The University of Central Arkansas College of Fine Arts and Communication will soon expand its campus residency program with public presentations at the William J. Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock. The series, titled ?The Arts and the Presidency,? will showcase appearances by William J. Ivey, Ellen Gilchrist and Denyce Graves.
All events are free and open to the public and will take place on Sunday afternoons at the Clinton Presidential Center. Receptions either precede or follow each event.
For more information, contact Terry Wright, Associate Dean, College of Fine Arts and Communication, University of Central Arkansas, at (501) 450-3295 or email terryw@uca.edu.
William J. Ivey, who served as National Endowment for the Arts Chair during the Clinton Presidency, will speak at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 25, in the Garden View Room at the Clinton Presidential Center. A reception will precede the event beginning at 2:15 p.m.
In May, 1998, Bill Ivey was unanimously confirmed by the Senate to be the seventh chair for the National Endowment for the Arts. As director of the agency, Ivey developed a strategic, five-year plan. His concept became the basis for Challenge America ? a program designed to support arts education, services for young people, cultural heritage preservation, and community partnerships. Ivey was committed to making NEA funding more accessible and reducing geographic inequalities in the funding process by instituting ArtsREACH ? a three-year by extending support to twenty states previously underrepresented in NEA grantmaking.
From 1971 to 1998, Bill Ivey served as director of the Country Music Foundation in Nashville, Tennessee, an accredited nonprofit education and research center. In 1994, Ivey was appointed to the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, where he was a major contributor to “Creative America,” an analysis of American cultural life. He also served two terms as chairman of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences.
Ellen Gilchrist, Arkansas writer and novelist, will speak at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 23, in the Garden View Room at the Clinton Presidential Center. A reception will precede the event and begins at 2:15 p.m.
Gilchrist is the author of over twenty books, including novels, short fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. Her collection of stories, Victory Over Japan, received a National Book Award, and her Collected Stories appeared in 2000. Her most recent book is The Writing Life. Other works include The Annunciation, In the Land of Dreamy Dreams, Light Can Be Both Wave and Particle, The Anna Papers, and others.
Gilchrist earned a B.A. from Millsaps College in 1967, and later did postgraduate study at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. She has worked as an author and journalist, as a contributing editor for the Vieux Carre Courier from 1976-1979, and as a commentator on National Public Radio?s Morning Edition from 1984-1985. Her commentaries from NPR have been published in her book Falling Through Space. Gilchrist lives in Fayetteville and teaches creative writing at the University of Arkansas.
Denyce Graves, recognized worldwide as one of today?s most popular vocal stars, will perform, as will members of UCA?s Department of Music, at 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 12 in the Great Hall at the Clinton Presidential Center. A reception will follow the performance.
Known for her expressive vocalism and charismatic stage presence, Graves pursues a wide range of operatic portrayals and has frequently appeared in concert with internationally renowned orchestras. She made her Metropolitan Opera debut in the 1995-96 season in the title role of Bizet’s Carmen. She returned the following season to sing the role in the Met’s opening night opposite Placido Domingo. She appears regularly on radio and television as a musical performer, celebrity guest, and as the subject of documentaries. She has been a frequent visitor to popular television shows including Sesame Street, The Charlie Rose Show, and Larry King Live. In 1996, she was the subject of an Emmy-award-winning profile on CBS’ 60 Minutes. Graves has performed in many recordings of operas and in recital. Her recordings also include Denyce Graves: A Cathedral Christmas, The Lost Days, featuring jazz musicians in Latin songs in the Spanish and Portuguese languages, and Church, which brings together African-American divas from various genres of music, all of whom were first exposed to music through church.
In 2003, Graves was appointed a Cultural Ambassador for the United States and now travels around the world under the auspices of the State Department. She is the recipient of many awards, including the Grand Prix du Concours International de Chant de Paris, a grant from the Richard Tucker Music Foundation, the Grand Prix Lyrique, and the Marian Anderson Award.
Graves is a native of Washington, D.C., where she attended the Duke Ellington School for the Performing Arts. She continued her education at Oberlin College Conservatory of Music and the New England Conservatory. Graves was named one of the “50 Leaders of Tomorrow” by Ebony Magazine and was one of Glamour Magazine’s 1997 “Women of the Year.” She has been invited on several occasions to perform in recital at the White House.
