UNA Professor Receives the Samuel Ullman Award
Nov. 09, 2026
Michelle R. Eubanks , UNA, at meubanks@una.edu, 256.765.4392
FLORENCE, AL – Ms. Chiong-Yiao Chen, a Professor of Art and Director of the University Galleries at the University of North Alabama, has been named the 2026 recipient of the Samuel Ullman Award from the Japan-America Society of Alabama, or JASA. She received the award at JASA’s Annual Celebration Dinner in Huntsville earlier this month.
“I hadn’t imagined myself being considered for the award,” she said. “So my initial reaction was one of surprise and delight. I felt honored to be recognized by communities beyond the arts and design profession.”
Established in 1992, the Samuel Ullman Award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to strengthen the relationship between Japan and Alabama. The award honors Ullman (1840-1924), a Birmingham businessman, poet, and humanitarian, whose essay “Youth” became widely admired in Japan.
Professor Chen’s contributions include organizing “A Take on Friendship Bridge,” a Japanese art exhibition that took place in April of 2025 in the Elaine Bailey Augustine Art Gallery. The exhibition featured Japanese Satsuma pottery, 19th-century Ukiyo-e woodblock prints, contemporary ceramics inspired by Japanese aesthetics, embroideries, and bonsai trees.
She, along with a team of students, examined, cataloged, and displayed JASA’s recently acquired Satsuma pottery collection. The exhibit presented a compelling story about the collector of Satsuma pottery and retold the influence of Japanese art, culture, and design after the 1967 Paris International Exposition. The exhibit also welcomed Japan’s former Consul General from Atlanta and Alabama’s Honorary Consul General from Birmingham.
“Exhibitions bring people together and give communities opportunities for aesthetic engagement and learning about diverse cultures, traditions, and beliefs through art objects and their creators,” Professor Chen said.
Her efforts reflect UNA’s longstanding commitment to fostering international relationships with countries from across the globe.
“This is a wonderful opportunity to acknowledge Professor Chen’s efforts on behalf of UNA,” said Dr. Butler Cain, a Professor of Communication and JASA Board Member. “It is also an opportunity to recognize UNA’s commitment to maintain strong educational, cultural, and economic ties among the Shoals area, the State of Alabama, and Japan.”
For Professor Chen, she said the impact extends beyond galleries and classrooms, creating opportunities for people from different backgrounds to connect.
“Art and culture are powerful tools that help people connect,” she said. “They remind us that even though we come from different backgrounds and are separated by social and national boundaries, we all appreciate beauty and can be inspired by the stories art embodies and the values it represents.”
About The University of North Alabama
The University of North Alabama, Alabama’s first four-year, state-chartered institution, is an accredited, comprehensive regional state university offering undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs through the colleges of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering; the Sanders College of Business and Technology; the Spencer College of Education and Human Sciences; and the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions. Occupying a 130-acre campus in a residential section of Florence, Alabama, UNA is located within a four-city area that also includes Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia. UNA Athletics, a renowned collegiate athletics program with seven (7) Division II National Championships, is now a proud member of NCAA Division I and United Athletic conference. The University of North Alabama is an equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate in the admission policy on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability, age, or national origin. For more: www.una.edu and www.una.edu/unaworks/.