Volume V, Issue 1 University of Central Arkansas Winter 2011-2012

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On The Cover: TAO - Art of Drum. From the Dean

Dear alumni and friends,

Academic year 2010/11 was a very productive time for the College of Fine Arts and Communication at the University of Central Arkansas. Every aspect of what we do in our

programs and at Reynolds Performance Hall continues to grow in both numbers and stature. This edition of the CFAC Leader portrays some of the high points of our most recent work and accomplishments.

Much of what we achieve is the result of our outstanding faculty and very talented students, who select UCA as their university of choice to pursue studies in our various disciplines and programs. We are very fortunate to have achieved recognition for many of our achievements and accomplishments and, over the last few years, the College of Fine Arts and Communication has received national attention from the media. By working together and strategically planning for the future, we can see that our future continues to look bright and promising and that more recognition is in store.

I hope that you will find the Leader enjoyable and informative. If we can assist you with knowing more about our programs, please feel free to be in touch.

Sincerely,

Rollin R. Potter, Dean

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Fine Arts Comm/Unity

Leader

Volume VIssue 1

Winter 2011-2012

The Leader is the newsletter

of the University of Central

Arkansas College of Fine Arts and Communication.

Address:Harrin Hall

201 Donaghey Ave.

Conway, AR72035

Web:www.uca.edu/

CFAC

Facebook:UCA College of Fine Arts and

Communication

Publisher:CFAC Office of

the Dean

Editor:Donna

Lampkin Stephens

Student Intern:Philip

Seaton

For The Love Of The Job“We have a great student-centered faculty. Our students love our faculty ... because their professors are so concerned about them.”

Dr. James HikinsChair

Department of Communication

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Dr. James Hikins probably does more before work than most do in a day, and he doesn’t mind.

“I am one of those people who gets up in the morning and I want to come to work,” he said.

Hikins wakes at 5 a.m., answers a few e-mails, does some reading and re-search, then makes breakfast for his wife, Denise.

Then it’s off to work, his passion. The new chair of the Department of

Communication wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I love the job,” he said, “but it’s not an 8-to-5 job. I am usually here until at least 4:30 [p.m.], sometimes later, and there’s hardly a weekend that passes that I am not on campus doing something. It keeps me busy, but I love it. It’s a great job.”

Hikins, a native of Staten Island, N.Y. , came to UCA from the College of Wooster in Ohio.

“I find UCA to be a really neat place to work,” he said. “It’s been great and every-one has been really supportive. It’s really a beautiful campus to be on.”

Some may see the pairing of public relations and speech communication under the same umbrella as odd, but Hikins thinks it is a perfect match.

“I am sure that people might ask, ‘Why do you have public relations and speech communication in the same depart-ment?’” he said.

“Some of my faculty might disagree with me, but both units do the same thing in a sense. Their purpose is to study and teach issues, symbolically induced, on how people use symbols to persuade audiences on beliefs, attitudes and values.”

The public relations degree, though fairly new in realitive terms on campus, has really taken flight.

“We have actually quite a few more public relations majors than we do speech majors, although I think there

are unique reasons for that,” Hikins said. “We are trying to change that, so I think that will balance out in the future. It’s a very attractive major and there are jobs — we place many of our graduates.”

One thing that Hikins said makes both degree programs stand out is the fac-ulty.

“We have a great student-centered faculty; our students love our faculty,” he said. “One of the things that brought me here was the number of comments through e-mail that I got after my initial interview. Many students really, really love to go to school here because their professors are so concerned about them.”

Hikins said he wants to improve UCA’s footprint on a broader scale in terms of impact that the faculty and students have.

“I want to see our research profile significantly increased so we are not just a teaching department but a research department,” he said. “We have lots and lots of young, very bright faculty members who I think can contribute to the literature in this field and push the boundaries in knowledge and communi-cation research forward.”

If the name Toad Suck doesn’t sound familiar, then you haven’t spent much time around Conway.

The Toad Suck Review made its local debut in March with a rooftop celebration in downtown Conway that left partygoers with an easy view of the symbolic Toad Suck square that has long become a symbol for Conway.

It was that train of thought that Editor-in-Chief Mark Spitzer, an associate professor of writing at the University of Central Arkansas, had when a change was necessitated for the former journal — the Exquisite Corpse Annual. That Annual, like the Review, was produced by the Department of Writing.

