U of A Hosts Roundtable on Importance of Art in Northwest Arkansas

Courtesy of Emerson Sigman

Students learn graphic design principles from associate professor Thomas Hapgood in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences' Department of Art.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Arkansas, the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences and its Department of Art will join Arkansans for the Arts and the Arkansas Department of Education to host a day of roundtable discussions that underscore the importance of the arts in Northwest Arkansas.

Arkansas Arts Roundtable: Why the Arts are Essential in NW Arkansas will take place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, June 1, at the Jim and Joyce Faulkner Performing Arts Center.

The event’s focus will be an ongoing conversation about the importance of the arts, arts education, and creative placemaking in Northwest Arkansas. Speakers and panelists will discuss opportunities and challenges in utilizing the arts to make Northwest Arkansas an even better place to live.

Todd Shields, dean of Fulbright College, will be the day’s keynote speaker with “The Arts as the Interdisciplinary Driver of Education.”

“The arts are at the core of all we do,” Shields said. “The arts are the interdisciplinary threads that weave through all of our classes and throughout our community to better the lives of all who work and live in Northwest Arkansas and beyond.”

Additionally, during the Arts Education Panel, participants will discuss the following questions in the following areas:

• Students practice woodwinds instruments in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Music.

  Policy: What are the opportunities for arts education in the Arkansas Department of Education’s strategic planning, Title I, and in new federal education laws?  
• Research: How could the Arts Education Data Dashboard be an effective tool in education, the nonprofit arts sector, and the business community?   
• Collaboration: Are we building effective collaborations for the future between school arts programs, community arts programs, and the economic sector in Northwest Arkansas?
• Support: How can we provide necessary support and resources for arts educators in Northwest Arkansas?
• Workforce: How can arts education prepare students for a career in Northwest Arkansas?

The roundtable event is free and open to the public and includes a free lunch. Participants, however, must RSVP to register. Seating is limited and on a first come, first served basis.

The day’s schedule will include:

• Students perform in last year’s production of Green Day’s American Idiot in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Theatre.

  9 a.m. – Welcome and Introductions, Joy Pennington of Arkansans for the Arts
• 9:15 a.m. – Welcome and Comments, University of Arkansas Provost Jim Coleman
• 9:30 a.m. – The Arts Education Data Revolution, Robert Morrison of Quadrant Research
• 10:30 a.m. – Arts Education Panel, moderated by John Brown of the Windgate Foundation and featuring:
  • Anna Clark of the Northwest Arkansas Council
  • Laura Goodwin of the Walton Arts Center
  • Anne Kraybill of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
  • Chal Ragsdale of University of Arkansas Department of Music
  • Stacy Smith, assistant commissioner of learning services for the Arkansas Department of Education
  • Gretchen Wilkes of Farmington Public Schools
• 11:30 a.m. – Lunch
• 12:15 p.m. – Keynote Address: The Arts as the Interdisciplinary Driver of Education, by Todd Shields, dean of the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences
• 12:45 p.m. – Successes in Creative Placemaking, moderated by Molly Rawn of the Fayetteville Advertising and Promotion Commission and featuring:
  • Bryce Harrison of Cranford Johnson Robinson Woods
  • State Rep. Greg Leding
  • Joe Randel of the Walton Family Foundation
  • Michael Riha of University of Arkansas Department of Theatre
  • Julia White of the Tulsa Artist Fellowship
• 1:45 p.m. – Final Comments, Joy Pennington of Arkansans for the Arts

For more information, contact Arkansans for the Arts at 501-257-7486.

About the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences: The J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences is the largest and most academically diverse unit on campus with 19 departments and 43 academic programs and research centers. The college provides the core curriculum for all University of Arkansas students and is named for J. William Fulbright, former university president and longtime U.S. senator.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.