UA Little Rock kicks off new year with creativity
January 19-25, 2026
By Samantha Koros
Works by Myra Mimlitsch-Gray (left), Nicole Seisler (center), and Vivian Chiu (right) are featured in Handwork: Celebrating American Craft 2026, a nationwide initiative honoring handmade art for America’s semi quincentennial, highlighting contemporary silversmithing, woodworking, and clay.
The Windgate Center of Art + Design at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock is beginning the new year with a burst of creativity, opening three new exhibitions in January.
The exhibitions are part of Handwork: Celebrating American Craft 2026, a nationwide initiative honoring handmade art in recognition of America’s semi quincentennial. Through the series, the center will spotlight new work in silversmithing, woodworking and contemporary clay.
“Together, these three artists embody the recent momentum in contemporary craft,” said Brian Young, gallery director in the School of Art and Design. “They reference the traditional media of their respective disciplines — wood, metal and clay — but move beyond utilitarianism to incorporate new media and social content.”
Myra Mimlitsch-Gray’s On Purpose will be on view in the Ann Maners and Alex Pappas Gallery from Jan. 20 through March 29. A leading figure in contemporary metalsmithing, Mimlitsch-Gray transforms everyday objects into conceptual works that challenge ideas of function and tradition. An American Craft Council Fellow and a recent James Renwick Alliance “Master of the Medium,” her work appears in major collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Smithsonian Institution, the National Museums of Scotland and the Victoria and Albert Museum.
In the Brad Cushman Gallery, Vivian Chiu presents Facing, on view Jan. 20 through March 16. Known for reimagining traditional forms through wood and other media, Chiu uses repetition, distortion and precision craftsmanship to explore the boundaries between illusion and structure. Her work has earned fellowships, major residencies and national recognition as an American Craft Council Emerging Artist.
Already open, Nicole Seisler’s Some Truths About Clay is on view in the North and South galleries through March 9. The exhibition invites visitors into a space where ceramics evolve through time, touch and participation, treating clay as a collaborative process. Seisler’s work has been featured at institutions across the country, including the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. She currently leads the ceramics program at Lewis & Clark College and directs A-B Projects.
Together, the three exhibitions offer an opportunity to experience contemporary craft through metal, wood and clay, highlighting approaches that challenge tradition, perception and process.
