Residencies bring professional performing and visual artists, composers, creative writers, and filmmakers to the UCA campus for one or more days for the purpose of expanding student learning experiences. They offer the general student body exhibits, lectures, performances, readings, and screenings that enlarge awareness and appreciation of the arts, and provide students participating in the arts with master classes, presentations/discussions, and workshops that enhance understanding and professionalism.
The UCA Artist in Residence program is funded by the UCA Student Arts Fee. At UCA, we believe that a rich and vibrant arts culture is valuable and necessary to the education of all students, regardless of major or background. 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 to UCA students and open to the public (no reservations/tickets are required unless otherwise specified).
For details about upcoming events, download the full schedule here
or visit our CubConnect page.
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 2021 ARTISTS
CECILIA LÓPEZ | soprano | NATHAN SALAZAR | piano | SEPT. 7-10
Cecilia Violetta López is a world-class soprano, named by Opera News as one of opera’s “25 Rising Stars.” Known for her portrayals of heroines such as Violetta in Verdi’s La traviata, she has performed at major opera houses including the Metropolitan Opera, among others. López, a Mexican American native of Rupert, Idaho, got her musical start at a young age singing mariachi music that she learned from her mother.
Nathan Salazar is a collaborative pianist who has performed in Europe, Russia, and throughout the U.S. at premiere performance venues including the Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall. Salazar, a native of Santa Fe, performs and coaches with Serenata of Santa Fe, the Santa Fe Desert Chorale, the Santa Fe Opera, and the Boston Lyric Opera where he is an emerging artist.
Public Concert: Cecilia López, Soprano with Nathan Salazar, Piano
Sept. 10, 2021 | 7:30 p.m. | Reynolds Performance Hall
Watch the Public Concert Here!
JOEY TARTELL | trumpet | SEPT. 20-23
Joey Tartell, Professor of Trumpet at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, enjoys a career as an in-demand lead trumpeter performing with most of the major symphony orchestras in the U.S. as well as with Maynard Feruson’s band, the Canadian Brass, and the Boston Brass. Tartell is also a thought leader within and an advocate for the arts through his podcast “The Opern Bell” and his ongoing blog “The Tartellog.”
Public Concert: Joey Tartell with the UCA Jazz Ensemble
Sept. 23, 2021 | 7:30 p.m. | Reynolds Performance Hall
Watch the Public Reading Here!
MARITA GOLDEN | fiction writing | SEPT. 28-29
Marita Golden is an acclaimed author of 17 works of fiction, nonfiction, and anthologies. As a teacher of writing, she has served on the graduate faculties at George Mason University, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Johns Hopkins University. Her books include the novels The Wide Circumference of Love, After, and The Edge of Heaven. Her soon-to-be released book, The Strong Black Woman: How a Myth Endangers the Physical and Mental Health of Black Women is due out in October.
Public Reading: Marita Golden with Q & A and Book Signing
Sept. 28, 2021 | 7:30 p.m. | College of Business Auditorium, 106
Watch the Public Reading Here!
IVALAS QUARTET | strings | OCT. 7-8
The Ivalas Quartet, founded in Ann Arbor in 2016, comprises violinists Reuben Kebede and Tiani Butts, violist Aimée McAnulty, and cellist Pedro Sánchez. Currently, the quartet serves as the Graduate Quartet in residence at The University of Colorado – Boulder, where they study under the renowned Takács Quartet. Ivalas has performed with artists such as the Calidore String Quartet and the Imani Winds. In January 2020, they had their debut at Carnegie Hall in NYC.
Public Concert: Ivalas Quartet
Oct. 8, 2021 | 7:30 p.m. | Reynolds Performance Hall
Watch the Public Concert Here!
ALLISON A. NEWCOMBE | lighting design | OCT. 17-28
Allison A. Newcombe is a New York-based lighting designer. A recent graduate of the University of South Carolina (MFA), she has created lighting design for New York’s The Illuminati Ball, Longstreet Theatre’s The Wolves, University of South Carolina’s The Revolutionists, Interlakes Theatre’s Shakespeare in Love, and more. During her residency, she will create the lighting design for UCA Theatre’s From Up Here by Liz Flhive.
THIS RESIDENCY HAS BEEN CANCELED DUE TO SCHEDULING DIFFICULTIES.
