UA Little Rock to Present Exhibition Featuring Photographs of Structures That Transformed Education

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will host a photography exhibit of "Structures That Transformed Education" from Jan. 22 to Feb. 23.

The photography exhibit will be on display in the Focus Gallery in the Windgate Center of Art and Design with a reception with artist Mark Wittig from 5-7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 8. The exhibit focuses on photographing and building architectural sculptures of schools that played a role in changing education in America from 1724 to 1974. This project is generously funded by Mid-America Arts Alliance, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Arkansas Arts Council.

"To create the architectural sculptures of school buildings, I use computer-aided design software to layout the parts of the structure, then I use a laser cutter to precisely cut out the parts, and then hand assemble the parts," Wittig said. "When building the architectural sculptures, I am continuing the precedent set by William Christenberry who translated some of the buildings he photographed into sculptures."

His work has been displayed nationally and internationally in the academic journal Postdigital Science and Education, the Center for Fine Art Photography in Fort Collins, Colorado, the Millepiani Exhibition Space in Rome, Italy, the Czong Institute for Contemporary Art in Gimpo, Korea, the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, the Firehouse Gallery in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the New Orleans Museum of Art, and the Arts and Humanities Council of Tulsa.

Wittig has worked as an architect, educator, and artist. He holds a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Arkansas, a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography and Drawing and a Master of Fine Arts in Photography and Open Media from the University of Tulsa.

The UA Little Rock Art Galleries in the Windgate Center are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. Saturday, and 2-5 p.m. Sunday.

For more information, contact Nathan Larson, interim art gallery director and curator, at 501-916-5104 or [email protected].