The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has received a $100,000 donation that will create an endowed scholarship for senior art students.
Leslye Shellam has donated the funding for the scholarship, which will honor her mother, Linda Blaine Flake and her love of art. The Linda Blaine Flake Endowed Art Scholarship is designed to assist senior undergraduates studying visual arts in UA Little Rock’s College of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences and Education.
“Though recognized as ‘gifted’ from an early age, Linda knew that knowledge and experimentation to new, unfamiliar ideas kept her work fresh and inspired,” Shellam said in a statement. “The endowment in her name is intended to allow an art student more time for curiosity and self-exploration to channel their talent into a lifelong contribution to the rest of us who may need to be reminded of the ‘undefined’ that encourages personal creativity of all forms in each of us.”
Rising seniors will be eligible for the scholarship, which will go toward education-related expenses, including tuition, books, fees and room and board. The recipient will also receive the opportunity to have a solo exhibition of their work at the Windgate Center of Art and Design.
“We’re delighted and gratified by the gift of the Linda Blaine Flake Endowed Scholarship,” said Thomas Clifton, chair of the Department of Art and Design at UA LittleRock. “This unique scholarship, which provides annual funding for a solo student exhibition, will give us the opportunity to highlight the talents of an outstanding graduating senior each year.”
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