UCA Students for the Arts Begin a New Year with Hope and Determination
by Monika Anne Cunningham, UCA Chapter President
This year, while navigating through these difficult times, maintaining student organizations like Students for the Arts (SftA) will be a challenge; however, we are determined to still have an amazing year!
Students of the Arts will kick off the semester with our annual recruiting event, Conway Daze, on August 19, 2-5pm, at UCA’s Student Center plaza. This year, we will invite prospective members to participate in a hands-on art activity--properly socially distanced and with masks--working with clay that will become part of a community floor mosaic commemorating the Suffrage Centennial. Our officers will also share information about how students can become arts advocates and join the organization! Our club meetings will now happen, via Zoom, every 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month at 1:30-2:30 pm. At our first meeting, September 1st, our special guest will be Garbo Hearne!
Members of Students for the Arts pose with State Legislators: Back row (L-R) Sidney McCoy, Nick Palmer, Senator Joyce Elliott, Representative Tippi MCullough, Monika Cunningham; Front row (L-R) Louise Mandumbwa, Associate Dean Gayle Seymour, Madison Conklin, Nakeya Palmer, Representative Jamie Scott, Art$ Town Hall, Oct. 27, 2019, Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub, North Little Rock. The event was sponsored by Arkansas for the Arts (ARftA).
We will be also hosting several exciting virtual programs/events including our participation in Conway’s annual ArtsFest, which will be all online this October! In our session aimed at young adults, SftA will showcase and create Self- Care Boxes that promote self expression and remind students of the importance of taking care of ourselves and navigating mindfully during these difficult times. We have to take care of ourselves in order to serve others and create amazing things! Our organization also plans to be very active and engaging on social media and will introduce two new segments on our pages called “Motivation Mondays” and “Advocacy Thursdays” hosted by SftA President Monika Anne Cunningham. The aim of the Monday posts is to bring motivation for creativity despite the pandemic and its consequences and the Thursday posts will provide information about how to advocate for the arts virtually. We are super excited to get started again this fall. We are ever hopeful our chapter will grow and flourish.
To find out more about Students for the Arts, including how to start your own chapter, contact Arkansans for the Arts!
