University of Arkansas Fayetteville - Razorback Yearbook (Fayetteville, AR)

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COLOR THOSE HOGS 5K 21

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Kicking off the week of Homecoming was the second annual Color Those Hogs 5k, benefiting the University of Arkansas’ Full Circle Campus Food Pantry. The event was open to alumni, students, and Razorback fans alike. Planning for this years’ Homecoming began directly after the 2014 Homecoming Celebration. The Student Alumni Board worked tirelessly to refine events, plan a Homecoming theme, and schedule dates. The race through downtown Fayetteville was introduced the previous year, making it one of the newest additions to the list of Homecoming festivities. The canned food drive associated with the 5K became the largest food drive in UA history in 2015. Alyssa Strodel, the marketing coordinator for the Arkansas Alumni Association, told the Traveler newspaper that the Student Alumni Board’s Homecoming Team has no intention of slowing down. “Although this is a new tradition, it has quickly become one of the most anticipated events during homecoming with the race starting and ending on campus,” Strodel said. TOP LEFT Freshmen Hannah Breau and Alexandra King throw colored powder at each other. TOP RIGHT Freshmen Kyle Johnson and Sean Waters finish in first place. 20 AUTUMN

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TOP Junior Maddi Been adds the final touches to her piece alongside Sophomore Lexie Lemp. BOTTOM Daniel Carmona, a sophomore, works on his art piece in Ken Yamada’s figure drawing class. Although nude models have been an essential part of an artists process for understanding the human form dating back to the Renaissance, many insecurities and conservative feelings toward people who pose nude for artists exist. The UofA used nude models for figure drawing classes and these models participated for a variety of reasons. Ken Smith, a registered nurse and alumni of the UofA, began modeling nude for the university figure drawing classes five years ago. He started his modeling career at 22 while he was living in New Orleans working on construction and in need of some extra money. His first time modeling was at a gallery recommended by a friend. Smith said he felt a little anxious. “It turned out to be a really good opportunity for me because the gallery owners were looking for models they could train the way they wanted, and that’s how I learned how to model,” Smith said. “It’s not something you set a career path on; it’s something you do and then come back to if you like it.” Smith had modeled for many places around northwest Arkansas including Fayetteville Underground, the UofA, NWACC and Crystal Bridges. He recruited models for the university through workshops that discussed modeling, nudity, what to expect and how to feel comfortable. His whole goal was to recruit models and train them, Smith said. “A lot of students want to model but then they come to the realization that they are nude in front of a lot of strange people,” he said. “And for some people it creates a great deal of anxiety.” One of the largest misconceptions people have outside of the art world is that nude modeling is an easy job. These models must have discipline, confidence and enough training to sit still for hours on end and sometimes in increments of three hours, they need to possess skills of physical strength, flexibility and the ability to project on stage, Smith said. Smith also trained models outside of his university workshops, and used this time to find out students background in nudity. “People come from various aspects, some people had parents that were very liberal,” Smith said. “It’s something that people never have an opportunity to talk about and our culture doesn’t invite us to talk about nudity or our bodies or our perception of ourselves.” Training also includes talking about the do’s and don’ts of nude modeling. One of the biggest risks for models is attempting poses that could damage the body if done incorrectly. Models can cut off their blood circulation from incorrect poses, or potentially pass out from anxiety or a lack of nourishment in their diet. Outside of training and recruiting, Smith also connected artists and models for projects and jobs. He started a non-profit guild three years ago, Fine Art Models Guild of Northwest Arkansas, to provide an outlet for models and artists to network. Smith makes sure that every m odel is in a safe environment. “I wouldn’t send a model anywhere that wasn’t safe or reputable,” Smith said. PHOTOS | Emma Schock DESIGN | Taylor Little STORY | The Arkansas Traveler Model and registered nurse Margaret Reese said she believes it is a different experience for female models than male models. She began modeling for the UofA when she was 19 and has modeled for over ten years. Her childhood consisted of living in a small town in Kentucky where she felt comfortable with her body and not ashamed. “As a female who is in a room nude, you are socially perceived as far more vulnerable and if you have a person there who is not a safe person or is poorly educated on what you are there for that can be pretty uncomfortable,” Reese said. “I have no problem saying you are making me uncomfortable and I have had to.” While many people still have their reservations about nude modeling, Smith said he thinks Fayetteville is a more progressive place, and modeling is slowly becoming more accepted. When Smith first modeled at NWACC, nude models were not allowed in classes, Smith said. “What culture and society has done is equate nudity with sexuality and you have to distinguish between the two,” Smith said. There are no guidelines for what classifies a model and characteristics range in race, gender, weight and age. Artists are not looking for perfections; they want to draw all types of people, Smith said. “At last I can show my body for all its imperfection and be accepted for it. Smith said. Figure drawing classes start with the model doing two to three minutes poses of gestures. The longer poses are 20-30 minutes and models are able to take breaks in between, Smith said. There are tape markers on the stage used to help the model pose in the same position once the break is over. Smith uses his time during poses to think, meditate and also, as a musician, to go over song lyrics in his head. “It’s much better if you have a subject in your mind to focus about,” Smith said. Reese enjoys people watching and making conversation while posing. “I watch the watchers, I have always been really interested in people and the greatest thing that modeling has done for me is to teach me about human behavior, the way people look at you when they get an idea of what they are going to draw, how often people shift their weight, what kind of shoes people are wearing,” Reese said. “I enjoy that time to watch people in their element Both Smith and Reese introduce themselves to the class before modeling to ease the tension and anxiety for everyone. Students eventually get used to drawing nude models. Sophomore Lexie Lemp said she was nervous for her first class. “I have never had a class like that and I wasn’t sure what it was going to be like, but once I got in there, it wasn’t weird or anything. It was normal, it was work, it was technical,” Lemp said. 22 AUTUMN