Poor Richard’s Art is all about Glass in April!
Fused, Blown, or Stained Glass, We have all the eye catching glasswork you are looking for! Come in and see the pieces from our wonderful glass artists, Hank Barnes, Ali Stinespring, & Gary Carter.
Windows, lamps, vases, wine glasses, bowls, kaleidoscopes, nightlights, sculptures, suncatchers, & wall pieces are just a sampling of the items available for purchase.
We are featuring everything glass the month of April, and many pieces are great Easter gifts!
UA Music Dept Collage Concert
The Fulbright College department of music will feature performances by select student ensembles of the UA Music Department in our First Annual Collage Concert on Friday evening, March 12 at 7:00 p.m. in the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall. This event will feature performances by a tuba trio, brass quintet, saxophone ensemble, woodwind quintet, string trio, percussion duet, barbershop quartet, and solo pianist, with works by J. S. Bach, Eric Ewazen, Irving Berlin, Bizet, Sergio Prokofiev, Antonin Dvorak, Blake Tyson, and more.
There will be an after party at Teatro Scarpino following the concert featuring a performance by the Fayetteville Jazz Collective, a local 17 piece big band, who perform jazz at a high standard creating an energetic and exciting atmosphere for dancers and jazz enthusiasts alike.
The Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall is located in the Fine Arts Building on the UA campus. Free parking is available in the parking deck, which can be accessed from Stadium Drive and is located directly to the west of the Fine Arts Building. The admission to the concert is free with an opportunity for donations and the public is cordially invited to attend.
Teatro Scarpino is located at 329 N. West Avenue, just one block north of the Walton Arts Center. Parking will be available in surrounding lots, with free parking in the Walton Arts Center parking lot on a first come, first serve basis. Admission to the after party will be a $5 cover charge with all proceeds to benefit the University of Arkansas Music Department. This event is open to the public.
For more information on this event, please call the department of music at (479) 575-4701, visit us on the web at http://music.uark.edu .
2 Cellos & Guitar Recital
The Fulbright College department of music will feature guest artists Felice Farrell, cello and Michael Carenbauer, guitar, joined by UA cello professor, Dr. Stephen Gates, in concert on Wednesday evening, March 17, at 8:00 p.m. in the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall. They will be performing cello/guitar duos by Bach, Villa-Lobos, and Piazolla; and duets for two cellos by Bartok, Boccherini, and Barriere.
Cellist Felice Farrell has been featured in several very well received performances at the University of Arkansas. She received her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees of Music with a Performer’s Certificate at Indiana University and has served as principal cellist with the Minnesota Orchestra and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. She has served on the faculty at the University of Minnesota, the Eastman School of Music, and the University of Central Arkansas, as well as being accepted into the Affiliate Artist Management of New York City. Farrell began a chamber music at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and continues to perform locally and statewide with colleagues.
Tradition and technology happily coexist in the music of guitarist Michael Carenbauer, with a repertoire which ranges from Bach to contemporary American music. He received a performance degree in Jazz Guitar from Berklee College in Boston and a Master of Music in Classical Guitar from the University of South Florida and is the recipient of numerous grants and awards for music performance, composition, and education, including a Faculty Teaching Excellence Award from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and a Fellowship for Music Composition from the Arkansas Arts Council. His progressive use of technology in teaching was acknowledges with the first place award in the UA Little Rock’s first Teaching with Technology Fair. Michael Carenbauer is currently Professor of Music and director of Guitar Studies at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
Stephen Gates, cellist, is a native of Boston, where he began his study of the cello at age seven. His education includes degrees from Harvard College, the Yale School of Music and the University of Texas at Austin. He has performed with the Boston Opera Company, and the Boston Pops Orchestra, as well as serving as Associate Principal cellist with the New Haven, Connecticut, and Austin, Texas, Symphony Orchestras, and was the principal cellist of the North Arkansas Symphony for 22 years. Dr. Gates joined the faculty of the University of Arkansas in 1973, as Professor of Cello, and served as Music Department Chair from 1998 until 2008. He is the organizer of the very successful Summer Chamber Music Festival.
The Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall is located in the Fine Arts Building on the UA campus. Free parking is available in the parking deck, which can be accessed from Stadium Drive and is located directly to the west of the Fine Arts Building. The admission is free and the public is invited to attend. For more information, please call the department of music at (479) 575-4701 or visit us on the web at http://music.uark.edu.
Dance Coalition hosts 1st annual Northwest Arkansas Dance Festival, April 2nd & 3rd at the University of Arkansas and Benton County School of the Arts
Dance Coalition (a Northwest Arkansas non-profit group of choreographers and dancers) will host the 1st Annual Northwest Arkansas Dance Festival on April 2nd & 3rd, 2010. The festival will include two different Choreography Showcase performances featuring original work by local choreographers and dancers and an all day workshop with dance classes taught by Master Teachers Desiree Robbins and Katey Weibring, of Tremaine Dance Conventions of Los Angeles, forums for choreographers, dancers, and parents, plus a vendor fair with nationally known dancewear vendors.
This year’s Choreography Showcase performances will include new choreography in many styles of dance, including classical and contemporary ballet, lyrical, modern dance, hip hop, belly dance, and musical theater. The Friday, April 2nd, performance will feature new and edgy work by up-and-coming local choreographers and the Saturday, April 3rd, performance will feature new choreography by seasoned local choreographers. All choreographers and dancers are local and in-state artists who come from a variety of dance training backgrounds from around the United States.
The Friday and Saturday performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Benton County School of the Arts, 2005 South 12th Street, Rogers, AR, 72758. Tickets will be available by calling 479-422-6132 and at the door. Tickets are $15 for adults, $8 for children age 12 and under.
On Saturday, April 3rd, Dance Coalition will host an all day dance workshop with Master Teachers Desiree Robbins and Katey Weibring, of Tremaine Dance Conventions of Los Angeles, at the University of Arkansas HPER Building, 155 Stadium Dr., Fayetteville, AR 72701. The day will include Hip Hop and African Dance classes by local teachers from the Elite Dance Studios of Fayetteville and Essence of Art Studios, forums for dancers and choreographers, as well as FREE sessions, such as, a forum for parents with dancewear vendors and a free Yoga class. Dance classes and forums will be $15-$25 each and dancers are encouraged to register in advance by visiting www.dancecoalition.com and completing a registration form.
Master Teacher, Ms. Robbins, who travels internationally to more than 35 cities each year for dance, has a passion for teaching and devotes most of her time to training the professional dancers that are seen on camera. Her expertise is in fine tuning dancers’ technique, style, and movement to create a refined, professional product. She is well known in professional dance for analyzing form and operative skills, and producing efficiency in movement. Her choreography has been seen on the silver screen, in HBO mini-series, Saturday Night Live, ESPN2, and also includes coaching and choreography for professional teams like the Dallas Cowboy’s Cheerleaders (NFL) and the King’s Royal Court Dancers (NBA).
Master Teacher, Katey Weibring, began her training at KJ Dance in Plano, TX under the direction of Kristy Ulmer. Katey started her career working for Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, where she was a soloist in both “Rock on Broadway” and “Flashback.” Other stage credits include several US Tours. Katey has also appeared in television commercials for major national brands, like Old Navy. She has taught and choreographed at numerous workshops and studios in Canada, Costa Rica and across the US. One of Katey’s greatest joys is sharing her love of dance with others through performing and teaching.
