The University of Arkansas School of Art, housed in the Fulbright College of Arts & Sciences, is proud to announce its faculty, students and an alumna have been named to the Arkansas Committee of the National Museum of Women in the Arts (ACNMWA) 2025-2027 Juried Artist Registry.

Recipients include assistant professor of art Danqi Cai, teaching assistant professor Maryam Amirvaghefi, M.F.A. studio art candidates Greta Kresse and Molly Martin and School of Art alumna ('25) Autumn Blaylock. 

The prestigious biennial registry showcases the work of 48 Arkansas women artists, selected from a competitive pool of applicants by Carey Voss, curator of exhibits at the Historic Arkansas Museum in Little Rock. As a statewide initiative, the ACNMWA Juried Artist Registry offers a contemporary look at a range of work by women artists in Arkansas and serves as a public resource to connect artists, curators and collectors, thus enhancing the creation, exhibition and promotion of their artwork.  

Each of the artists was selected for their distinct and technical style. Faculty members Cai and Amirvaghefi are among those recipients. Cai, who emigrated from China to the United States as a young adult, uses papermaking and printed matter to explore how language encodes cultural values and how they might be unraveled and reshaped. Born and raised in Iran, Amirvaghefi's art explores visibility and erasure, particularly of women navigating Middle Eastern cultural and political landscapes.  

M.F.A. candidates Martin and Kresse have honed their practices at the school over the years. Rooted in experimentation, Martin's work grows through repetition and recombination, cycles of cutting, layering, stitching and recombining. Each decision scaffolds the next, keeping the work alive and evolving. Kresse's paintings capture intimate moments against the American South's backdrop. Realism anchors the work, but if the viewer looks closer, figures dissolve into abstraction. 

Alumna Blaylock recently graduated from the School of Art. Her hybrid work aims to generate innovative modes of storytelling as well as challenge their histories, aligning with her interests in history, folklore and memory are captured in works that blend drawing and crochet. 

Rachel Debuque, director of the School of Art, commented, "We are thrilled to see our faculty, students and alumni celebrated among such talented peers in Arkansas. Their induction into the registry not only honors their individual achievements but also shines a light on the powerful community of women artists shaping our state's creative future. At the School of Art, we are proud to provide a place where all people can teach, study and thrive. Through our programs, we will continue to support both emerging and established voices who expand and enrich contemporary arts in Arkansas."

The School of Art's forward-thinking curriculum values experimentation, interdisciplinary practices and community engagement, qualities Debuque noted are reflected in the work of those members selected for the registry. The school's state-of-the-art facilities, mentorship from practicing artists and scholars, and opportunities to connect with regional and national arts organizations prepare students and faculty to develop bold, resonant practices, bound by the school's mission to drive artistic excellence across Arkansas and beyond. 

The registry is part of ACNMWA's ongoing commitment to celebrating the work of Arkansas women artists and is accessible online for public viewing. For more information on the full registry, visit https://www.acnmwa.org/programs/juried-artist-registry. 

From the recipients:

"I am honored to join the 2025-2027 ACNMWA Juried Artist Registry, a recognition that reflects the supportive environment the School of Art cultivates. I use papermaking and printed matter to explore how language encodes—and can be used to question—cultural values. My recent work deconstructs Chinese characters and reuses textbook illustrations to question the authority of instruction and propose alternative readings. Through techniques like blow-out and pulp painting, I produce variable multiples that mirror how language evolves through repetition and transformation."
—Danqi Cai 

"Being part of the 2025-2027 ACNMWA Artist Registry is an exciting honor as an emerging artist, and the School of Art has played a big role in supporting and strengthening my growth throughout my time in the M.F.A. program."
—Molly Martin 

"As an Iranian artist, my work explores resilience through painting, ceramics and mixed media, centering women whose voices and visibility are often erased. As an immigrant, I carry this spirit forward, creating art as both survival and refusal to disappear. Being named to the 2025-2027 ACNMWA Artist Registry is an honor that affirms this resilience at the heart of my practice. At the School of Art, I was surrounded by strong women and supported as an immigrant artist and educator — experiences that shaped my path and continue to sustain my work."
—Maryam Amirvaghefi 

"The ACNMWA Artist Registry is a true testament to the talent and diverse perspectives in Arkansas. It is wonderful to be in conversation with artists that I grew up admiring in Arkansas who have now become peers, as well as so many new emerging voices. I owe a great deal to the University of Arkansas, which has given me the time and space to hone my practice and find a way to speak about Arkansas in my work."
—Greta Kresse

"I am so honored to be included among such a wonderful group of talented women artists, and I'm especially excited to have my work displayed alongside my School of Art community! Being part of the 2025-2027 ACNMWA registry is an opportunity I cherish as I navigate my post-graduate studio practice."
—Autumn Blaylock