What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1285520
38 WHAT'S UP! SEPTEMBER 6-12, 2020 "The space is beautiful," she says. "We're trying to get students, faculty and people who come to the university to be exposed to what's happening in the greater community, sort of in their own house, so to speak. We invite them to come into ours, so it's kind of nice. "We've been doing themed exhibitions that align with cultural performances they've been hosting," Killian says of the Faulkner Center. "For example, we'll exhibit contemporary art in the Latinx diaspora, featuring artists who are from the Latinx community locally, regionally and internationally, and they'll usually have a Latinx performing artist come and do a show. We've also done shows with the Middle Eastern community, and we've done shows for Black History Month while [the Faulkner Center has] done programs relative to that. "We're trying to let people know," Killian asserts, "that they're welcome wherever Art Ventures is, that they belong there, and that we respect their cultural work and the words that come out of their culture. Everybody's culture has art, but it's not always prevalent. But, here, they can come to a place and see their language, written by themselves, or an interpretation of what they're trying to say with the work being expressed. The visual arts that we do have so many edges; so many turns of the diamond can be applied to it." Safety precautions will be in full effect at the Faulkner Center. Guests are asked to pre-screen for any covid-19 symptoms prior to attending any event. Masks are required, and guests are asked to keep a safe, six-foot distance from each other. There's also a limit of four guests at a time viewing the exhibit. Killian says Art Ventures will continue to forge new ground as the need for more online outreach continues through the pandemic. "We're still looking to create even better opportunities," she says. "We've applied for a grant and got it from the Regional Arts Service Organization. We're using it to try and create a new paradigm: an e-commerce site that's worth its salt. We're not sure how long this period is going to be and whether we're ever going back to the place we were before." Art Ventures Continued From Page 6 FAYETTEVILLE FYI 'The Shape of Our World' Artist Bios Maryam Amirvaghe was born in Tehran, Iran, in 1989. Amiravghe works across media creating paintings, video art and sculpture. She earned her MFA at the University of Arkansas in 2018 after completing her BFA at the Sooreh Art University in Tehran in 2013. She is an assistant director of exhibi- tions and instructor in the UA School of Art. Eric Andre is an interdisciplinary artist born and raised in Akumadan, Ghana. In 2010, he graduated from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology with a BA in industrial arts, majoring in ceramics. Currently, he is a second year MFA student in ceramics at the University of Arkansas. His works encapsulate both the functional and conceptual through sculpture pieces, fountains, souvenirs, vases and mixed-me- dia artifacts. Cheri Bohn grew up in north Texas in a small town called Decatur. She studied fine arts at the University of North Texas. In 1999, she and her family moved to Northwest Arkansas. Her journey with glass started in the early 1990s in college. After moving to the woods, she was inspired to combine tree roots. Beth Burgess, a primarily self-taught artist, was exposed to sculpture-making through a high school art class where she developed a love for the sensory satisfaction of manip- ulating clay and other materials. She even- tually discovered copper wire as a medium that presented fascinating opportunities. Beth's current practice involves re-imag- ining the potential of discarded objects into artworks that provoke an emotional response and questioning of societal norms from the viewer. Shelby Fleming holds a BFA in studio art from Southern Illinois University of Edwardsville and an MFA from the University of Arkansas School of Art. Fleming's studio practice is cross-disciplinary with a focus on sculpture, installation and performance art. Her most recent work focuses on how bodies occupy space physically and psychologically. Tom Flynn lives in Rogers, where he and his wife Susan recently moved to a smaller house with a bigger shop for his exten- sive found object metal collection. He has always been a creative person, brewing his own beer and playing several musical instruments; he started creating found object art in Austin, Texas, in 1998. Martin Morales was born in Canaguá, Mérida State, Venezuela on July 1, 1951. He studied at the Regional Workshop of Plastic Arts, INCIBA Tovar, Mérida State and Graphic Design, Pure Art in the Experimental Center of Art, University of the Andes, Mérida, Venezuela. Tom Flynn's work "Daffodil." (Courtesy Photo) Eric Andre's work at the Faulkner Performing Arts Center for Art Ventures exhibit, "The Shape of Our World." (Courtesy Photo)