Honors Education

UCA

Center for Creative Engagement: Arts and Well-Being in Action

What’s happening at the CCE in Spring 2026?

  • Beginning Tai Chi, Mondays 4-5 PM in Schichtl 115 (outside when weather permits)

  • Improv at the LLC (weekly workshop for all levels), Fridays 4-5 pm in Farris Hall Wolf Pack Lounge

  • It Can’t Happen Here (staged reading), Monday, February 16th, 7:30 PM, Farris Hall Wolf Pack Lounge

Other ongoing arts and well-being activities in Honors and around campus:

  • Knitwise (for yarns crafters of all levels), Thursdays at 3:00 pm in Schichtl 114

  • Contra Dance, ongoing, TBA

Pictured: "Dwindling Flame," Allison Brown, Piece done with pastels. Image description: Hand grasping lit matchstick between thumb and forefinger.
Pictured Above: “Dwindling Flame,” Allison Brown, Piece done with pastels. Image description: Hand grasping lit matchstick between thumb and forefinger.

Who We Are

An initiative of the Norbert O. Schedler Honors College, CCE serves as a central clearinghouse for arts and well-being research and teaching in the Honors College and at UCA. Through connections to Honors courses and student research, CCE generates new arts and creative engagement projects. Through support of Honors classroom activities, workshops, collaborations across campus, and partnerships with Central Arkansas community organizations, CCE grows the Norbert O. Schedler Honors College’s existing strengths as a community-focused, civically engaged, and creatively nurturing institution. Dr. Adam Frank , Honors faculty in anthropology and performance studies, is CCE’s inaugural coordinator.

 

Our Vision

We envision a learning environment where every participant sees themselves as an artist, using their creativity to enhance mental health and overall well-being. By integrating interactive creative activities and personal reflection, we aim to cultivate a community that values innovation, self-expression, and holistic approaches to health.

Our Mission

Our mission is to better understand the connection between creative expression and health by encouraging the exploration of creative approaches to well-being. Through interactive, arts-based experiences, we encourage students, faculty, and staff to recognize their artistic abilities and engage in meaningful reflections on the role of creativity in personal and holistic wellness. We aim to use these creative methods to inspire the UCA campus community, the city of Conway, and Central Arkansas. To fulfill this mission, we work together with charitable organizations and government entities to improve the health and well-being o four community.

Pictured Above: "Study Night," by Elizabeth Lopez Frame 1: A cute animals snoozing at desk with office items on all sides. Frame 2: The animal wakes up and asks “Huh? What happened? Where am I? What year is it? Frame 3: Holding Chinese take out box, animal asks “How long has this been here?” From out of frame someone says, “Hey Ben.” Frame 4: Second animal in frame with back to first animal, who asks, “Ahh, Jim, what are you doing here?” Second animal responds, “I don’t know. I woke up 30 minutes ago and am still trying to figure that out.” Frame 5: Second animal says “The last thing I remember is getting lunch.” Frame 6: First animal holds up food box and asks, “Was it Chinese food?” Second animals says “Yeah.” Frame 7: Both animals with backs to us. First animal says, “Do you want to share the leftovers?” Second animals says, “Yeah.”
Pictured Above: “Study Night,” by Elizabeth Lopez

Our Goals

  • CCE will partner with other UCA units, with state and local government, and with community organizations on co-generated projects and programming, many of which will  integrate with existing course service projects.
  • CCE will be a “laboratory of innovation” and a place for “co-curricular opportunities.
  • CCE will enhance Honors programming through a focus on arts-based workshops, research, and experiential learning components
  • CCE’s academic focus on the creative act as it benefits and heals individuals and communities will be unique on our campus and perhaps in our state.
  • CCE will be both a clearinghouse that highlights existing work in arts and civic engagement and incubates student and faculty research on creative approaches to civic engagement.