Workshop schedule, the free classes listed first:
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9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Dancewear Vendor Fair- FREE
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9:30 a.m. Yoga – FREE
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1:00 p.m. Parent Forum with Dancewear Vendors – FREE
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10:00 a.m. Junior Jazz with Desiree Robbins
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10:00 a.m. Senior Lyrical/Contemporary with Katey Weibring
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11:30 a.m. Dancer Forum with Desiree Robbins
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11:30 a.m. Choreographer Forum with Katey Weibring
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1:00 p.m. Junior Lyrical/Contemporary with Katey Weibring
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1:00 p.m. Senior Jazz with Desiree Robbins
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2:30 p.m. Hip Hop with Rashawn Hammons, Elite Dance Studios
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3:30 p.m. African Dance with Pharanda Cole, Essence of Art Studios
For more information about the festival contact Dance Coalition at 479-422-6132 or 1 Comment / Mar 04.10 / Dance Coalition / by admin
UA Spring Choral Concert
The Fulbright College department of music presents the University of Arkansas Spring Choral Concert on Tuesday evening, March 16 at 7:30 p.m. in the Walton Arts Center, featuring the University of Arkansas Children’s Choirs, conducted by Candace Davis, Donna Voce, conducted by Madison Pennington, and the Concert Choir, conducted by Eddie Jones. This concert will include excerpts from “Frostiana” by Randall Thompson, “Cantata 142” by J. S. Bach and “Sacred Service” by Ernest Bloch, as well as numerous selections on the subject of spring by composers including Thomas Morley, Gwyneth Walker, and Eric Whitacre.
Admission for this event will be $10 for the general public, $5 for senior citizens and $1 for students. Tickets can be purchased on the Walton Arts Center website (http://tickets.waltonartscenter.org/) or at the door. The Walton Arts Center is located at 495 W. Dickson Street in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Free parking is available across the street from the Walton Arts Center on a first come, first serve basis. For more information, please call the department of music at (479) 575-4701 or visit us on the web at http://music.uark.edu/.
Fayetteville Underground First Thursday Opening Reception March 4th 5-8pm
Join us for an exhibition by three Arkansas artists, Jennifer Libby Fay, William Mayes Flanagan, and Don House. Exhibition lasts through March 30, 2010, with an opening reception Thursday March 4th, from 5-8PM.
Also see paintings from all the Fayetteville Underground artists in the back room of the Vault Gallery and the beautiful crafts in the E Street Gallery.
About Stories, Dreams, Reconciliation
Three artists come together March 4th in three separate galleries within the walls of the Fayetteville Underground. The works of Jennifer Libby Fay, William Mayes Flanagan, and Don House might seem, at first glance, to be as distinct and unconnected as their choices of media – dye transfer, watercolor painting, and photography. But look again, walk back and forth between the galleries, and the underlying, defining force that connects them becomes apparent.
Jennifer Libby Fay is the most likely to use the word spiritual when she describes her creative process, her search for meaning:
“When I am thinking about my work or making my pieces I try to begin with an open and generous heart in order to ‘see’ what is being asked of me. For me, making art is an intuitive process, it comes from a place inside me that is difficult to articulate but I think it is very concerned with finding meaning in life. For me this is a spiritual quest.” And she has credentials to prove it. Her The Seven Step Spiritual Art Discipline , was included in the recently published book Visio Divina, a collection of essays that deal with the experiences of practicing artists .
An accomplished handweaver and fiber artist, Fay focuses now on textile surface design using multiple dying techniques, embellishment, and fabric manipulation. Each of her dye transfer processes coalesces the various layers and textures into a unique original print. She will be exhibiting a collection of new work entitled Reconcilliation.
Spiritual carries great weight, and a multitude of meanings, and while William Mayes Flanagan might be hesitant to evoke it when describing his work, it nonetheless pervades it. So many of his rich watercolors describe that wondrous period of dusk, when darkness gathers outside and windows begin to warm and light from within. The viewer rarely glimpses the scene beyond the window, yet feelings of curiosity and great nostalgia and longing can surface as the observer fills in the blanks from her own memory. “There’s nothing scary about my nights”, says Flanagan, “it is a time of great peace and beauty and mystery.” A Kansas City gallerist once described Flanagan as a Southern storyteller. And true to that metaphor, he lets the listener, so to speak, walk right into the scene.
