Meet local musicians Sofie and the New Relics
Have you ever been to a hootenanny? That’s when the folks singers gather around the square and have jam sessions. Well, Sofie and the New Relics look and sound like they just came from a hootenanny. And that is quite a praise. These teenagers can play and sing! The teenagers are from Greenbrier (Sophie), Cabot (Jude), Bryant (Wyatt), and White Hall (Grady) and they have been playing across Arkansas and the region for a couple of years. I first heard them at the Illuminate Conway event and I was blown away with their brand of folk, country Christmas music. Once […]
WLA, City of Hope Outreach launch initiative for single mothers
CONWAY – The Women’s Leadership Academy Cohort 2024 and City of Hope Outreach (CoHo) have collaborated to launch Single Mothers Accessing Resources Together (S.M.A.R.T.), a series of workshops designed to empower single mothers with community resources. The workshop series will address the challenges single mothers face when balancing work and family. The first workshop will be on April 27 at Hendrix College’s Student Life & Technology Center. Mothers will learn how to prepare quick, easy, delicious, and affordable meals. “We understand the daily struggles that single mothers encounter, especially when it comes to providing nutritious meals for their families with […]
UCA welcomes artist-in-residence Michael Daugherty
CONWAY–Grammy-winning composer Michael Daugherty will be artist-in-residence at the University of Central Arkansas from April 23-24. According to the League of American Orchestras, Daugherty is one of the 10 most performed American composers of concert music internationally. His work has awarded him six Grammy Awards, including Best Contemporary Classical Composition in 2011 for “Deus ex Machina” for piano and orchestra and in 2017 for “Tales of Hemingway” for cello and orchestra. This residency will feature Daugherty’s 2016 song cycle, “This Land Sings,” a composition for two singers and a chamber ensemble. The composer wrote this song cycle as a tribute […]
Toad Suck Daze Set for May 3-5, Announces Little Rock Zoo Exhibit, Record Giving of $220,500
CONWAY, Ark. (April 11, 2024) — Toad Suck Daze announced today record charitable giving, a new amphibian exhibit at the Little Rock Zoo, as well as headline entertainment and key programming for its 43rd annual festival in downtown Conway on May 3-5. Toad Suck Daze is the largest, free family festival in Arkansas with more than 100,000 attendees every year. Since its inception in 1982, it has contributed more than $2.4 million in scholarships, endowments, STEM education, preschool funding, arts education, and community development. Toad Suck Daze is presented by Baptist Health, Chris Crain Hyundai, and Genesis of Conway. “We […]
Grammy-Nominated Kreole Rock and Soul Artist Sean Ardoin to Perform at UCA
CONWAY – The University of Central Arkansas will present Sean Ardoin Kreole Rock and Soul on Thursday, April 4, at 7:30 p.m. Ardoin will perform at Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts. Ardoin blended Creole and Zydeco to create his own genre of music, Kreole Rock and Soul. His electrifying performances and musical prowess, along with his four Grammy-nominated CDs, have earned him a well-deserved reputation. Born in Eunice, Louisiana, Ardoin is a descendant of Amédé Ardoin (the Father of Zydeco) and noted Creole musician Alphonse “Bois Sec” Ardoin. Ardoin has performed on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, […]
Darla Desiderio Selected for Prestigious RAM Annual Invitational Exhibit
Darla Desiderio’s Artwork, Beautifully Made, after review by a distinguished panel, will be on exhibit at the prestigious RAM Annual Invitational: “Inclusive.” Conway, AR – March 25, 2024 – The Fort Smith Regional Art Museum has announce the selection of local artist Darla Desiderio for the RAM Annual Invitational, a highly anticipated exhibition known for highlighting diverse and innovative artistic voices. This year’s theme, “Inclusive,” promises a powerful exploration of unity and connection through various artistic mediums. Darla’s artwork, Beautifully Made, selected for the 2024 Annual Fort Smith Arkansas invitational hosted by the Regional Art Museum strives to reflect the […]
UCA welcomes artists-in-residence Russell Crotty, Morton Brown, Sean Ardoin
CONWAY—The University of Central Arkansas will welcome three artists-in-residence Russell Crotty, Morton Brown and Sean Ardoin as a nod to the 2024 total solar eclipse. The artists will have events from March 28 to April 6. Crotty has made important contributions to contemporary drawing since the early 1990s. Apart from his contemporary art pieces, Crotty obsessively and enthusiastically documents the night sky and celestial phenomena. Crotty’s work has been extensively exhibited nationally and internationally and is owned by private collectors, museums and public collections. Brown’s professional areas of interest and expertise include managing the conservation of outdoor works of art, […]
UCA Hosts Bear Biographies Event
CONWAY — The University of Central Arkansas will host Bear Biographies (formerly The Human Library at UCA) in the McCastlain Ballroom on the UCA campus on Thursday, April 11, 2024, from 12-4 p.m. The drop-in event is free and open to the public. The inaugural Bear Biographies program is inspired by The Human Library, which UCA has hosted annually since 2019. Bear Biographies will create a safe framework for personal conversations that can help challenge prejudice and contribute to greater human cohesion across social, religious, and ethnic identities. Individuals volunteering as “human books” are to represent a stigmatized group in […]