UARK (University of Arkansas )
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Stories from El Dorado: An Exploration of Art, Design, and Community Belonging
Get PDFThis project examines the history and cultural impact of the downtown arts district in El Dorado, Arkansas through a series of interviews with local community members conducted in February 2025. El Dorado is a city in Southwest Arkansas popularly known as “Arkansas’ first boomtown.” Since the discovery of oil in the area in 1921, El Dorado saw a rapid rise in population from 3,000 residents to nearly 30,000 residents. This rise in population brought in a desire for more entertainment, which led to the development of cultural institutions including the “new” Rialto Theater built in 1929 on top of the “old” theater that originally hosted 400 seats. The theater quickly became a cultural destination in the city, bringing large crowds and requiring an updated building with 1,400 seats, state-of-the-art equipment, mechanical systems, and acoustic systems.
Throughout the 20th century, El Dorado experienced a steady decline in population and started making efforts in 2017 to reinvigorate its cultural district through the formation of the Murphy Arts District, which includes an outdoor performance amphitheater, renovation planned for the Rialto Theater and an old furniture building, and the First Financial Music Hall.
Through video interviews with eight local community members, this project explores two primary questions: “How does art and design influence a community’s sense of belonging?” and “Where is the intersection between art, the built environment, and community storytelling?” More specifically, it seeks to understand how art and design have impacted El Dorado and its residents. The interviews are compiled into a 15-minute documentary that highlights stories of community and change in the El Dorado Arts District and its downtown area. Through these interviews, it became apparent that art and design is more integrated into the culture of El Dorado than the research originally showed, and these art and design aspects or programs create space for multiple communities to coexist
Elite Southern Views on Chinese Labor from Reconstruction to Exclusion
No full textThis paper discusses the shift in Southern attitudes toward Chinese immigrants during the period between the Civil War and the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. Immediately following the war, those attitudes were generally positive; however, once Reconstruction state governments were overthrown, the South’s political class rapidly aligned itself with western anti-Chinese voices in the papers and in Congress
Divinity and Royalty in the Writings of Motoori Norinaga
No full textThis paper concerns the kokugaku movement as seen through the philosophy of Motoori Norinaga. Specifically, it looks at Norinaga’s view of the divine and its connection to his philosophy regarding Japanese royalty, the emperor, and the imperial line. It will examine the qualities of Norinaga’s thought that linked his philosophy of the divine with his views of the emperor, served to formulate his world view, and his idea of Japan’s place in the world
Testing a Culturally Grounded Training for Black and Latine Clinicians: Creating Communities in PCIT for Providers of Autistic Youth
No full textBlack and Latine families of autistic youth continue to face mental health disparities, some of which have been attributed to poor access to services, discrimination, and poor culturally responsive care. Black and Latine families call for more family-centered treatments that are in accordance with their values and culture with options for treatments to be delivered by clinicians with similar racial and ethnic backgrounds. Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is a widely known evidenced-based treatment (EBT) that has been used with Latine, Black, and neurodiverse children to improve the parent-child relationship and reduce challenging behaviors. Although considerable efforts have been made to disseminate PCIT to the wider community, fewer strides have been made to reach Black and Latine families in underserved communities. One method to bridge the service gap for Black and Latine families of autistic youth is to train Black and Latine clinicians who primarily serve Black and Latine communities. Black and Latine mental health providers are highly underrepresented in evidenced-based trainings, especially ones that target autistic populations. Further, minimal trainings have used culturally grounded techniques to emphasize the values and needs of Black and Latine individuals. The current study will utilize a qualitative design to examine the clinical and cultural impact of a pilot training for Black and Latine mental health providers on a culturally informed adaptation for PCIT with autistic youth, the Creating Communities PCIT initiative. The results of this study will have implications for future dissemination efforts of PCIT to culturally diverse providers and families
Tissue Engineered Combinatorial Therapeutics for Spinal Cord Injury Repair
No full textTraumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) lead to temporary or permanent sensorimotor deficit due to the complex and multifaceted features of the injury site, making the treatments ineffective. Recent research emphasizes the potential of combinatorial therapeutics approaches combining different therapeutics, such as biomaterials and stem cell transplantation. In this context, nerve composite hydrogels, fabricated from decellularized sciatic nerve (dSN) and spinal cord (dSC) extracellular matrices (ECM), might be promising platforms due to their biocompatibility and ability to mimic native microenvironments. In this study, we developed and characterized nerve mimetic composite hydrogels embedded with human adipose-derived stem cells (hASCs) and investigated their neuro-regenerative potential. Histological and DNA analysis confirmed successful decellularization while retaining ECM architecture. The mechanical characterization indicated similar properties across hydrogel compositions. Importantly, embedded hASCs demonstrated sustained viability, secreted angiogenic and neurotrophic factors, and enhanced endothelial cell sprouting and neurite outgrowth. Proteomic analysis further identified specific ECM components influence in modulating cellular behaviors. These findings collectively highlighted the therapeutic potential of dSN:dSC composite hydrogels, particularly 1:2 ratio. Additionally, a comparative study evaluated various decellularization methods for dura mater to determine the optimal protocol for future use as a sealant or patch for neurosurgery or SCI repair. Altogether, promising hydrogel candidate was determined and optimal decellularization protocol for dura mater for the sealant/patch applications will be identified, however, further validation through in vivo studies is needed