STUDENT EXHIBITION: What’s At Our Core?

What’s at our Core? is a collection of self-portraits from one of the UCA Honors College’s Core IV/Junior Seminar classes, where students were asked to answer essential questions through portraiture: who am I and what do I look like to myself? With themes of academics, stress, changing identities, and everyday life, the students demonstrate who they are through a variety of different mediums. Each portrait, though they vary in levels of mimesis and intention, works to tell a story of a student through their own eyes. Many of the portraits seem to exist between who the artist has been and who they are becoming. This makes the gallery feel especially connected to Honors, since the course asks students to reflect on identity, purpose, and the world around them. By placing these portraits together, the gallery shows that self-hood is both personal and shared amongst peers. Each student’s portrait is individual, but many of the concerns behind them overlap: the desire to be understood, the stress of expectation, the search for direction, and the effort to define oneself.- Allison Dorer (Junior)

drawing of girl in front of window — My Contrast // Silvie Reid // April 10th, 2026 // Acrylic paint and canvas // 24” x 18” // This self portrait was inspired by the theme of growth, as both a person and as an artist. Using the concept of contrast as a way to compare my past with my present, I incorporated contrast into all elements of my piece. Color, composition, and stylistic approaches clash to form a dissonant effect. I am depicted sitting on the floor of my childhood bedroom, yet I am looking down on the viewer from my lowly position. This allows me to fill the room and canvas, as though I am outgrowing it. Strength, warmth, and wisdom collide as the bright and expressional background meets the more muted and refined foreground.

drawing of hands holding a bubble with the image of a girl inside staring at her phone — The Privilege of Having a Safe Bubble // Jurith Rodarte // 2026 // Digital Art // 30″ x 30″ // The immigrant parents have worked and sacrificed to give their children a life that they never had. My parents did not have the privilege of having a safe bubble and needed to move out of their home country to try to get a better life for their family. They were able to achieve this goal by providing one for their children, the first generation in a new country. The children were able to get the things they needed and wanted because of their parents. Acknowledging this privilege and doing the best you can, is a way to thank our parents for their hard work.

photo collage of woman with eyes closed — The Origins of a Music Fiend // Lauryn Jackson // April 11, 2026 // Photography and digital art // 18” x 20 // This is a portrait of my identity and journey as a musician. It serves as a memorial to and a visual history of my music career. This work also attempts to show how my relationship with music has shaped who I am. The musical selections featured are Down to the River, arranged by Michael Sweeny (far right); The Great Locomotive Chase by Robert W. Smith (right of center, left of center, and far left); B minor by Drouet (central vertical line); and Furaha! by Brian Beck (bottom horizontal line).

photo of boys in dorm room playing video games — Here and There // Jaden Ashford // 2026 // My Friend’s iPhone // 1477 x 2009 // Here and There presents two versions of myself: one is within a social group and another in isolation. Despite being surrounded by others, I remain somewhat detached, which reflects a sense of disconnection that persists across both settings. The contrast between these spaces suggests that loneliness is not limited to physical isolation, but can exist simultaneously within social interaction. The work explores the boundary between presence and absence, questioning whether one is ever fully “here” or completely “there.”

young Black man whose face is covered in a black cloud with words depicting challenges — International Student Taking a Selfie // Job Dan Karami // April 4, 2026 // Photography // 24″ x 36″ // The smile is a performance of ease. The red words layered over clouds tell the real story: Homesick, Healthcare, F-1, Academics, Culture, English, Taxes, Currency. This self-portrait reverses the hierarchy of foreground and background. What is usually invisible, the bureaucratic and emotional burden of the F-1 visa holder, becomes the only thing left to see.

young person sitting at desk with laptop — HeadSpace // Michael Santana // 4/12/26 // Mixed Media (Cardboard, Paper, Marker, Colored Pencil, Scrapbook Paper) // 10” x 8” // Michael Santana was born in Conway, AR and attends the University of Central Arkansas. Michaels’ work uses a variety of media within his portraiture and other works of art. In this portrait, Michael is shown working on college course work with a collage of symbol ridden pictures beyond the window pane. The collage of images is meant to represent the multiple facets of his life, habits, and personality.

sketch showing girl's image upside down and upside right — The Distance Between Us // Anahi Mojica // 2026 // Pencil and Colored Pencil on paper // 8.5 x 11 in. // The artwork displays Anahi Mojica at two separate stages of her life. The lower half depicts the artist at around the age of 11. Her youthful features are shaded in various colors of the rainbow to emphasize a child-like wonder environment. Surrounding her head are symbols that convey what she found important during that phase of life. The symbols consist of a flute, a dog paw, and a stack of books with an apple on top. Joining the two faces is a graduation gap, which conveys the unwavering importance of education throughout her life. On the upper portion of the piece is Mojica during her early 20s. The drawing consists of little color and is drawn only in pencil. Similar to her younger self, the older depiction is surrounded by detailed symbols that represent her goals and ambitions. These symbols are a human brain, a globe, a medical symbol, and a psychology logo.

drawing of two young girls — Fostered Out // Madison Hansen // Colored Pencil // 9″ x 12″ // The playground, although broken and run down on a hot summer’s day, still had enjoyment. Beginning in a place where the environment was isolated from people because of COVID, I felt a place of familiarity and togetherness with my little sister in foster care. The background of worry, despair, and potential uncertainty were quietly pushed behind us as we focused on the brighter side of life. In a dark time where most would have their doubts and be lost in the train of worry, we instead found each other to be hopeful and happy in our youth.