Flanagan will be displaying an array of new work, most of which has never been exhibited. He credits his association with the Underground as a critical factor in his prolific production of work in the past year. “It’s inspiring,” he says, “I work in the presence of very creative and disciplined artists, and their energy seems to activate my own.”
Don House often describes his approach to photography as a search for the essence, and he finds spirituality most often associated with the places to which he is drawn, with or without the presence of people. “ I often seek the isolation of wilderness”, he explains, “only to find myself pulled to signs of prior habitation, of human presence – the stone wall, the crumbled foundation, the tombstone – places with emotional weight.” Nudes, landscapes, architecture – House approaches them all as he would one of his powerful portraits- searching for the character, the spirit, the essence, before he releases the shutter.
Most often, House finds that black and white film is the tool of choice, but he’s known to use color processes when he feels it better conveys his vision, and his selection of pieces for this exhibition contains both – works from different periods, a collection he titles Stories.
The Underground is a perfect setting for an exhibition of kindred spirits. Four well-appointed galleries are surrounded by artist studios and classroom space. Their monthly opening receptions have anchored the First Thursday event in downtown Fayetteville, and drawn record crowds. It has been credited by many artists as having revitalized the art scene in the region, even in the face of a national economic slowdown. It provides a community of and for working artists, and this sense of community has drawn together a fascinating and diverse group of professional artists.
The opening reception for the Fay/Flanagan/House exhibition is March 4th, 5PM-8PM, and work will remain in the galleries through the month. For hours and information, go to www.fayettevilleunderground.com.
More information and sample work of the featured artists may be seen at their respective web sites: www.jenniferlibbyfay.com, www.william.mayes.flanagan.com, www.donhousephotoworks.com.
Fayetteville Underground First Thursday Opening Reception March 4th 5-8pm
Join us for an exhibition by three Arkansas artists, Jennifer Libby Fay, William Mayes Flanagan, and Don House. Exhibition lasts through March 30, 2010, with an opening reception Thursday March 4th, from 5-8PM.
Also see paintings from all the Fayetteville Underground artists in the back room of the Vault Gallery and the beautiful crafts in the E Street Gallery.
About Stories, Dreams, Reconciliation
Three artists come together March 4th in three separate galleries within the walls of the Fayetteville Underground. The works of Jennifer Libby Fay, William Mayes Flanagan, and Don House might seem, at first glance, to be as distinct and unconnected as their choices of media – dye transfer, watercolor painting, and photography. But look again, walk back and forth between the galleries, and the underlying, defining force that connects them becomes apparent.
Jennifer Libby Fay is the most likely to use the word spiritual when she describes her creative process, her search for meaning:
“When I am thinking about my work or making my pieces I try to begin with an open and generous heart in order to ‘see’ what is being asked of me. For me, making art is an intuitive process, it comes from a place inside me that is difficult to articulate but I think it is very concerned with finding meaning in life. For me this is a spiritual quest.” And she has credentials to prove it. Her The Seven Step Spiritual Art Discipline , was included in the recently published book Visio Divina, a collection of essays that deal with the experiences of practicing artists .
An accomplished handweaver and fiber artist, Fay focuses now on textile surface design using multiple dying techniques, embellishment, and fabric manipulation. Each of her dye transfer processes coalesces the various layers and textures into a unique original print. She will be exhibiting a collection of new work entitled Reconcilliation.
Spiritual carries great weight, and a multitude of meanings, and while William Mayes Flanagan might be hesitant to evoke it when describing his work, it nonetheless pervades it. So many of his rich watercolors describe that wondrous period of dusk, when darkness gathers outside and windows begin to warm and light from within. The viewer rarely glimpses the scene beyond the window, yet feelings of curiosity and great nostalgia and longing can surface as the observer fills in the blanks from her own memory. “There’s nothing scary about my nights”, says Flanagan, “it is a time of great peace and beauty and mystery.” A Kansas City gallerist once described Flanagan as a Southern storyteller. And true to that metaphor, he lets the listener, so to speak, walk right into the scene.