SERGE JOLIMEAU | metal sculpture
Haitian-born Serge Jolimeau has metalwork studios in Brooklyn, Miami, and his home town of Croix-de-Bouquets, the center of Haitian metalwork. His artwork comprises highly textured sculptures cut and shaped from recycled oil drums. Jolimeau’s work, which often centers on Vodou iconography and Haitian folk historiography, is included in the permanent collections of the Figge Art Museum (Davenport, IA), the Brooklyn Museum, and the Clinton Foundation in Little Rock.
THIS RESIDENCY HAS BEEN CANCELED DUE TO CIRCUMSTANCES IN HAITI.
CAHSS IS WORKING TO RESCHEDULE FOR 2022-2023.
JON METZGER | percussion | NOV. 2-5
Three-time Grammy nominee Jon Metzger has performed throughout the world as a jazz ambassador for the U.S. Department of State. He is the author of The Art and Language of Jazz Vibes and has appeared on more than 40 recordings for the VSOP, Soul Note, Jazz Karma, Summit, and Elon Improvibes labels. A recipient of the Miles Davis Jazz Education Service Award and 30 consecutive ASCAP Plus Awards for the use of his compositions, Metzger is the Artist in Residence and Professor of Music at Elon University.
Jazz Combo Workshop
Nov. 3, 2021 | 10-11 a.m. | Reynolds Performance Hall
Jazz Improvisation Clinic
Nov. 3, 2021 | 1-3 p.m. | Reynolds Performance Hall
Jazz Improvisation Master Class
Nov. 4, 2021 | 9:25-10:40 a.m. | Reynolds Performance Hall
Jazz Improvisation Clinic
Nov. 4, 2021 | 1:40-2:30 p.m. | Reynolds Performance Hall
Public Concert: Jon Metzger with UCA Studio Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Combo
Nov. 4, 2021 | 7:30 p.m. | Reynolds Performance Hall
Livestream on CAHSS YouTube Channel
TIFFANY JACKSON | YA writing | NOV. 11-12
Tiffany D. Jackson is the author of critically acclaimed YA novels including the Coretta Scott King — John Steptoe New Talent Award-winning Monday’s Not Coming, the NAACP Image Award-nominated Allegedly, Let Me Hear A Rhyme, and her 2020 title GROWN. With over a decade of experience in the television industry, Jackson has worked at various networks and media companies including National Geographic (focused on documentaries such as Lockdown, a prison subculture series) Roc Nation, BET, FUSE, BBC AMERICA, and EPIX.
Writing Master Class
Nov. 11, 2021 | 4-5 p.m. | Win Thompson Hall 331
Writing Craft Talk
Nov. 12, 2021 | 11-11:50 a.m. | Stanley Russ Hall 103
Public Reading: Tiffany Jackson with Q & A and Book Signing
Nov. 12, 2021 | 6 p.m. | College of Business Auditorium
Register for Zoom Link through UCA Outreach
FABIOLA JEAN-LOUIS | paper textile design, photography, & sculpture | NOV. 15-18
Haitian-born and New York-raised Fabiola Jean-Louis uses photography, film, ceramics, and paper to create work that examines the absence of Black and Brown people in historical imagery and seeks to restore them. Her work has been exhibited widely at the Andrew Freedman Home (Bronx, NY), Lux Art Institute (San Diego, CA), DuSable Museum of African American History (Chicago, IL) and, most recently, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (Boston, MA).
Class Visit with Sculpture I
Nov. 16, 2021 | 9-10:40 a.m. | Schichtl Studio Arts 125
Class Visit with Ceramics I
Nov. 16, 2021 | 10:40 am-1:40 p.m. | Schichtl Studio Arts 127
Class Visit with Slip Casting and Glazing
Nov. 16, 2021 | 2:40-5:20 p.m. | Schichtl Studio Arts 127
Class Visit with Women in Art History
Nov. 17, 2021 | 2-2:50 p.m. | College of Business 111
Class Visit with Africana Arts and Visual Culture
Nov. 18, 2021 | 9:25-10:40 a.m. | Burdick 213
Class Visit with Littérature et Culture Engagée
Nov. 18, 2021 | 10:50 a.m.-12:05 p.m. | Burdick 213
Public Panel Discussion
Nov. 18, 2021 | 7:30 p.m. | McCastlain Ballroom
Register for Zoom Link through UCA Outreach
Coming Spring 2022
A Love Supreme, jazz ensemble
Elizabeth Rush, environmental writing
American Horn Quartet, brass
LA Theatre Works, audio theatre
Chase Earles, pottery
Tanya Orellana, scenic design
Alejo Vietti, costume design
Gasali Adeyemo, fibers
Akeem Ayanbisi Ayanniyi, drums & drum making