“We wanted it to become less of a post-modern, surreal-content [journal] and be more of an Arkansas-based, a place-based journal,” Spitzer said. “ We wanted to have this journal set in a place that is the place we are. We want to look at the world from Toad Suck and feature more

Arkansas writers, but we want to be recognized as a regional journal as well as a national literary journal.”

Spitzer says the combination of the two incongruous words is striking and already garnering positive attention for the publication.

“We debuted the journal at the American Writing Programs conference in Washington, D.C., in February,” he said. “We had a promotional table that said Toad Suck

Review, and thousands of people walked by. Everybody laughed, but most stopped and came over and looked at the journal. That’s the reception we got nationally where people are unfamiliar with those two words.”

Spitzer wasn’t alone in the name change as the Department of Writing faculty came up with the name.

“Locally, I think there are a lot of people in Arkansas that are familiar with that name, so it’s not quite as shocking,” he said.

While the name may be local, as well as some of the content, the first Review has other works from all over the world, from such writers as Kevin Brockmeier, Alfredo Benavidez Bedoya, Leticia Luna, Xaviera Hollander, Lawrence Ferlinghetti and William Lychack.

“It’s a cutting-edge literary journal that mutated from a very colorful and infamous literary journal,” Spitzer said. “Now it’s growing into its own strange skin.”

Toad Suck Transition For UCA Journal

FRONT COVER: Spitzer says that the front cover of the

inaugural issue of the Toad Suck Review was a picture he had

been aware of since he was a child growing up in Minnesota. He never knew that the photo

was snapped after a catch on the White River in Arkansas.

TOAD SUCK REVIEW

TOAD SUCK REVIEW

#1

Antler | Alfredo Benavidez Bedoya | Jose Perez Beduya Marck Beggs | Teresa Bergen | Kevin Brockmeier

Perrin Carrell | Jack Collom | Cathy Day Lawrence Ferlinghetti | Menachem Feuer | Mr. Stir Fry

David Gessner | Daniel Grandbois | Johnnie M. Gray Jack Hirschman | Julee Jaeger | Xaviera Hollander

Toshiya Kamei | Kelvin Krill | Anna Leahy Lyn Lifshin | Leticia Luna | William Lychack

David X. Machina | Myron Michael | Poetry Class Jacques Prevert | C. Prozak | Bernard Reed Norman R. Shapiro | Davis Schneiderman

Willie Smith | Timothy Snediker | Mike Topp Stephanie Vanderslice | C.D. Wright

The Toad Suck Review is published by the

University of Central Arkansas Department of Writing

and can be purchased for $15 at the UCA Bookstore, Hastings,

Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble; or e-mail toadsuckreview@gmail.com

to find out how to purchase through the mail.

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Mark SpitzerEditor-in-Chief

Toad Suck Review

“We want to be

recognized as a

regional journal

as well as a national

literary journal.”

Film By UCA Professor Garners National Praise

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Table at Luigi’s, a feature film by the University of Central Arkansas’ Digital Filmmaking program, has made the rounds nationally and was even honored as the “Best in Show” at the Indie Fest in La Jolla, California.

The “Indie” award goes to those filmmakers who produce fresh, standout entertainment, animation and compelling documentaries.

The film was written and directed by Joe Dull, assistant professor of digital filmmaking, and was shot in July 2009 in Conway. The film has been in the works for more than a decade.

“We made Luigi’s to give our students the opportunity to work on something like this, and winning the Indie is a great feather in our cap,” he said. “It also built up the resumes of many students now entering the workforce. We’re really excited and proud.”

The film also utilized the talents of UCA faculty members Mike Gunter, director of photography; Scott and Shauna Meador, set and costume designers; Paul Dickinson, composer;  and cast members Chris Fritzges and Bob May, with UCA students making up the rest of the crew.

April 12, 2010World PremiereUniversity of Central ArkansasConway, Arkansas

June 6, 2010Screening and Director’s Q&A Little Rock Film FestivalLittle Rock, Arkansas

August 9, 2010Screening and Director’s Q&A The Art Mission and TheatreBinghamton, New York

August 13, 2010Screening & Filmmaking Crew presentationUniversity Film & Video Association ConferenceChamplain CollegeBurlington, Vermont

September 3, 2010Screening with Director Q & AChapman UniversityOrange, California

September 5, 2010Screening with Director Q & AThe Center Stage TheatreFontana, California

October 29/November 4, 2010Southern Appalachian International Film FestivalScreening & added to Film ArchiveKingsport, Tennessee & Knoxville, Tennessee (two screenings)

