CONWAY, Ark. – University of Central Arkansas Norbert O. Schedler Honors College student Sydney Fallon recently completed a solo international art exhibition in Seoul, South Korea, as part of her Honors capstone project.
Fallon presented “Art & Seoul” July 24–27 at Mi&Gallery in the Jongno district of Seoul, located near Gyeongbokgung Palace. According to UCA News, the exhibition explored themes of identity, belonging and the Korean adoptee experience through a series of sculptural works.
Inspired by her lived experience as a Korean adoptee, Fallon collaborated with Korean adoptees from around the world to create the installation. Each sculpture incorporated adoption file materials, personal photographs and participant narratives, resulting in an interactive exhibition.
The project began during Fallon’s interview for admission into the Norbert O. Schedler Honors College and developed over more than two years with support from Honors faculty and mentors in UCA’s Department of Art and Design.
“Ever since I entered the Art program at UCA in 2022, I knew I wanted to focus my artwork on the Korean international adoptee and Korean American experience,” Fallon said in a release from UCA News. “I think that my enrollment in the Honors College at UCA helped me to dream bigger as an artist.”
With guidance from mentor Sandra Luckett, Fallon selected sculpture as the primary medium and built the exhibition around inspiration from Doljabi (돌잡이), a Korean tradition in which symbolic objects are chosen to foreshadow a child’s future. Participants were asked to select an object representing their relationship with South Korea, which formed the conceptual foundation for the work.
The exhibition coincided with Fallon’s first extended return to South Korea since her adoption in 2004. A public reception held July 26 aligned with the anniversary of the day she first met her parents, adding personal significance to the event. More than 70 attendees participated in the gallery reception and online tour, including adoptees and advocates involved with Emergency Action for Records Storage (EARS).
Throughout the project, Fallon received academic and creative support from Honors College faculty, including Ellen Hostetter, as well as professors Michael Lierly, Jeff Young, Gayle Seymour and David House.
Fallon said she hopes the exhibition encourages viewers to reconsider perceptions of international adoption and identity.
“If even one person who interacted with ‘Art & Seoul’ was inspired not to stay silent, I believe I will have succeeded,” she said.
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