Flanagan will be displaying an array of new work, most of which has never been exhibited. He credits his association with the Underground as a critical factor in his prolific production of work in the past year. “It’s inspiring,” he says, “I work in the presence of very creative and disciplined artists, and their energy seems to activate my own.”
Don House often describes his approach to photography as a search for the essence, and he finds spirituality most often associated with the places to which he is drawn, with or without the presence of people. “ I often seek the isolation of wilderness”, he explains, “only to find myself pulled to signs of prior habitation, of human presence – the stone wall, the crumbled foundation, the tombstone – places with emotional weight.” Nudes, landscapes, architecture – House approaches them all as he would one of his powerful portraits- searching for the character, the spirit, the essence, before he releases the shutter.
Most often, House finds that black and white film is the tool of choice, but he’s known to use color processes when he feels it better conveys his vision, and his selection of pieces for this exhibition contains both – works from different periods, a collection he titles Stories.
The Underground is a perfect setting for an exhibition of kindred spirits. Four well-appointed galleries are surrounded by artist studios and classroom space. Their monthly opening receptions have anchored the First Thursday event in downtown Fayetteville, and drawn record crowds. It has been credited by many artists as having revitalized the art scene in the region, even in the face of a national economic slowdown. It provides a community of and for working artists, and this sense of community has drawn together a fascinating and diverse group of professional artists.
The opening reception for the Fay/Flanagan/House exhibition is March 4th, 5PM-8PM, and work will remain in the galleries through the month. For hours and information, go to www.fayettevilleunderground.com.
More information and sample work of the featured artists may be seen at their respective web sites: www.jenniferlibbyfay.com, www.william.mayes.flanagan.com, www.donhousephotoworks.com.
Fayetteville Underground First Thursday Opening Reception March 4th 5-8pm
Join us for an exhibition by three Arkansas artists, Jennifer Libby Fay, William Mayes Flanagan, and Don House. Exhibition lasts through March 30, 2010, with an opening reception Thursday March 4th, from 5-8PM.
Also see paintings from all the Fayetteville Underground artists in the back room of the Vault Gallery and the beautiful crafts in the E Street Gallery.
About Stories, Dreams, Reconciliation
Three artists come together March 4th in three separate galleries within the walls of the Fayetteville Underground. The works of Jennifer Libby Fay, William Mayes Flanagan, and Don House might seem, at first glance, to be as distinct and unconnected as their choices of media – dye transfer, watercolor painting, and photography. But look again, walk back and forth between the galleries, and the underlying, defining force that connects them becomes apparent.
Jennifer Libby Fay is the most likely to use the word spiritual when she describes her creative process, her search for meaning:
“When I am thinking about my work or making my pieces I try to begin with an open and generous heart in order to ‘see’ what is being asked of me. For me, making art is an intuitive process, it comes from a place inside me that is difficult to articulate but I think it is very concerned with finding meaning in life. For me this is a spiritual quest.” And she has credentials to prove it. Her The Seven Step Spiritual Art Discipline , was included in the recently published book Visio Divina, a collection of essays that deal with the experiences of practicing artists .
An accomplished handweaver and fiber artist, Fay focuses now on textile surface design using multiple dying techniques, embellishment, and fabric manipulation. Each of her dye transfer processes coalesces the various layers and textures into a unique original print. She will be exhibiting a collection of new work entitled Reconcilliation.
Spiritual carries great weight, and a multitude of meanings, and while William Mayes Flanagan might be hesitant to evoke it when describing his work, it nonetheless pervades it. So many of his rich watercolors describe that wondrous period of dusk, when darkness gathers outside and windows begin to warm and light from within. The viewer rarely glimpses the scene beyond the window, yet feelings of curiosity and great nostalgia and longing can surface as the observer fills in the blanks from her own memory. “There’s nothing scary about my nights”, says Flanagan, “it is a time of great peace and beauty and mystery.” A Kansas City gallerist once described Flanagan as a Southern storyteller. And true to that metaphor, he lets the listener, so to speak, walk right into the scene.
