Pharaohs and Heifer

Honors Trip to Little Rock includes visit to Arts Center and to Heifer International



Today a large group from the SAU Honors College visited Little Rock and took in the Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt exhibition at the Arkansas Arts Center. That thematic exhibit examined the art and lifestyles of ancient Egypt. Here are some representative pieces. The fragment on the right depicts a husband and wife, presumably. There were several exhibits which featured this theme of family life.


Near the start of the exhibition was a large head of Ramesses II carved from granite. It featured the typical head dress worn by pharaohs. Another interesting object was a shabti, or funerary assistant. Shabtis were left in tombs and were supposed to take care of the day to day activities of life (e.g., cleaning, cooking, and other tasks).







Here is a shabti:




After viewing the exhibit and wandering through the other galleries, we decided to visit the headquarters of Heifer International. According to their Web page:

• "Heifer's mission is to work with communities to end hunger and poverty and to care for the earth. Heifer does this by providing appropriate livestock, training and related services to small-scale farmers and communities worldwide."

Further information about their mission can be found HERE. After spending some time at the Heifer Village, we took a guided tour of their new building. It was planned and built as a green building and features many energy saving and resource conserving features.

Here are a couple of shots of their building. Note that its shape (an arc) maximizes its tracking of the sun and that the face of the building either shades the interior or collects additional light depending on the time of year. The building also collects rainwater and stores it for future use.



Here is a view from the parking lot showing the building's shape.



In the Heifer Village, Majesta Miles, John Lee, Lauren Russell, and Monica Stubbs interact with an exhibit designed to educate visitors about food:


At the Heifer Village's Snack Bar, Kristin Sams and Sarah Irvin enjoy a brief moment of rest:








At another table, Singha Dhungana, Kahle Harned, Darrell Gray, and Samson King also spend some time off of their feet.


Meanwhile, Joshua Manual, Sidney Kilgore, and David Wingfield examine the model of a self-sustaining village in Africa.






Samantha Lamb poses for the photographer as she examines some of the food products Heifer recipients grow.








The Honors College will be selling The World's Finest Chocolate bars starting next week in order to fund its Spring trip to Houston. Be on the lookout for them as you perambulate through Reynolds next week. That trip will take place during Spring Break and will last several days.