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Lauryn Ashley is a visual artist and storyteller whose work explores place, identity, and cultural pride within the Southern Black experience. Through photography and narrative-driven imagery, she examines how communities are shaped by history, memory, and everyday moments that are often overlooked or misunderstood.
Her work challenges regional stereotypes by centering lived experience, offering intimate perspectives that reclaim and redefine what it means to be from Little Rock. Lauryn’s practice is deeply influenced by her upbringing in Little Rock, Arkansas, and reflects a commitment to honoring community, tradition, and authenticity.
Her photographs from I’m From Little Rock, Not Arkansas serves as both a personal statement and a broader commentary on identity—asserting the distinction between place as a label and place as lived reality. Through her work, Lauryn invites viewers to look beyond assumptions and engage with the stories that exist within the spaces people call home.
Kalyn Pendleton (KP.) was born in Pine Bluff and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas. Her college journey has been anything but linear-beginning with three semesters studying architecture at the University of Arkansas before leading her to UAPB, where she was given the opportunity to play golf while pursuing her passion for art. Time has always played a central role in her artwork. As early as her years at Little Rock Central High School, she was drawn to the concept of time-its movement, its marks, and its quiet reminders. In retrospect, time became a way for her to redirect her attention toward growth, allowing herself to evolve without fixating on who she might become. She has never existed as just one version of herself. Through her art, she seeks to capture who she is—or how she felt—within a specific moment. This idea has resurfaced with even greater meaning as she continues to learn and discover herself as a daughter, sister, student-athlete, artist, and friend. Her work explores not only how she sees herself, but also the emotional landscape of what it feels like to be her.
Matthew Mallet hails from Dumas, Arkansas, and he is a proud alumnus of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. He identifies as a mixed-medium artist. Before transferring to UAPB, he was a Graphic Design major at Arkansas Tech University. In his practice, he enjoys blending traditional and digital art techniques. The piece titled “We the People?” stems from his desire to express his respect for African American ancestors and the sacrifices they made for the country. The black denim symbolizes the hardships the ancestors endured, the red represents the blood shed, and the nine stars signify divine completion.
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