Flanagan will be displaying an array of new work, most of which has never been exhibited. He credits his association with the Underground as a critical factor in his prolific production of work in the past year. “It’s inspiring,” he says, “I work in the presence of very creative and disciplined artists, and their energy seems to activate my own.”
Don House often describes his approach to photography as a search for the essence, and he finds spirituality most often associated with the places to which he is drawn, with or without the presence of people. “ I often seek the isolation of wilderness”, he explains, “only to find myself pulled to signs of prior habitation, of human presence – the stone wall, the crumbled foundation, the tombstone – places with emotional weight.” Nudes, landscapes, architecture – House approaches them all as he would one of his powerful portraits- searching for the character, the spirit, the essence, before he releases the shutter.
Most often, House finds that black and white film is the tool of choice, but he’s known to use color processes when he feels it better conveys his vision, and his selection of pieces for this exhibition contains both – works from different periods, a collection he titles Stories.
The Underground is a perfect setting for an exhibition of kindred spirits. Four well-appointed galleries are surrounded by artist studios and classroom space. Their monthly opening receptions have anchored the First Thursday event in downtown Fayetteville, and drawn record crowds. It has been credited by many artists as having revitalized the art scene in the region, even in the face of a national economic slowdown. It provides a community of and for working artists, and this sense of community has drawn together a fascinating and diverse group of professional artists.
The opening reception for the Fay/Flanagan/House exhibition is March 4th, 5PM-8PM, and work will remain in the galleries through the month. For hours and information, go to www.fayettevilleunderground.com.
More information and sample work of the featured artists may be seen at their respective web sites: www.jenniferlibbyfay.com, www.william.mayes.flanagan.com, www.donhousephotoworks.com.
Fayetteville Underground First Thursday Opening Reception March 4th 5-8pm
Join us for an exhibition by three Arkansas artists, Jennifer Libby Fay, William Mayes Flanagan, and Don House. Exhibition lasts through March 30, 2010, with an opening reception Thursday March 4th, from 5-8PM.
Also see paintings from all the Fayetteville Underground artists in the back room of the Vault Gallery and the beautiful crafts in the E Street Gallery.
About Stories, Dreams, Reconciliation
Three artists come together March 4th in three separate galleries within the walls of the Fayetteville Underground. The works of Jennifer Libby Fay, William Mayes Flanagan, and Don House might seem, at first glance, to be as distinct and unconnected as their choices of media – dye transfer, watercolor painting, and photography. But look again, walk back and forth between the galleries, and the underlying, defining force that connects them becomes apparent.
Jennifer Libby Fay is the most likely to use the word spiritual when she describes her creative process, her search for meaning:
“When I am thinking about my work or making my pieces I try to begin with an open and generous heart in order to ‘see’ what is being asked of me. For me, making art is an intuitive process, it comes from a place inside me that is difficult to articulate but I think it is very concerned with finding meaning in life. For me this is a spiritual quest.” And she has credentials to prove it. Her The Seven Step Spiritual Art Discipline , was included in the recently published book Visio Divina, a collection of essays that deal with the experiences of practicing artists .
An accomplished handweaver and fiber artist, Fay focuses now on textile surface design using multiple dying techniques, embellishment, and fabric manipulation. Each of her dye transfer processes coalesces the various layers and textures into a unique original print. She will be exhibiting a collection of new work entitled Reconcilliation.
Spiritual carries great weight, and a multitude of meanings, and while William Mayes Flanagan might be hesitant to evoke it when describing his work, it nonetheless pervades it. So many of his rich watercolors describe that wondrous period of dusk, when darkness gathers outside and windows begin to warm and light from within. The viewer rarely glimpses the scene beyond the window, yet feelings of curiosity and great nostalgia and longing can surface as the observer fills in the blanks from her own memory. “There’s nothing scary about my nights”, says Flanagan, “it is a time of great peace and beauty and mystery.” A Kansas City gallerist once described Flanagan as a Southern storyteller. And true to that metaphor, he lets the listener, so to speak, walk right into the scene.