October 12, 2010Winner of “Best in Show” Indie FestLa Jolla, California

March 27, 2011 Screening with Director Q & AOzark Foothills Film FestivalBatesville, Arkansas

April 26, 2011 Screening with Director Q & APenn State, BradywineMedia, Pennsylvania

April 30, 2011Winner, Best Romance FilmNominated Best Actor Screening with Director Q & ABarebones Film FestivalMuskogee, Oklahoma

May 14, 2011ScreeningSilver Moon CinemaConway, Arkansas

June 23, 2011Winner “Love is in the Air” AwardScreeningFilm Festival of ColoradoDenver, Colorado

July 15, 2011Official Finalist AwardLas Vegas Film FestivalLas Vegas, Nevada

July 9, 2011Nominated: Grand Prix (Feature Film)Nominated: Best ActorScreeningVan Wert Film FestivalVan Wert, Ohio

November 21, 2011AETN broadcast

Timeline and Awards for Table at Luigis

“Words can’t say how appreciative I am of the community, both UCA and Conway, for the amazing support that they’ve shown.”

UCA Assistant Professor Joe Dull

Barclay McConnell hit the ground running.

McConnell started in July as the director of the Baum Gallery of Fine Art on the campus of the University of Central Arkansas.

She replaced Barbara Satter-field, who retired in May after spending 10 years in charge of the gallery.

“I moved into a brand new house and started here a few days later,” McConnell said. “I love it. I have had the warmest, friendliest reception of anywhere I’ve lived in the world.”

And that says a lot since McCo-nnell has been everywhere from Peru to New York City with points in between in her career travels before landing in Conway.

Most recently, the Mobile, Ala., native was the manager of artist services for the Durham, N.C., Arts Council.

“I had no interest in moving to Arkansas,” she said. “I wanted to move closer to my family and was looking at positions and this one came up. A friend of mine recently got a job at the Crystal Bridges Museum in northwest Arkansas and she loved living in Arkansas

and told me that I should apply. “I came out for the interview

and just loved it and accepted the job as soon as it was offered to me.”

McConnell was also impressed with the Baum Gallery the first time she saw it.

“It’s a great gallery with a lot of space,” she said. “A lot of universi-ties don’t have near the space this one has. It has a nice size, is well-kept and well-maintained.”

McConnell wears many hats

working at the gallery, from some light teaching duties to fundrais-ing and everything in between. While she welcomes that chal-lenge, she is also glad to have someone to call for advice, if she needs to.

“Barbara was here for 10 years, so I’ve got some big shoes to fill,” McConnell said. “I can call her up and and say, ‘What’s this?’ and she has been really helpful, though I try to not bother her that much.”

While the hats she wears may vary, one thing McConnell said she would like to see is people just coming to the gallery.

“I want people to come in and discover something new,” she said. “I want the Baum to be a place where people come.”

And how would McConnell do that?

“I see art as a fun mind game. When you come into a gallery, even if it’s something you like or something you don’t, interacting with it on why you like it or why you don’t, and what message the artist was trying to convey,” she said. “It’s just really a fun way to ex-ercise your mind, and that appeals to a lot of people. It’s a neat thing.”

A World Of Experience:McConnell

NewDirector

Of Baum Gallery

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“I want the Baum to be a place were

people come.”

Barclay McConnellDirector of Baum Gallery of Fine Art

Pictured above, photography by UCA students on display at the Baum Gallery of Fine Art during the fall semester. The new director of the Baum Gallery, Barclay McConnell, has called photography one of her favorite art forms.

In October, the Arkansas Department of Higher Education approved a master of fine arts program in Creative Writing at the University of Central Arkan-sas.

Housed in the university’s Department of Writing in the College of Fine Arts and Communication, the Arkansas Writers MFA Program has grown out of a special focus on the literary arts at UCA, which not only features undergraduate majors in writing, cre-ative writing and linguistics but is also home to the international literary journal the Toad Suck Review and the award-winning undergraduate journal the Vortex, as well as the award-winning literary maga-zine the Oxford American.

The MFA degree in Creative Writing is considered a terminal degree in the discipline. The only other degree of its kind in the state is at the University of Arkansas.

“Years of work on the part of core UCA faculty, in-cluding Associate Professor of Creative Writing Mark Spitzer, who wrote the program proposal, have gone into making this a deliberate, innovative program that is serious about preparing the next generation of writers to succeed in the 21st-century literary landscape,” said Dr. Stephanie Vanderslice, associate professor of creative writing and the program’s first director, who has published three books on re-en-visioning creative writing in higher education, most recently Rethinking Creative Writing.

