Fay Jones School Professor Laura Terry's Layered Landscapes Earn 2026 Arkansas Artist Award

Laura Terry, associate professor of architecture at the University of Arkansas, has been named the 2026 recipient of the Artist Award from the Arkansas Committee of the National Museum of Women in the Arts (ACNMWA). The $4,000 award recognizes Terry's distinctive approach to art and her ongoing contributions to the visual arts in Arkansas.

Terry, a resident of West Fork, was selected for the unique way she uses art to tell the story and history of places and rural landscapes in Northwest Arkansas. Her work spans national juried exhibitions and is held in both public and private collections across the country.

The award will support Terry's work over the summer on a project she has tentatively titled "Atlas Arkansas." In the project, Terry uses historical photographs and maps alongside her own drawings, paintings and photographs to create what she calls "paper quilts." The technique of piecing paper incorporates historical materials to create layered imagery that weaves together past and present across the Arkansas landscape.

"Northwest Arkansas is distinct, characterized by karst and pastoral landscapes against a backdrop of layered mountains," Terry said. "There is a wealth of visual inspiration that surrounds us, and I intend to record these qualities in this project."

That close attention to place has long been a defining part of Terry's work, informing both how she approaches her subject matter and how she works across media. Her practice is rooted in careful observation and research, with a focus on how landscapes carry memory, history and meaning over time. This perspective continues to guide "Atlas Arkansas," allowing Terry to thoughtfully explore the region while creating work that reflects both personal experience and the broader Arkansas landscape.

"Receiving this award from the ACNMWA is such an honor," Terry said. "The recognition validates the work I have been making for the last two decades and affords me the opportunity to spend an entire summer immersed in the project. I look forward to sharing the work with the community in the fall."

Terry joined the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design in 1998, where she primarily teaches in upper-level design studios. Her teaching focuses on cultivating curiosity through iterative drawing and making processes.

In addition to teaching, Terry maintains an active studio art practice. Her work engages the landscape as subject through drawing, painting and printmaking. Her installation "The Landscape is a Quilt" is on view through April 12 at 21C Museum Hotel in Bentonville. Her recent solo exhibition, "Horizon," was featured at The Medium in Springdale. She has also exhibited work in numerous national juried exhibitions, including Ink and Clay 46 at the Kellogg University Art Gallery at Cal Poly Pomona, the 61st Annual Delta Exhibition, Horizon: Contemporary Landscape, and Art Fields.

The nonprofit Arkansas Committee of the National Museum of Women in the Arts was founded in 1989 to highlight the accomplishments of Arkansas women artists and share the work of the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C., with a statewide audience. More information about the committee and a list of previous award winners can be found on the committee's website.