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Happy October, CitiScapes Fans!!!

Be sure to pick up your copy of the new October issue of CitiScapes Magazine, a.k.a. The Arts Issue…on stands now!

FEATURED INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

The Northwest Arkansas Artscape
Exploring the region’s fine art galleries and exhibition spaces

Art In Eureka Springs
The visual arts reign supreme in this jewel of the Ozarks

At Home With Art
The Fayetteville residence of Don and Kathryn Stroessner

also:
>A&E: Autumn brings jazz, voices and Irish culture to Walton Arts Center
>Profile: The not so bland life of Don Bland
>Stylish People: The classic, creative style of Janet Holman
>Destinations: All Aboard the Arkansas & Missouri Railroad Excursion Train
>Outdoor Living: Good fences make good gardens
>Eats & Drinks: Hammontree’s Grilled Cheese & Café Baristo

ALL THAT, PLUS A WHOLE LOT MORE!!! Pick up your copy today at one of the 600+ distribution points throughout Benton and Washington Counties. And thanks for reading CitiScapes, Northwest Arkansas’s longest running and most widely circulated regional lifestyle magazine.

FROM THE EDITOR:

What makes one community or geographic region better, or more livable, than another? What qualities directly affect an area’s quality of life, its happiness index? Is it economic and job market stability? Undoubtedly. What about good schools and cutting-edge, accessible health care? Certainly. Good roads, scenic parks, boutique shopping and fine dining? You bet. Is it college athletics, pro sports teams, local festivals and farmers’ markets? Check. Community theatre troupes, live music venues, performing arts centers, history museums, botanical gardens and fine art galleries? Double check. All of these things make the list of quality-of-life indicators, and in Northwest Arkansas there is palpable progress under way on virtually every front.

In researching this month’s lead feature on the visual arts in Northwest Arkansas, which admittedly was much more fun than anyone ought ever have while ‘working,’ I found myself thinking a great deal about what all goes into making a good community a truly great community. To be sure, it takes a lot—everything mentioned above and more—a pinch of this and a dash of that, a diverse combination of ingredients ranging from economics and infrastructure to education and cultural endeavor. Especially those ingredients that define an area’s cultural identity, as there’s no denying that access to cultural pursuits is intrinsic to a high quality of life. The quantity and quality of culture on tap really does say a lot about a community’s overall wellbeing, not to mention its value…its worth. As for the part about the visual arts and me having barrels of fun at work, it should come as no surprise to those who know me that art is a personal passion of mine. It ranks up there with travel, Boston Terrier/French Bulldog mixes and animal crackers…you know, the things that make life worth living. I look forward to monthly gallery openings with about as much fervor and enthusiasm as little Charlie Bucket’s vigorous yearning to find Willy Wonka’s golden ticket – yep, when it comes to art, artists and art galleries, I’ll admit it, I’m like a kid in a candy store. It’s somewhat of an obsession really, and the crowded wall space at my house proves it. But I digress…

Long home to a sizeable stable of gifted artists and an ever-evolving arts scene, both visual and performing, Northwest Arkansas’s unique creative vibe and magnetism has been known to arts-inclined locals for years. But, for the masses, most would agree that the area hasn’t truly been an arts destination. However, that seems to be changing – most notably in the world of visual art. Owing in large part to the full-steam-ahead forward momentum of the much-anticipated Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, the region is abuzz and awash with talk of Northwest Arkansas becoming a bona fide visual arts destination…on a national scale. And in the wake of this massive cultural undertaking, other arts institutions and commercial arts enterprises are lining up to play their part in taking the area’s visual arts scene to the proverbial next level. Indeed, the arts are alive and well here in Northwest Arkansas.

From residential settings to the walls of galleries, museums, artist studios, salons, restaurants and coffeehouses—even gracing the sides of buildings, roadways and other public spaces—art in all its varied forms and executions has the remarkable power to communicate, connect, inspire, uplift and amaze. Beginning on page 48, join us as we explore Northwest Arkansas’s burgeoning art market and expanding visual artscape, first honing in on the region’s private commercial art galleries, then on the area’s public art museums and exhibition spaces. We also check out the Eureka Springs visual arts scene, starting on page 62. And, beginning on page 64, we tour the local residence of Don and Kathryn Stroessner, where the couple’s eclectic collection of art from around the globe transforms their Fayetteville condo into a stylish and inviting display space.

Here’s to having a great October… See you next month!

Aaron Bleidt
Executive Editor

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