Flanagan will be displaying an array of new work, most of which has never been exhibited. He credits his association with the Underground as a critical factor in his prolific production of work in the past year. “It’s inspiring,” he says, “I work in the presence of very creative and disciplined artists, and their energy seems to activate my own.”
Don House often describes his approach to photography as a search for the essence, and he finds spirituality most often associated with the places to which he is drawn, with or without the presence of people. “ I often seek the isolation of wilderness”, he explains, “only to find myself pulled to signs of prior habitation, of human presence – the stone wall, the crumbled foundation, the tombstone – places with emotional weight.” Nudes, landscapes, architecture – House approaches them all as he would one of his powerful portraits- searching for the character, the spirit, the essence, before he releases the shutter.
Most often, House finds that black and white film is the tool of choice, but he’s known to use color processes when he feels it better conveys his vision, and his selection of pieces for this exhibition contains both – works from different periods, a collection he titles Stories.
The Underground is a perfect setting for an exhibition of kindred spirits. Four well-appointed galleries are surrounded by artist studios and classroom space. Their monthly opening receptions have anchored the First Thursday event in downtown Fayetteville, and drawn record crowds. It has been credited by many artists as having revitalized the art scene in the region, even in the face of a national economic slowdown. It provides a community of and for working artists, and this sense of community has drawn together a fascinating and diverse group of professional artists.
The opening reception for the Fay/Flanagan/House exhibition is March 4th, 5PM-8PM, and work will remain in the galleries through the month. For hours and information, go to www.fayettevilleunderground.com.
More information and sample work of the featured artists may be seen at their respective web sites: www.jenniferlibbyfay.com, www.william.mayes.flanagan.com, www.donhousephotoworks.com.
The Homeless Project: Quality of Life in Northwest Arkansas
Fayetteville, Arkansas, March 1-31, 2010.
The Homeless Project, a public art project created by artist and University of Arkansas Assistant Professor Bethany Springer, will be on display at four locations on the downtown Fayetteville square from March 1st – 31st, 2010. This public video and sound exhibition presents testimonies from a sampling of the homeless population currently residing in local shelters, makeshift camps, and transitional living facilities in Northwest Arkansas. The video project may be seen and heard outside the following participating venues and locations during the month of March: Fayetteville Visitors Bureau (21 S. Block Avenue), Opal Flyʼs Feel Good Lounge (40 E. Center St.), U.S. Center for World Mission (26 W. Center St.) and East Square Plaza (1 E. Center St.).
Funding for this public art exhibition is provided through the 2009 Community Research Award sponsored by the Jones Chair in Sociology and Family and Community Institute at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.
Special thanks to Dr. Kevin Fitzpatrick, the Family and Community Institute at the University of Arkansas, Kimberly Gross, Poppi Price, Betsy Gross of Seven Hills, Don Montgomery of the Salvation Army Fayetteville, Stacey Overfelt of Havenwood, Malen Gardner of Youthbridge, Randy Thomas of Sound Warehouse, Heather Kendrick-Gerlaugh and Lee Ann Kendrick of The Lighter Side of Dickson, Rowland McKinney of the 540 Film Fest, Dede Peters of ddp gallery, Foxfire and the gang at Opal Flyʼs Feel Good Lounge, John Sewall of the U.S. Center for World Mission, Julie Pennington and Brian Bailey of the Visitors Bureau, and especially to the resilient men and women who shared their stories to make this project possible.