She added, “And this is only the beginning.”Faculty from the Department of Writing devel-

oped a diverse graduate writing curriculum and cultivated editing and publishing opportunities through the campus’ two national literary maga-zines. Billed as an innovative studio program, the Arkansas Writers MFA at UCA will focus on exten-sive courses in craft taught by practicing writers, as well as courses in editing and publishing and in the teaching of writing and creative writing.

Students in the graduate program will take classes in teaching composition and creative writing from leading scholars in the field and will gain experience teaching both courses on the undergraduate level.

They will also have the opportunity to pursue a number of internships in the local and regional arts culture.

Rollin Potter, dean of the UCA College of Fine Arts and Communication, noted that “UCA has taken a leadership position in many arts areas that bring the very best in fine arts learning to our state and region. Offering a Master of Fine Arts degree in Cre-ative Writing is ‘another jewel’ in the UCA fine arts crown, and an accomplishment that confirms our

outstanding faculty and support of arts programs.”Central Arkansas has become increasingly fertile

ground for a burgeoning arts culture that has been profiled in the Chronicle of Higher Education and demonstrated by the growth of the Artists in Resi-dence series at UCA as well as the Conway ArtsFest, UCA’s Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre and the Ar-kansas Literary Festival.

The Arkansas Writers MFA Program at UCA, moreover, is complemented by an MFA Program in Digital Filmmaking that has been growing since it was established by the Department of Mass Com-munication and Theatre in 2007.

Fall 2012 will launch the first class of the Arkansas Writers MFA Program, a three-year, 60-credit degree program that will also include the production of a thesis containing original literary work.

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Advanced Degree In Creative Writing

CFAC Receives Approval:

Dr. Stephanie Vanderslice

Program Director

“ ... this is a deliberate, innovative program that is serious about preparing the next

generation of writers to succeed ...”

Sometimes location really does matter.

Such is the case with the University of Central Arkansas and one of the jewels of

the campus — the Reynolds Performance Hall.

The campus’ close proximity to one of the major interstate corridors in the United States gives UCA Director of Public Appearances Jerry Biebesheimer some options when it comes to booking shows, especially Broadway, for the performance hall.

“Fortunately we are on I-40

and everybody goes east to west and everyone tends to go out on (Interstate) 80 and back on 40 or the other way around, so there is a real good chance they are going to be coming by us,” he said. “The Broadway agents now all know me, so we’ll have conversations in September about what’s going on next year. We then have conversations back here about what’s possible, and I’ll say to agents, ‘These would be my first four picks.’

“Then sometime around January all of the rest of the routing gets

nailed down and they’ll say, ‘Oh yeah, we can bring you Stomp but it has to be this day because that’s the day we are going past on I-40.’”

Such flexibility is now needed by Biebesheimer with the addition of 11 more performances, starting with the 2010-11 season, and establishment of four different series that now make up a season — Nostalgia, Lecture, Night Out and Broadway.

The increase in the number of performances — from eight to 19 — and creation of a series was inspired by former UCA President Allen Meadors.

“When Dr. Meadors arrived, he told me, the dean and the provost he thought that the performing arts series was an important thing for the university and it makes a statement of what kind of university this is and makes it to a really big audience,” Biebesheimer said. “This is my speech that I give to every president, but he gave it to us, so that was pretty exciting, and he said we need to increase what we are doing.”

And they did by bringing in a wide variety of acts from the Broadway hit Cats to famed author Nicholas Sparks.

With such an increase in the number of events, Biebesheimer was concerned about the public response.

“You can’t say to people, ‘You can buy single tickets or you can buy all 19 of them, that’s just expecting an awful lot,” he said. “So we broke it down into interest areas. It makes it a little easier to market and it makes it a little easier to decide, ‘I really want to go to all of those oldies but I really don’t want to go to all of this Broadway stuff, so I’ll just buy tickets to the Nostalgia.’

“It’s really surprising and

“There is a lot stuff happening here and in the community that you don’t

see in other parts of the state.”

Jerry BiebesheimerDirector of Public Appearances

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If writer/director Spike Lee makes a movie about the Little Rock Nine, his lecture at Reynolds Performance Hall on February 7, 2011, might have done the trick.

