Work by artists Kevin Arnold and Linda Lopez, who will both be exhibiting at the new sUgAR gallery space in the basement of East Square Plaza this week.
Images courtesy of the artists
For the first time in a few years, there will be art on display in the basement of East Square Plaza during First Thursday this week.
This time the work exhibited will be by University of Arkansas students, faculty and visiting artists who are moving their sUgAR student gallery into a portion of the space formerly home to the Fayetteville Underground artist collective on the downtown square.
A sneak peek at the new sUgAR student gallery
Photo: Lindsay Barquist
The gallery, which is a joint effort of the UA’s art department and the Fay Jones School of Architecture, will open to the public for the first time in the new space at 6 p.m. Oct. 3 during the monthly First Thursday Fayetteville celebration.
The gallery operated in Bentonville from 2009 to 2012, and has since functioned as a pop-up gallery in various temporary spaces.
The new space will open with a show entitled Paint, Pixels, and Process, a group exhibition featuring paintings, designs, photography, video and sculpture by artists Kevin Arnold, Dilenia Garcia, Dave Gibbs, John Christopher Kelley, Tim LaTourette, Linda Lopez, Crystal N. McBrayer, Matt Meers, Tim B. Walker, Cindy Wiseman and Kensuke Yamada.
According to student director Aimee Odum, sUgAR is only taking up one room in the basement space. Odum said several student artists that have working space in the basement will also open their studios to the public during the reception on Thursday.
It won’t be the first time the space has functioned as an art gallery. Fayetteville Underground, an artist collective made up of several local artists, got its start in the same space in 2009 before leaving in 2011, and eventually moving across the square to its current home at 101 W. Mountain Street. The university has since purchased much of the East Square Plaza building from former owners Ted and Leslie Belden.
After the reception this week, sUgAR will be open to the public from 1-6 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.
