compelling. Known for her use of bold colors, dynamic patterns, and artisanal craftsmanship, Momolu brings a refined bohemian sensibility to modern design. She rose to prominence as a finalist on Bravo’s Project Runway Season 5 and returned for two seasons of Project Runway All Stars, further establishing her place in the fashion industry. Her designs have been featured at New York Fashion Week and on global platforms, earning acclaim for their originality and cultural resonance. Korto Momolu’s work exemplifies the power of fashion as a medium for storytelling, identity, and innovation—making her a valuable inspiration for emerging designers and creative professionals.
Student Event: Work with Beginning Interior & Apparel Construction Class (FACS 1370)
Sept. 29 and Oct. 6 | 9–11:50 am | McAlister 311
Student Event: Work with Beginning Interior & Apparel Construction Class (FACS 1370)
Sept. 30 and Oct. 7 | 8–10:40 am | McAlister 311
Student Event: Work with Business of Embroidery & Textiles Class (FACS 3359)
Sept. 30 and Oct. 7 | 11:50 am–1-30 pm | McAlister 311
Student Event: Work with Advanced Interior & Apparel Construction Class (FACS 3361)
Oct. 1 and Oct. 8 | 11 am–1:50 pm | McAlister 311
Public Event: The AIDS Memorial Quilt Opening Reception and Remembrance Tribute with Unveiling of New Quilt Panel by Korto Momolu
Oct. 21 | 1:40–3 pm | Reynolds Performance Hall Lobby
The AIDS Memorial Quilt | visual art | October 6-31, 2025
The AIDS Memorial Quilt (Select Arkansas Panels)
The AIDS Memorial Quilt, a powerful testament to lives lost and love remembered, began in San Francisco in 1987 with a single handmade panel. Today, it has grown into a monumental 54-ton tapestry comprising more than 50,000 individual panels—each measuring 3’ x 6’, the size of a standard coffin. Created by hundreds of thousands of friends, family members, and loved ones, The Quilt stands as the largest ongoing community art project in the world. Each panel is a deeply personal tribute, commemorating more than 110,000 individuals who have died from AIDS. By honoring their memory, The Quilt brings humanity to the statistics, fosters awareness of the history and ongoing impact of the epidemic, and invites reflection, empathy, and healing. As part of this exhibition, two 12’ x 12’ blocks honoring Arkansans lost to AIDS will be on display—reminding us of the power of collective remembrance and the importance of continued advocacy.
On View: The AIDS Memorial Quilt
October 6-31 | M-F, 10 am–4 pm | Reynolds Performance Hall Lobby
Public Event: The AIDS Memorial Quilt Opening Reception and Remembrance Tribute
Oct. 21 | 1:40–3 pm | Reynolds Performance Hall Lobby
Nita Mendoza | lighting design | Nov. 3-6, 2025
Nita Mendoza is a proud Chicana lighting designer based in Southern California. Originally from El Paso, TX, she brings warmth, energy, and a deep love of storytelling to every project. Mendoza holds an MFA in Lighting Design from UC Irvine and a BA in Technical Theatre from UT El Paso, with a concentration in lighting and a minor in graphic design. Her work blends strong technical foundations with creative expression, shaped by her cultural roots and commitment to collaboration. Whether illuminating a stage or crafting visual elements as a graphic designer, she thrives in creative spaces where artists come together to make meaningful work. Her designs reflect her belief in light as a powerful storytelling tool—one that can evoke emotion, shift perspective, and deepen connection. Grounded in family, community, and culture, Mendoza is dedicated to creating bold, beautiful work that resonates with audiences and collaborators alike.
Student Event: Meet with Digital Design class
Nov. 3 | 10:30–11:45 am | Snow Fine Arts 217
Student Event: Meet with Fundamentals of Theatrical Design class
Nov. 4 | 9:25–10:40 am | Snow Fine Arts 217
Student Event: Lighting Design Master Class
Nov. 4 | 1:40–2:30 pm | Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts James Bridges Black Box Theatre
Student Event: Meeting with Drama-Teatro: Staging Spanish One-Act Plays class
Nov. 6 | 12:1–1:15 pm | Irby 205
Public Event: The Art of Lighting Design with Demonstration by Nita Mendoza
Nov. 6 | 1:40–2:30 pm | Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts James Bridges Black Box Theatre
Bessie Flores Zaldívar | creative writing | Nov. 6-7, 2025
Bessie Flores Zaldívar (all pronouns) is a queer writer from Tegucigalpa, Honduras, whose work explores themes of identity, belonging, and liberation. With an MFA in fiction from Virginia Tech, Zaldívar brings a rich, transnational perspective to their writing and teaching. Currently based in New Haven, they teach creative writing at Quinnipiac University, where they mentor emerging voices with insight and empathy. Their debut publication, Libertad, marks a bold and lyrical entrance into contemporary literature, blending narrative innovation with emotional depth. As an artist in residence, Zaldívar shares their commitment to storytelling as both a personal and political act, inviting communities to engage in dialogue, memory, and imagination. Through readings and public events, Zaldívar cultivates spaces of radical creativity and inclusion, amplifying underrepresented voices and fostering cross-cultural connection.
Student Event: Craft Talk with Creative Writing students
Nov. 6 | 12:15–1:30 pm | McCastlain Hall Fireplace Room
Student Event: Conversation with students from multiple disciplines (Creative Writing, Gender Studies, Spanish, etc.)
Nov. 6 | 1:40–2:30 pm | McCastlain Hall Fireplace Room
Student Event: Masterclass with MFA Creative Writing students
Nov. 6 | 4–5 pm | Win Thompson Hall 104
Student Event: Interview with editors of Arkana (UCA’s national online literary magazine)
Nov. 7 | 4 pm | Win Thompson Hall 331
Public Event: Reading/Keynote and Book Signing (C. D. Wright Women Writers Conference)
Nov. 7 | 6 –7 pm | McCastlain Hall Ballroom
Sharon Louden | visual artist, author, educator | Nov. 10-12, 2025
Sharon Louden is a visual artist, educator, and leading advocate for artists’ roles in society. Known for her dynamic installations and drawings, Louden’s work has been exhibited in major institutions including the Whitney Museum of American Art, the National Gallery of Art, and the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Her practice explores movement, line, and transformation, often using industrial materials in innovative ways. In addition to her studio work, Louden is the editor of Living and Sustaining a Creative Life, a bestselling series that highlights real-world experiences of contemporary artists. She has been a visiting lecturer at numerous universities and served as the Artistic Director of the Visual Arts at Chautauqua Institution. Through her creative practice, writing, and leadership, Louden champions the value of artists as essential contributors to cultural and civic life, making her a vital voice in contemporary art and education.
Public Event: Panel Discussion with Sharon Louden and Conway League of Artists members Marilyn Rishkofski and Katy Killingsworth
Nov. 10 | 6:00–7:30 pm | Faulkner County Library, 1900 Tyler St, Conway
Daytime event with UCA students on campus
Nov. 11 | Time TBD | Location TBD
Public Event: A Conversation with Sharon Louden about Artmaking and Aging
Nov. 11 | 6:00–7:30 pm | Esse Purse Museum, 1510 Main Street, Little Rock
Public Event: Leading a Creative Life Conversation with Sharon Louden and Nursing Students, people living with Alzheimer’s and related dementias, their caregivers, and community members
Nov. 12 | 1:30–3:50 pm | Integrated Health Sciences Building, UCA