The University of Central Arkansas will host the Annual Student Art Competitive (ASAC) running March 9-22 in Baum Gallery. A reception will be held on Thursday, March 9, at 4 p.m.
ASAC provides an opportunity for students to participate in a competitive and curated museum exhibition. The exhibition gives students a chance for their work to be selected where it can seen in a more critical way. UCA students are allowed to submit up to three different artworks for possible inclusion during the event. Their work is juried, and multiple awards are available during the competition.
“We encourage all art students at the university to submit for the competitive,” said Brian Young, Baum Gallery director. “It gives them an opportunity to meaningfully participate in a museum setting.”
This year’s juror is Therese Bembnister, curator for the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts (AMFA) in Little Rock. Bembnister recently led the AMFA’s “Delta Voices: Artists of the Mid-South,” a limited podcast and video series highlighting emerging artists. She also organized AMFA’s partnership with Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art and the Mississippi Museum of Art.
Bembnister earned a Master of Arts in art history and museum studies from Case Western Reserve University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Kansas City Art Institute. Prior to joining AMFA, Bembnister served curatorial positions at Akron Art Museum in Ohio, the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum in Kansas and the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition.
All UCA students are welcome to participate. Submissions will be accepted at the Baum Gallery from Feb. 27–March 3, 2023, between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. The artists’ names will be posted on the doors of the Baum Gallery on March 3. All accepted works will be installed in the Baum Gallery. Support for this exhibition comes from the UCA Department of Art and Design and the student arts fee.
ABOUT BAUM GALLERY
The Baum Gallery is focused on providing contemporary art to inspire UCA students. It develops exhibitions and events that invite interaction and encourage dialogue about visual art. Updates about events can be found on the Baum Gallery website, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Baum Gallery is free and open to the public Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. with extended hours on Thursday until 7 p.m. Baum Gallery is located inside McCastlain Hall on the UCA Campus at 201 Donaghey Ave., Conway, Arkansas.
