Special events to include exhibits, performances, Artists in Residence
The University of Central Arkansas College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences will celebrate the nation’s semiquincentennial with America at 250 Week Feb. 9-12. The week will feature exhibits, performances, events and Artists in Residence.
Two ongoing exhibits in UCA’s Baum Gallery will anchor the week: “America 250 Selfie Throne,” by Artist in Residence Kat Wilson, and “Ancestral Spirits: Stitching the Past to the Present,” by Artist in Residence Alice Aida Ayers. Support for these exhibitions comes from the UCA Artists in Residence Program and Visit Conway. The Baum Gallery, located in room 145 of McCastlain Hall on the UCA campus in Conway, is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visitor parking is located next door in front of and behind Wingo Hall. Additional information about these exhibitions and events is available by contacting Dr. Rachel Trusty at rtrusty1@uca.edu.
Other public events throughout the week will include:
Monday, Feb. 9
- Noon-2 p.m. – Artists in Residence ShoutHouse – Public Event: UCA Wind Ensemble Open Rehearsal, Concert Hall, Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts, 2150 Bruce Street, Conway.
- 5 p.m. – Public Event: Prelude Performance of Patriotic Music by Pinnacle Brass, Reynolds Performance Hall Lobby.
- 6 p.m. – Public Film Screening: “Hamilton” with Talkback by Renée Elise Goldsberry, Reynolds Performance Hall, presented in collaboration with UCA Public Appearances. Tickets are $28.75 for the general public, available at uca.edu/publicappearances/tickets. UCA students can receive up to two free tickets by visiting the box office at Reynolds Performance Hall or the Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts.
Tuesday, Feb. 10
- 1:40 p.m. – Public Lectures: Reflections on American Oratory and Dance, “Frederick Douglass on the National Anniversary” by Dr. Lori Leavell; “Magnetic Dancing ‘Revelations’” by Dr. Crystal Harris, Baum Gallery, McCastlain Hall.
- 7:30 p.m. – Public Concert: “Variations on America at 250,” featuring UCA Wind Ensemble, Dr. Dominic Talanca, conductor (University of Central Arkansas); Nicholas Enrico Williams, guest conductor (University of Georgia); Blake Arrington, clarinet soloist (U.S. Air Force Band); Will Healy, composer; and Artists in Residence ShoutHouse, guest artists. Concert Hall, Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts. General public tickets are available at uca.edu/publicappearances/tickets. UCA students can receive up to two free tickets by visiting the box office at Reynolds Performance Hall or the Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts.
Wednesday, Feb. 11
- 3:30 p.m. – Public Lecture: “Mother Ann Lee, the Shakers’ Radical Prophet: Women, Religious Expression, and American Identity,” by Dr. Taine Duncan, Fireplace Room, McCastlain Hall.
- 6:30 p.m. – Reading and Book Signing: “Under Alien Skies: Environment, Suffering, and the Defeat of the British Military in Revolutionary America” by Dr. Vaughn Scribner, Fireplace Room, McCastlain Hall.
Thursday, Feb. 12
- 1:40-3 p.m. – A 250 Gathering (With Cake), Baum Gallery, McCastlain Hall. This celebration will include a reading of the Declaration of Independence by President Houston Davis and a special semiquincentennial announcement; fife and drum performance by Katie McManus (percussion) and Kami Curtis (flute); performance of 18th-century American music by Dr. Ben Thorburn (harpsichord and vocals), Clara Spivey (flute), Mary Ruth Kitchens (vocals) and the UCA Collegium Singers; Independence Day Wish for America Tree; and interactive 250 Cabinets, created by first-year art students, inviting attendees to handle, reveal and reflect on the American experiment, Fireplace Room, McCastlain Hall.
- 6 p.m. – Public Event: Gallery Talk with Artist in Residence Kat Wilson, Baum Gallery, McCastlain Hall. The gallery will have extended hours from 5:30-7:30 p.m.
The UCA Artists in Residence program is funded by the Fine and Performing Arts Fee paid by all students, with additional support from Engage Management and Pyramid Art, Books, and Custom Framing. More information about the Artists in Residence program is available at uca.edu/go/artistsinresidence.
More information about America at 250 Week is available at uca.edu/cahss/america-at-250-week, or by contacting Dr. Gayle Seymour, associate dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, at gayles@uca.edu.