The School of Art is committed to building and sustaining an inclusive learning community that prioritizes underrepresented and under-served backgrounds, identities, and perspectives. The School seeks to model an environment promoting equal access to the arts, art history, and design for a diverse population of students, faculty, and staff, supporting each member's unique values, perspectives, experiences, and needs.

The School of Art envisions:

_Cultivating an inclusive environment fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration, open dialogue, and critical thinking

_Establish curriculum marked by empathy and equity that reaches outside the traditional canon

_Supporting and promoting a diverse range of research practices that lead critical dialog's in multiple disciplines

_Encourage students to utilize critical visual thinking and creative methodologies to interrogate and destabilize systemic hegemonic power structures.

Through the creation of art and design, and through the study of history of art, the School of Art hopes to promote change and push past historically fixed boundaries within all the fields so students can become creative contributors within a globally conscious society.

The School of Art is committed to taking action and establishing goals to be more intentional in our diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.

Below are goals currently in action. These action items are not a comprehensive list, but a reflection of what is currently under way as the School of Art navigates its way towards a more inclusive and equitable world.

_Prioritize implementing the SoArt's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion plan

_Establish specific scholarship opportunities for diversity to support graduate and undergraduate students

_Provide faculty and staff funding for training and books related to equity, diversity, and inclusion

_Set diversity goals for recruiting faculty and students

_Update our mission and values statement to reflect the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion plan

_Add a senior diversity leadership position to the School of Art

_Continue highlighting faculty and students current work and efforts addressing DEI issues

_Convene a SoArt Advisory Group for Diversity and Inclusion that includes faculty, students, staff, and outside academia

The Justice, Equity, Access, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee serves as a working group, task force, and School committee  to create and sustain an inclusive environment in the School of Art. 

The committee is made up of faculty, staff, and student representation from various programs and areas with the focus of discussing strategic planning, concerns, initiatives, and education and resources related to diversity,  equity, and inclusion.

Co-Chairs:

_Gaby Hernández, Endowed AssociateProfessor of Art History

_Christopher Schulte, Endowed Associate Professor of Art Education and Assistant Director of the School of Art

Committee:

_Donna Jones, Director of Recruitment and Outreach

_Jean Schmitt,  Assistant Professor of Studio Art, Foundations

_Janine Sytsma, Assistant Professor of Art History

_Cole Wilson, Assistant Professor of Studio Art

_University of Arkansas:

Office of Equal Opportunity and Compliance: https://oeoc.uark.edu 

Title IX: https://titleix.uark.edu/

Multicultural Center: https://multicultural.uark.edu/

LGBTQIA Mentoring: https://multicultural.uark.edu/diversity-and-inclusion/programs/lgbtqia.php

Safe Zone Allies: https://multicultural.uark.edu/diversity-and-inclusion/programs/safe-zone.php

Center for Educational Access: https://cea.uark.edu/

Student Support Services: https://sss.uark.edu/

Counseling and Psychological Services: https://health.uark.edu/mental-health/index.php

Veterans Resource and Information Center: https://veteranscenter.uark.edu 

University of Arkansas Libraries Diversity and Inclusion: https://libraries.uark.edu/diversity/ 

National Association of Student Personnel Administrators Undergraduate Fellows Program: https://nufp.uark.edu/

U of A Cares: https://uofacares.uark.edu/ 

_Registered Student Organizations:

Black Students Association: https://hogsync.uark.edu/organization/black-students-association

Black Graduate Student Association: https://hogsync.uark.edu/organization/bgsa

Big Brothers, Big Sisters: https://hogsync.uark.edu/organization/big-brothers-big-sisters

Diversity and Inclusion Student Council: https://hogsync.uark.edu/organization/diversity-and-inclusion-student-council

International Students Organization: https://hogsync.uark.edu/organization/international-students-organization

Latinx Graduate Student Organization: https://hogsync.uark.edu/organization/lgso

Mental Health Awareness Organization: https://hogsync.uark.edu/organization/mental-health-awareness-organization

Native American Student Association: https://hogsync.uark.edu/organization/native-american-student-association

People Respecting the Individual Differences and Equality (PRIDE): https://hogsync.uark.edu/organization/pride 

_Local and Regional:

NWA Center for Equality: http://nwaequality.org/

Canopy NWA: http://www.canopynwa.org/

River Valley Equality Center: http://rvecark.org/

_National:

Trans Lifeline: https://www.translifeline.org/

The Trevor Project: https://www.thetrevorproject.org/

 To report any concerns, please contact report.uark.edu.