line drawing of girls face — Seasons // Alyssa Brown // 2026 // Colored Pencil on Paper // 11″ x 14″ // In Seasons, I challenged the idea that identity is fixed by layering the tracings of three photographs of myself over one another. At a quick glance, the portrait looks trippy and a little confusing, as there is a collection of random colors and facial features across the page. When you look closely, however, it is clear that there are different stages of life depicted by different colors: yellow for childhood innocence and happiness, blue for uncertainty and worry, and green for growth as one exits childhood and enters adulthood. This portrait serves as a visual archive for who we have been in the past, who we are today, and who we will be in the future.

photo of girl in library with poetry words around image — The Poet, The Reader, The Evolver // Charlee Davis // April 8, 2026 // Photography // 6″ x 4.5″ // “The Poet, The Reader, The Evolver,” displays the multi-dimensional layers of the artist. With the multiple layers of a photograph and its collaged poetry, shows the artist’s passion towards the ever changing aspects of her life. Created on April 8th, 2026, the artist aims to highlight just some of the identifying factors that surround the artist’s loves and passions. This 6in. x 4.5 in. portrait details the artist’s love for reading, music, poetry, and so much more in just one photo.

photo of boy under tree — All You Need Is Love; It Takes a Lot to Laugh (Self-Portrait on Color Film) // Dayne Coker // April 17 th, 2026 // Film Photograph // 25” x 17” // This was part of a series of photographs taken in the nature reserve. It depicts a moment of uncertain peace in a natural setting. The use of film photography was important in the qualities of color and detail, as well as the true uncertainty of the outcome. Appearance, expression, location, and medium were key in the composition in order to evoke the conflicts of irony and sincerity, people and nature, reality and unreality.

sketch of person in room with frames on walls — Shifted Reality // Ellie Carlisle // April 14, 2016 // Graphite on Paper // 8.5″ x 11″ // A self-portrait displaying the artist’s internal conflict between reality and perception. Just as mirrors can distort the world, perspectives can create inaccurate representations of ourselves. No matter the weight of the negative perceptions we have of ourselves, though, there is an enduring light in every person.

blue book and paper snippets — Portrait of a Semester // Allison N. Dorer/ 2026 // Mixed Media on Canvas // Constructed from notes, excerpts, clippings, and annotations gathered during the Spring 2026 semester, Self-Portrait of a Semester reimagines self-portraiture through the materials of scholarship rather than through physical likeness. By layering fragments from philosophy and political science readings onto canvas, the work presents identity as something that is shaped by study, thought, and intellectual labor. Its dense and crowded composition reflects the disorder and formative power of education as it is lived.

shirts and sports equipment from various college activities — The Sum of My Parts // Joshua Lee Garofalo // April 2026 // Digital Photography // 36″ x 48″ // What constitutes “likeness” when you cannot see a face? This piece is about fi guring out what makes up an identity through the things one uses every day and the people one surrounds oneself with. By particularly arranging things together in the piece, showing a student, an athlete, and a leader, it makes the viewer think about what makes up one’s identity, rather than just judging the physical appearance. The objects depicted, such as the lab goggles, the solAR jersey, and the fraternity polo, show that being a student, an athlete, and a leader are not distinct entities; they affect one another and help make up a singular self.

sketch of woman — Impressions // Celeste Rea-Garibay // 2026 // Mechanical Pencil and fingerprint ink on paper // 9″ x 12″ // This self-portrait captures a moment of unguarded laughter, intentionally resisting traditional expectations of beauty and composure. This representation of myself came from a reference photo of me, in a wide joy, laughing with my friends, careless to what I looked like on the other side of the camera. Rather than presenting an idealized version of myself, I chose to depict a genuine and loud expression: one that might be considered unflattering but is rooted in authenticity. The background is composed of layered fingerprints, including those of influential people in my life. While a fingerprint represents individuality, the accumulation of prints reflects how I am shaped by the people around me, hence why the fingerprints are all around me. My expression in this portrait is an impression I could never make on myself alone. My identity is not formed in isolation, but through the lasting impressions others leave on me. Ultimately, this piece suggests that beauty and identity exists not in perfection, but in authenticity, connection, and the freedom to exist.

sketch of woman in red and gray — Myself Unbroken // Alahna Sampson // April 13, 2026 // Colored Pencil on Paper // 8.5″ x 11″ // This self portrait explores and challenges identity, modernism, and likeness through abstraction. A one line self-portrait using both red and black colored pencils. The black line was drawn while only thinking about what I believed I looked like in my head. As I imagined myself, I let the pencil guide me. The red line represents what I saw in my reflection while drawing with a mirror in front of me. Rather than idealizing myself, the red line is what I saw with my eyes, not just my head. This drawing moves away from realism and captures identity in a fragmented and unfixed way.

collage of images — Self-Portrait on my Daily Walk // Connor Dow (b. 2005) // 2026 // Digital Photography // 24”x24” // When you make your daily commute, what do you tend to notice, or not notice? Why do you notice what you do? What does this attention reveal about you as a person: your priorities, values, and worldview?

image of man half in color and half in black and white — The Weight // Alex Roper // April 4, 2026 // Digital Photography/Composite Edit // 8″ x 8″ // Alex Roper’s The Weight explores the tension between the “socially acceptable mask” and our hidden internal life. The composition is split by a deliberate, unblended line—a boundary between the clear, approachable “self”and a monochromatic, blurred interior. Roper’s work highlights that the persona we “wear” for others is often just a layer placed over heavier, more difficult psychological realities. “I just wear the left side as a sweatshirt over my right side.”