Growing up in a small town in Alabama, UNI professor and art department head Jeffery Byrd dreamed of a world that would be more accepting of his LGBTQ identity. At UNI, he made that dream a reality, co-founding UNI’s first LGBTQ studies course and acting as a role model for LGBTQ students — while building community and finding love in the process.
At just 9 years old, Roshan Subba made the incredible journey from a refugee camp in Nepal to Des Moines. Though Subba has few memories of his time in the camp, one thing he remembers is watching other children practicing calligraphy. Subba dreamed of being able to create intricate art like that someday.
Now, he’s a senior graphic design major at UNI and his first solo art show, “Modernism,” is being showcased through June 23 by Waterloo community center COR 220 East.
Unique pieces of digital art known as NFTs (nonfungible tokens) have begun taking the art world by storm. A special anniversary version of the famous Nyan Cat gif recently sold for $560,000. And this week Christies became the first major auction house to sell an original NFT work of art. InsideUNI asked art history professor Elizabeth Sutton about this trend and what it says about our digital and real-world lives.
What issues do you see in the future with digital art vs more traditional pieces? And what is art ultimately?
A joint art project by students at the University of Northern Iowa and Holmes Junior High School persevered through a global pandemic to convey a message of inclusivity and creativity.
Tucked away in the corner of an old, ranch-style home turned art studio, Abby Hedley found her personal oasis – a place to explore and create alongside other local artists.
UNI art education majors are helping students paint a mural at the Expo Alternative Learning Center in Waterloo, gaining experience for their future careers while giving voice to a small population of students who may not have the chance to otherwise.
