Liminal and Minimal Spaces

Meikel S. Church is a collage/mixed-media artist based in North Little Rock, Arkansas. He likes to challenge current-day perceptions with images from the past. His work draws you in and makes you think - about your own reality and how it is shaped by society.

website: meikelchurchcollage.com

Milan Jilka is a contemporary abstract painter. His work involves deconstructing and reconfiguring elements of the natural world (plants, flowers, forms, and color) into dynamic, colorful, and pattern-laden abstract compositions. Milan's work has been exhibited both locally and nationally, including the past 4 years in the Walton Arts Center’s “Our Art Regional Exhibition”, the Arkansas Arts Council’s “2024 Small Work on Paper” touring exhibition, Arc Gallery in San Francisco, and Manifest Gallery in Cincinnati. As well as creating art, Milan has been a Visual Arts Educator in Springdale, AR for the last 8 years. He has a PhD in Art Education from the University of North Texas and an MFA in Painting from the University of Arkansas. Milan is of South Asian descent, born in Thun, Switzerland, and was raised in Canada before coming to the United States.

website: milanjilka.com

I am an American writer and artist. Several poetry chapbooks are still in print here or there, and my writing has widely appeared in magazines from McSweeney’s to Rolling Stone. My art has likewise broadly appeared in many venues. Exhibitions include the 57th Annual Delta Exhibition. I wanted for so long to be able to paint, but I could never manipulate the physical tools to create satisfying art works. I remember in one teenage photograph I am literally stabbing the canvas with the wrong end of the brush. It seems I can only paint using digital tools. I make art because it pleases me to do so. As lagniappe, I am pleased if something I make pleases you.

website: wrightart.net

Tessa Davidson is a multi-media artist working outside of Little Rock, Arkansas.  Her work is a blend of contemporary and traditional—combining performance, video, sound, and representational oil painting. Tessa uses the language of humor and absurdity on her pilgrimage for the sacred and profound.  Her work provides poetic soil to contemplate matters of spiritual faith while also navigating the tensions of religion, theology, and contemporary culture.  Tessa’s work has been exhibited internationally, and she received her M.F.A. from the New Hampshire Institute of Art in 2018.  Tessa holds a B.A. in Art Education and a M. Ed in Secondary Education from Harding University, as well as a M.A. in Art History from the University of Arkansas in Little Rock.  Tessa is currently an Assistant Professor of Art at Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas.

website: tessadavidsonartist.com