After the lecture and during the ques-tion-and-answer session of the evening, Lee was shocked to discover that one of the Little Rock Nine — Minnijean Brown-Trickey — was in attendance.

Lee then invited Trickey on stage, where the two conversed and delighted the audience with their discussion.

“When I picked him up at the airport, he probably spoke four sentences between the airport and here,” UCA Director of Public Appearances Jerry Biebesheimer said. “His agent said it’s not like he doesn’t care about you, he just doesn’t talk, that’s all. After that show he was pumped up, he was chattering all the way back to the ho-tel, and he said, ‘I have talked in Little Rock before but I don’t remember it, I have just done so many of these things … but I can guarantee you one thing, I will never for-get tonight.’ He said that was as exciting to him to have one of the Little Rock Nine there as it was for everybody else to have Spike Lee there.”

Famed Director Has Memorable Visit

Famed Director Has Memorable Visit

gratifying that a good number of people said, ‘I want to do it all,’ because I really didn’t know that Conway would even want to come to Reynolds 19 or 20 times a year, but they do.”

The larger season didn’t hurt ticket sales.

“We had eight sellouts,” Biebesheimer said. “(During the 2010-11 season) we had good sells on almost every event, so it was a positive response, and I have gotten so much positive feedback in so many places.”

Not only does Biebesheimer bring in outside talent, he also works with others on campus to ensure that Reynolds is available to them.

“I try to make a real effort with the university,” Biebesheimer said. “I sit down with the theatre director, the band director, the choir director and people who do opera in late September and early October and say, ‘Next year what dates are we looking at, so we can work around those.’ Every once in a while, something comes up. It happened with Wynton Marsalis, and I called up the band director and asked can I move your performance to this date so we can bring in Wynton Marsalis and he said, ‘Can I get tickets?’ They are very cooperative.”

One of the things that makes Biebesheimer’s job easier is the building itself — which can seat 1,200.

“First thing they’ll (performers) say is, ‘When was this built?’ And we’ll say, ‘This is the 11th season.’ They’ll say, ‘No it’s not; it looks new,” he said. “The people who have been here before me, and the people who are here with me now, take immense pride in the

space. Everybody thinks it was built two years ago because it’s kept in really good shape.”

The performers also like the feeling of being close to the audience.

“It’s a really nice multi-purpose space,” Biebesheimer said. “When you put the shell in it makes a really good concert hall. It can do Broadway shows. It can do dance. It is big enough that we can bring in pretty major acts, but it’s small enough if that if you are sitting in the back you don’t feel like you are. It’s a very intimate theater, despite the fact that it seats 1,200 people. It’s a nice place to be in the audience, and it’s a nice place to be on stage.”

The building itself is one of the reasons why Biebesheimer relocated from Jonesboro in September 2008.

He had been in charge of the Fowler Center at Arkansas State University.

“The space in Jonesboro is a concert hall,” he said. “While you can do every kind of concert there phenomenally, you can’t really do anything else. I wanted to be involved in theatre, dance and those kinds of things, but they were not a possibility there, so from that point of view there is a lot more that the Reynolds Performance Hall can do that the Fowler Center can’t.

“I also thought Conway would be a place I preferred living to Jonesboro just because of where it is located and all that’s going on here. UCA has the Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre; the Conway Symphony is here, and there is just a lot stuff happening here and in the community that you don’t see in other parts of the state.”

The EchoFirst place overall

Newspaper General Excellence

First PlaceTaylor Lowery - Editorial writing,

Taylor Lowery - Editorial page design

Preston Tolliver - General column

writing

Heather Chiddix - Editorial cartoon

Second PlaceLance  Coleman - Cartoon strip

Heather Chiddix - Editorial cartoon

Jillian Browder - Sports feature

writing

Third PlaceTaylor Lowery - News writing

Ben Keller and Julian Spivey- Sports

writing

Mary DeLoney - Sports feature

writing

Mizuki Sasaki - Single advertisement

Preston Tolliver- Reporter of the Year

Honorable MentionTaylor Lowery - Feature writing

Taylor Lowery - Editorial writing

Allison Hartman - Meeting/Speech

coverage

Carissa Gan- Personality profile

Marcus Ferreira - Editoral Cartoon

The VortexFirst place overall

Magazine General Excellence

First PlaceWebsiteSpread DesignsKatherine Bullington- PoetrySamantha White- TypographyBernard Reed- Fiction writingKristin Spickard- PhotographyGrace Waldner- ArtworkSecond PlaceContents page designThird PlaceElizabeth Arnold- Poetry