The Homeless Project: Quality of Life in Northwest Arkansas
“Booming prosperity accompanying a tremendous increase in the area’s population has made Northwest Arkansas a nationally recognized economic success… A thriving housing market, booming business development and retail growing faster than nearly imaginable, the once quiet area has been a sea of construction sites for the past several years. And the results are some of the nicest neighborhoods and shopping venues anywhere.” – Northwest Arkansas Business Journal. March 13, 2007
“It’s estimated that on any given night almost 1200 people are homeless in Washington and Benton counties… Not everyone is enjoying the prosperity of Northwest Arkansas.” - “Quality of Life in Northwest Arkansas,” KNWA. October 29, 2008
In August 2007, I began interviews with a sampling of the homeless population currently residing in local shelters, makeshift campsites, and transitional housing in Northwest Arkansas. With consent of the interviewees, the testimonies have been recorded in their current place of residence using high quality audio and video equipment. To date, twenty-seven testimonies have been collected. Each interview has been edited down to a three-minute video portrait. Each portrait will be accompanied by audio testimony which offers a glimpse into each interviewee’s private life. These testimonies reveal memories and personal meanings associated with the term “home.” On a more obscure level, the testimonies also offer insight into the fundamental human need for security (Maslow’s hierarchy of needs) and psychological consequences experienced as a result of displacement.
These video testimonies will be presented as a touring public art project, entitled The Homeless Project, beginning in early 2010. As the project originates in Northwest Arkansas and most of the interviews were recorded in Fayetteville, The Homeless Project will be on view at four different locations on the downtown Fayetteville square from March 1-31, 2010. Four 40” LCD flat screen televisions will be mounted on the interior of four different storefront sites in downtown Fayetteville and face out towards the street through large windows. High-quality and weatherproof speakers, mounted on the exterior of the buildings, will allow viewers to experience the voices of the interviewees at street level. The project will begin touring regionally in 2010.
The Homeless Project examines how territory changes over time, and more specifically addresses how one’s sense of place, security, and ownership is established and lost. The purpose of this research is to raise social awareness of the issue of displacement and to encourage an understanding of the commonalities that link the sheltered and unsheltered by giving a public visual and aural presence to persons whose identities are less evident.
Benton and Washington counties experience double-digit growth rates each year, yet from 1990 to 2006, the percentage of owner-occupied housing declined in Northwest Arkansas (1). In a recent 125-page survey conducted by the University of Arkansas Community and Family Institute, the Northwest Arkansas Community Foundation, and the United Way of Northwest Arkansas, it was estimated that on any given night almost 1,287 people are homeless in Washington and Benton counties.
As the landscape of Northwest Arkansas continues to develop, it is important to address the needs of all community members, especially those whose presence is less visible. I believe that these conversations, presented in public space, will encourage open dialogues to address the necessity for stable and affordable housing amid extensive growth in Northwest Arkansas. This project also examines how development is affecting individuals within the community and transforming regional identity as a whole.
Artist’s Biography and Statement Bethany Springer
Since moving from New York City to the Midwest in 2004, I have been particularly interested in the idea of progress (western expansion) in the form of technological advances in communication, globalization, and product development. In my research, I attempt to examine how these larger phenomena affect regional identity and subsequently impact individual experience.
How place is established, reinforced, and lost is a concept represented in my work through metaphors of biology, territory, communication, and security. In a broader context, the work also explores escapism as an effective means of protection. Ultimately, I see my sculpture and video work as situational experiments that monitor awareness in a constantly accelerating world.
Bethany Springer (b. 1975 Washington, D.C.) received her MFA in Sculpture from the University of Georgia, Athens and BA from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA. She has been a Visual Arts Fellow at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, MA and a resident at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts in Omaha, NE. The recipient of several awards, Bethany has received grants from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, Arkansas Arts Council, University of Arkansas Community and Family Institute, Iowa Arts Council, and Center for Digital Technology and Learning at Drake University in Des Moines. Selected exhibitions of her work include On the Street Gallery in Memphis, Maryland Art Place (MAP) in Baltimore, Boston Center for the Arts, Creative Arts Workshop in New Haven, CT, Zeitgeist Gallery in Nashville, TN, and Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, WI. Springer is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Art at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.