What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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January 15-21, 2023 What's up! 9 Fyi Art Ventures On Exhibit "The Fear of The Fearless" — Open- ing reception 5-8 p.m. Jan. 26. On display until March 18 at The Medium, 214 S. Main St. in Springdale. This exhibit features an assemblage of 3-D ceramic works, paintings, and photography by Eric Andre, Vincent Frimpong and Markeith Woods. "The Fear of the Fearless" exam- ines why marginal- ized and displaced communities are often seen as a threat to society and receive inhu- mane treatment. "Frame of Mind: Vignettes" — On exhibit Jan. 25-April 2 at the main gallery at 20 S. Hill Ave. in Fayetteville. The exhibit of Black artists features a curated view of their work while offering a different perspective on subjects intrinsic to the Black expe- rience. "Atmospheric Perspectives" — On exhibit Jan. 25 to Feb. 19 at TheatreSquared in Fayetteville. A new exhibit of photog- raphy Heather Chilson explores the balance between the natural landscape and the cultures that coexist within it. This exhibition is paired with TheatreSquared's production of "Kim's Conve- nience," a play that deals with cultural erosion and the impor- tance of diversity and inclusivity. problem through art within a chosen medium such as painting or sculpture. "Don Tyson School of Innovation did ceramics last year, the home school kids did watercolors, so it could be a variety of mediums," she explains. After completing research and choosing a medium, the students get guidance from an actual artist. "Then after they create. We actually have a reception. We treat them just like we do our represented artists. We celebrate them publicly because we feel like that is another component of this experience, not only to create but to be celebrated for that creation and to be acknowledged as an artist," Edwards says. "That's something that even our own represented artists sometimes lack. They create, and they have all these amazing things, and no one ever gets to see them. We know kids need that even more than adults." In addition to the K-12 Initiative, Art Ventures also hosts one-day workshops to help expose kids to art who may not be able to do such an intensive study. "Sometimes the kids' school just doesn't have the resources or [in] marginalized communities, they may not have the transportation to get to these programs, or it may even be a case where unfortunately, we see so many transit homes, where kids are so displaced, that they actually don't stay in a place long enough to complete a program within their school system. So we have the one-day workshops so that we can just grab you for one day, and teach you something that can assist with having a coping mechanism and actually learning something and feeling fulfilled. Then we're satisfied." Eventually, she says that they want to do some workshops at the gallery. "We've received some funding, where we'll be able to do in-house workshops. So we're going to do a sewing class because we have a represented artist that has a degree in costume design who will lead that." For college-age students, Art Ventures offers a paid internship at the gallery so that students may gain hands-on experience in the art world. "We do a curatorial internship with students that are either enrolled at UA or NWAAC," Edwards says. "We've recently been looking for minority students at either of those institutions so that we can give them that chance. We can give them some real-world experience inside a gallery. They'll learn the ins and outs of creating exhibitions, curating all the things that go into creating these exhibitions — both on- and off-site — and all the business things that happen behind the scenes as well. "Then the last pillar is community collaboration. And that collaboration is so important because we know that many of our communities don't feel like they belong in the world of arts and culture. So we have to go into those communities and partner with other organizations that are providing additional benefits so that we can really capture the audience because nine times out of 10, they're not going to willingly come to us." Community collaboration gives Edwards a chance to use her skills as an organizer. "I'm not an artist, I have no formal background in art, but what I do have a background in is community and managing nonprofits and really driving the mission of a nonprofit organization. That's what drew me to this position because we know that art is transformative. We know that there are so many people taking their own Art Ventures artist Eloa Jane showed "aleppo Forget-Me-not" in the Focus paris 2022 International art Exhibit at the Carrousel de Louvre in paris, France. Lourdes Valverde, another art Ventures represented artist, took her art to other galleries around the state and is preparing to take her work abroad as well. (northwest arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Monica hooper) Edwards See Art Ventures Page 39