ScrollFourth place overallGeneral excellence

First PlaceAcademic LayoutTypographic PresentationSteven Davis- Art/Illustration photoSecond PlaceTypographic PresentationClosing Theme PageFeature Layout (twice)Aaron Newton- Academics photoThird PlaceAcademic LayoutStudent Life LayoutIntroduction Theme PageHonorable MentionSamantha Lambert- Student Life writing

Emily Avery- Sports photo

Ashley Byrd-Pharr- Organizations

writng

News 6First place overall

Television General Excellence

First PlaceRegularly occuring newscast

Television computer graphics

Web edition

Han Zhao- Producer/Director of the

Year

Han Zhao - Script writing

Sam Walker- Sports Reporting

Chelsi Huddleston- Weather

Anna Alderson- Anchor of the Year

Second PlaceRegularly occuring newscast

Contents page design

David Long- Producer/Director of

the Year

Barry Bartoszek- Anchor of the Year

Anna Alderson- Television feature

Courtney Howard- Sports reporting

Kari Anne Servedio- Weather

Han Zhao- News reporting

Sam Walker- News reporting

Third PlaceRegularly occuring broadcast

David Long- Feature reporting

Phil Seaton- Sports reporting

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Not only did the University of Central Arkansas host the 2011 Arkansas College Media Association awards banquet in April at Stanley Russ Hall, UCA students claimed numer-ous awards at the luncheon.

UCA won three of four general excellence awards in the competition against other colleges from across the state.

The Echo won first place in the general excellence newspaper category, the Vortex won in the magazine category and News 6 won in the television category.

UCA publications also won several other awards.

UCA Students Claim Top

Media Awards

Dirty Dozen Brass Band

The jazz ensemble Dirty Dozen Brass Band , which

headlined the 2010 ArtsFest, performing at Simon Park in

downtown Conway, is an example of the types of artists brought in during

CFAC’s Artist in Residence series. The group also appeared

on campus. The 170-member

UCA Bear Marching Band joined the DDBB at Simon Park.

 As part of the residency, the DDBB worked with

UCA music students and gave a public performance

at the Christian Cafeteria.

UCA Continues All-Steinway School Status

For more information about the All-Steinway project, contact

Dr. Jeff Jarvis at jarvisj@uca.edu or call (501) 450-3163.

The Conway Men’s Chorus made a $1,000 donation to the University of Central Arkansas’s College of Fine Arts and Communication and Department of Music as UCA pursues All-Steinway School status. The university recently announced its commitment to become the next All-Steinway School in Arkansas, a distinction achieved by only 118 schools across the globe.

“We are very appreciative of groups such as the Conway Men’s Chorus and their willingness to support the Steinway Project, which for decades to come will bring the very best pianos into the lives of thousands of UCA students,” said Dr. Rollin Potter, dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communication.

For more than 150 years, Steinway & Sons has remained a benchmark by which all other pianos are measured. The company remains dedicated to the ideal of making each individual piano the finest in the world.

Steinway pianos are handcrafted and involve more than 12,000 specific parts assembled by 450 people. Each Steinway grand piano takes nearly a year to create.

Five Steinways came to the school during summer 2010 as university officials announced a $1 million private fundraising campaign through the UCA Foundation to secure the funds needed to replace 90 percent of the university’s remaining piano inventory with Steinway products. More than $400,000 has already been raised.

The Conway Men’s Chorus donation will go toward the remainder.

“Since the College of Fine Arts and Communication is one of our sponsors, this is the least we can do,” said Mike McCullars, president of the Conway Men’s Chorus. “We’ll be using those pianos a couple of times a year, and we know that they’ll make us sound even better.”

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The University of Central Arkansas College of Fine Arts and Communication’s annual spring celebration in April welcomed back two distinguished alumna and honored current students as well.

Monica Steinberg, a 2004 graduate of UCA and a PhD candidate in art history at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, presented an insightful lecture on the “Facebook Generation” to the gathered faculty, staff, students and guests.

Katherine Vasilos, a 2009 graduate, talked about how her degree in public relations helped prepare her for her

work as the director of communications for the Arkansas Republican Party.

While the various department chairs handed out awards, the dean of the College of Fine Arts and Com-munication, Dr. Rollin Potter, presented the college’s top award to art student Mizuki Sasaki.

“I feel so honored to have won the award,” Sasaki said. “I wasn’t expecting it.”

