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Art professors Harrington, Holder earn distinctions

May 20, 2015
By cnp
Posted in Art

University of the Ozarks art professors Tammy Harrington and Dawn Holder have each achieved distinction in recent months on both the state and national levels.

Harrington became president of the Arkansas Society of Printmakers (ASP) in October. She was also elected to the board of the Arkansas State Committee of the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) in April.

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Assistant Professor of Art Dawn Holder recently had an installation chosen to exhibit at the National Museum of Women in Arts in Washington, D.C.

Holder was recently selected to represent Arkansas in the biennial competitive exhibit, Organic Matters: Women to Watch 2015, at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington D.C., June 5 through September 13. Her installation, "Monoculture," will be on display.  Holder will also exhibit in the Arkansas biennial state tour with her installation, "Once Upon a Time in the Forest of I’m Not Sweet Enough…"  This exhibition tour will open at the Arts and Sciences Center of Southeast Arkansas in Pine Bluff on December 3, 2015. University of the Ozarks will be one of the venues to host the touring exhibit.

ASP is a community of artists, art collectors, and supporters of the art of printmaking. It is dedicated to the mission of generating greater excitement and appreciation for printmaking as a unique art form in Arkansas.

"This organization has professional and student members," Harrington said. "This allows the professional members not only the opportunity to continue their development and investigation with printmaking but to also mentor the student members of ASP. It has been a busy few months but I have really enjoyed getting more involved with the organization."

Harrington was nominated to the state committee of NMWA by long-time friend Barbara Satterfield.

"It is an honor that Barbara thought of me," Harrington said. "This nonprofit volunteer organization supports and promotes the contributions women artists have made in the state and their impact on society. Advocacy for Arkansas women artists is organized into three ongoing programs: paid internships for educational development, paid scholarships to support new creative work, and juried art exhibits. I am very excited to work with all these amazing women and look forward to contributing my knowledge and skills to this important organization. Past presidents of this organization include Helen Walton (1989-1991) and Sheree Niece (2011-2012)."

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Professor of Art Tammy Harrington has been named president of the Arkansas Society of Printmakers.

"These new positions make life a little more hectic, but for the right reasons," Harrington said. "I feel passionately for the missions of these organizations and it doesn’t seem like ‘work’ when you love what you are doing. I want to be an example for my students that vocation and professional development must continue after their time at U of O ends. You never know what positive impact you may have on others."

Holder said her installation, "Monoculture," examines the suburban imperative to create a perfect lawn, and the time and labor required to do so.

"I had a very specific vision for this piece, and I worked for over a year to develop and fabricate thousands of perfect blades of grass," Holder said. "After spending so much time and energy on this installation, being able to share it in a nationally recognized venue is highly rewarding."

Holder said her installation, "Once Upon a Time in the Forest of I’m Not Sweet Enough…" uses candy and chocolate, as well as more traditional media like porcelain and plaster.

"It was created while I was an artist in residence at Red Lodge Clay Center in Montana," Holder said. "The forest landscape it depicts was inspired by the groves of white aspen trees common there, while the subject matter reflects my interests in fairy tales as a method for disseminating behavior expectations and gender roles. The forest is a place of beauty, solitude, reflection, and sometimes danger. In fairytales, the forest is also where you can flee, hide, lose your way, become ensnared, or stumble upon something mysterious, enchanting or perilous. It is a place where you may be sent to accomplish a task or to prove yourself."

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