Fine Arts Center Gallery

From the Thrivent Financial Collection of Religious Art, by way of ExhibitsUSA and Mid-America Arts Alliance, comes this exhibition featuring 40 works by two of the most famous printmakers — Albrecht Durer (German, 1471-1528) and Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn (Dutch, 1606-1669). Both artists are considered “masters of the line” and this exhibition demonstrates their facility with various printmaking techniques — from woodcut to engraving to etching with drypoint. The Inspired Line opens on February 4 and will continue through Friday, March 13, 2009. The exhibition is sponsored by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and is brought to the University of Arkansas through the Fine Arts Fee.

An illustrated lecture, “Durer and the Art of the Print” will be presented by Dr. Jeffrey Chipps Smith, Kay Fortson Chair in European Art at the University of Texas, Austin on Thursday, February 5 at 5:00 pm in Room 213 of the UA Fine Arts Center. A reception for The Inspired Line exhibition will follow in the Fine Arts Center Gallery.

Dr. Chipps Smith will also be giving a gallery talk on Thursday, Feb 5 at 1:30 pm. The public is invited to attend both events. For more information: 479-575-7987 or smitche@uark.edu.

The reception for Hank Kaminsky, originally scheduled for Thur, Jan 29, had to be cancelled, due to the ice storm that closed the UA campus this week! We hope to re-schedule later this spring…

Fayetteville sculptor, Hank Kaminsky, has installed three sculptures from his “Pages from the Book of the Earth” series on the University of Arkansas campus. The three bronze and steel pieces, Cloud Landscape, A New Spirit is Rising, and Compassion are located on the plaza area between the Arkansas Union and Mullins Library, where they will remain throughout the spring semester.

A reception commemorating the placement of these sculptures will be held on Thursday, January 29 from 4:00 – 6:00 pm in the Fine Arts Center lobby. The sculptures honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and are part of the related UA campus-wide celebration of Dr. King.

(NOTE: Lecture has been re-scheduled from the original date of January 27)

Mel Chin, the 2009 McIlroy Family Visiting Professor in the Visual Arts, will present a lecture on Tuesday, February 3 at 7:00 pm in the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall, Fine Arts Center, University of Arkansas campus.

“Trauma & The Mutative Process” is the title of Mel Chin’s talk, which will relate to his current project, Fundred, designed to highlight the issue of lead contaminated soil in New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Chin’s work has frequently dealt with social and political issues and recently he has turned to addressing matters related to the environment and sustainability. During his month-long residency at the University of Arkansas, he is leading an advanced conceptual art course and engaging the community in the Fundred project.