Pinnacle Brass welcomed the crowd with musical preludes while the Jazz Ensemble entertained the crowd following the presentation.

Make Friends! , an exhibit by UCA art student Mizuki Sasaki, was on display in

the fall semester in the Baum Gallery of Fine Art.

Sasaki was honored as the top

student at the College of Fine Arts and

Communication Spring Celebration in April. Sa-

saki’s exhibit allowed visi-tors to the gallery to make

their own “Friends” out of paper.

Annual Celebration Honors CFAC Students

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Kelly Johnson, principal clarinetist for the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra and associate professor of clarinet at the University of Central Arkansas, has released a new CD titled “Child’s Play”.

The CD is full of music she has commissioned and has enjoyed throughout her career and most importantly was inspired by her young son, Aaron, 8.

“All of the pieces have something to do with a story, song or dance.” Johnson said

Several of the pieces were written for the CD.

Songs on the CD include pieces by Eric Mandat (“The Moon in My Window”), Rodney Rogers (“Dance Duo”), J.M. David (“Distrocto”), Philip Parker (“Merry Music”, “Grooves”, “Story Hour”), and Dejan Despic (“9 Dances”).

“One of the pieces, ‘Moon in My Window,’ was written for my son.” Johnson said. “It takes you through a day in the life of a child.”

The piece was inspired by the children’s book by Crocket Johnson titled Harold and the Purple Crayon.

For more information, visit www.justforwinds.com/clarinet to hear clips of the pieces.

“It’s a very personal project and special to me because my son was the inspiration,” she said.

Music Professor Releases CD

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The Crisis Mr. Faubus Made: The Role of the Arkansas Gazette in the Central High Crisis has won a pres-tigious Award of Merit from The Indie Fest.

The 30-minute film, released in 2010, was honored in the Short Documentary category.

“Our film shows an important part of American history that has not been fully explained be-fore, and it is gratifying for it to be recognized with an Indie for its contribution to history,” said Donna Lampkin Stephens, as-sistant professor of journalism at UCA and the film’s producer.

 The film’s title echoes the headline of a 1957 editorial that ran in the late Arkansas Gazette. Under the leadership of owner J.N. Heiskell, who served as editor for 70 years until he died at age 100, the Gazette became the first news-paper to win two Pulitzer Prizes in the same year for its coverage of the integration of Little Rock

Central High School in 1957 as Gov. Orval Faubus called out the National Guard to prevent nine black students from entering the school. The Indie Fest recognizes film professionals who demon-strate exceptional achievement in craft and creativity and those who produce standout entertainment or contribute to profound social change. Entries are judged by highly qualified professionals in the film industry.

The Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation funded Mr. Faubus, by independent filmmaker Kevin Thomas Clark in collaboration with the University of Central Arkansas. Clark was the director. Stephens, the producer, worked as a sportswriter at the Gazette from 1984-91. Dr. Joseph Anderson, retired chair of the Department of Mass Communication and The-atre, was executive producer and Mike Gunter, assistant professor of digital filmmaking, was director of photography.

Urinetown Brought To LifeGood ol’ “Urinetown.”At least that’s the premise that

University of Central Arkansas students wanted you to think.

But in essence not everything was good in the ficitional city.

The play, about a 1930s city government that requires the public to pay to use toilets owned by the Urine Good Company, run by Caldwell B. Cladwell, or risk being exiled to Urinetown, was brought to life by the thespians of UCA.

“We have a cycle of plays that we want our theatre students to experience before they leave college,” Chris Fritzges, director and associate professor of theatre, said. “This slot was slated to have a musical and this was a funny musical with an important message and catchy songs.  

“The musical has ideas from Bertolt Brecht.  It is somewhat of a cautionary tale focusing on how population growth has the

potential to strip the earth of its resources and cause humanity to regress.”

The Tony Award-winning musical featured a cast of 30 students with another 20 more on the production team.

“We had very good attendance for the show,” Fritzges said of the performances that took place at the Bridges/Larson Theatre in the Snow Fine Arts Center in April.

“The final show was a sell-out,” he said. “Everything went fantastic.”

Stage direction was done by Fritzges, with musical direction by Christian Carichner, set design by Dr. Greg Blakey, costume design by UCA theatre major Tyler Gunther and stage management by UCA theatre major Megan Myers.

“Everyone worked hard,” Fritzges said. “We rehearsed for nine weeks from 6 to 9:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.”

14.theleader

$25,000-$50,000Sola Gratia, LLC

$10,000-$24,999Hendrix CollegeThe Bridges/Larson Foundation

$5,000-$9,999Mr. and Mrs. James W. SchneiderMr. and Mrs. Jerry B. AdamsDr. Carl Anthony and Dr. Carolyn K. BrownMrs. Margaret Flesher

$1,000-$4,999Mr. and Mrs. Georg AndersenDr. and Mrs. John C. BrattonDrs. Jeffrey and Mary MarotteMr. and Mrs. John L. WardDr. David R. HarveyNabholz Properties, Inc.Mr. and Mrs. Bill ArthursCapt. and Mrs. G. A. Hines Jr.Ltc. and Mrs. James R. RasnickDr. Jimmy and Mrs. Carolyn IsheeMr. and Mrs. Michael J. LeichtMr. and Mrs. Jeffry D. HatfieldConway CorporationConway Men’s ChorusConway UrologyMs. Sue Snow CooperMr. and Mrs. David C. DennisMr. and Mrs. Donald E. DisterheftDrs. Terry and Joyce FiddlerMs. Pamela MilburnMrs. Mary Louise RogersRussell Chevrolet - HondaRussell Dermatology of Conway, PLLCMr. and Mrs. Robert E. SchmidtDr. and Mrs. Charles A. VermontMr. and Mrs. Fred Petrucelli

$500-$999Dr. and Mrs. Rollin PotterMrs. Christine H. Donahue MayoMr. and Mrs. Edwin CantrellMr. and Mrs. Timothy McKennaMr. and Mrs. Jeffery S. HulettMr. and Mrs. John A. GaleMr. and Mrs. William S. MeadorMr. Gene L. HatfieldFountainhead PressMr. and Mrs. Robert M. Lilly

Mr. and Mrs. Shawn P. CarrollDr. and Mrs. Jonathan A. GlennMs. Barbara LambMr. and Mrs. Kristian AndersenMs. Donna L. SmithMrs. Marion J. BakerDr. and Mrs. Lyle M. DahlenburgExxon Mobil FoundationMs. Linda Y. HsuMaxillofacial Surgery Center of Central ArkansasDrs. Gary and Kimberly McCulloughMichael F. Wilson InsurancePam McDowell PropertiesDr. John and Dr. Jennifer ParrackAcxiom Matching Gift ProgramMr. and Mrs. Kelley L. Erstine

$201-$499Mr. and Mrs. Milton F. DavisDr. John and Dr. Stephanie VandersliceDr. and Mrs. Robert HoldenMs. Judith L. ZaimontMs. Susan E. WilsonMr. William RussellDr. Lorraine C. DusoTau Beta Sigma Alumni AssociationDr. James W. HikinsMurakami KazuoDr. Neil RutmanMr. and Mrs. David L. ParkerDr. D. Craig ShirleyDr. and Mrs. Kevin BrowneMr. and Mrs. Richard CastleberryColtons Restaurant Group, Inc.Dalton Designer SmilesMr. and Mrs. Brent A. GreggMrs. Nancy W. JacksonMr. and Mrs. James H. JohnsonDr. and Mrs. Allen C. MeadorsDr. Julie MontyNorth Carolina Association of Insurance Agents, Inc.Mr. and Mrs. Stanley ParishMr. and Mrs. Leo PattersonRegions BankDr. Michael J. Rubach and Mrs. Patricia VanceDr. and Mrs. Norbert SchedlerMr. and Mrs. Randy SpannDr. and Mrs. Jeff R. YoungDr. Deane and Mayor Judith BaldwinDr. and Ms. Peter J. MehlMr. and Mrs. William J. Bryant Jr.

The University of Central Arkansas College of Fine Arts and Communication gratefully acknowledges the following donors who made gifts totaling $201 or more in support of the CFAC from 07/01/10 through 06/30/11.

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UCA CFACAlumni Association222 Harrin Hall201 Donaghey AveConway, AR 72035

Non-ProfitOrg. US

Postage paidConway, AR

Permit #1357

For more information about The Fine Arts Comm/Unity Leader, call the Office of the Dean, College of Fine Arts and Communication at (501) 450-3293.

Wynton MarsalisJazz great Wynton Marsalis left the audience wanting more after his performance on February

21, 2011, with a sold-out show at the Reynolds Performance Hall on the University of Central Arkansas campus. Marsalis’ performance was one of 19 events held at

Reynolds during the 2010-11 academic year.