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Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in six years has established itself as an example to emulate and brought art of the highest quality into the lives of people of every background, observers and local artists say. Crystal Bridges opened to the public in Bentonville in late 2011 and displays works from before the United States formed to the present. It counts hundreds of thousands of students, tourists, artists and other visitors each year — more than 600,000 last year, said Rod Bigelow, the muse- um's executive director. The museum makes art itself more accessible and re- al for each one of those vis- itors, said Apryl Okoroafor, president of the Artists of Northwest Arkansas profes- sional group. She is an artist, jewelry maker and certified art educator. "It's a blessing," she said, pointing to high school stu- dents she's taken to the mu- seum who otherwise had never been exposed to the arts. "They're just getting this new world of ideas and possibilities opened up be- fore them." Hundreds of millions of dollars from Alice Walton, daughter of Walmart found- er Sam Walton, and donors built the museum, filled its walls, halls and library and made most of its displays free to the public, including installations along several miles of trails. The collection includes more than 2,500 objects and is still growing, Bigelow said. Philip Kennicott, art and architecture critic at The Washington Post who has written about Crystal Bridges, said the museum caught people around the country by surprise, seemingly springing into existence fully formed with a deep and broad collection. But what draws his attention years later is how the museum wields that and community space, on- site design and building workshops, eight guest art- ist apartments, three levels of outdoor public spaces and a cafe and bar that will be open beyond production hours. The university's Global Campus theater will have its first event April 20 with the ArkType Festival of New Works, a collection of one-person shows and new plays from students, faculty and community members. The $2.7 million renovation put a state-of-the-art black box theater on the down - town square. Performances will be more intimate, with about half the capacity of the 315-seat University Theatre on campus. Having a satellite ven- ue should open university productions to a larger au- dience, said Ashley Cohea, business manager with the university's Department of Theatre. The department has six shows planned for the 2018-2019 season, four of which will take place at the Global Campus stage. That's just a sampling of the dramaturgical diversity the region showcases. RISING TIDE Northwest Arkansas is rapidly becoming a place where theater is made and where professional artists can live, work and find an audience, said Martin Miller, TheatreSquared's executive director. The more the eco - system grows, Miller said, the more everyone in the industry will benefit. "I think we'll look back on this moment a decade from now and realize we were lucky enough to be around during the emergence of a new, vibrant theater capital," he said. TheatreSquared will soon move from its 175-seat the- ater at Nadine Baum Studios, which it leases from the Walton Arts Center. Part- nerships continue to play a key role in the Walton Arts Center's operation. Sympho- ny of Northwest Arkansas, Creative Community Center and others have been a sta- ple of the center for years, and now the nonprofit Trike Theatre in Bentonville is serving as an artistic affiliate on education initiatives and professional development. Two decades of youth outreach seems to have paid off, said Laura Goodwin, vice president of learning and engagement at the Walton Arts Center. The kids who regularly saw performances on elementary school field trips grew up. "When you look at that, over a 20-year period, and the kind of cultural fabric that is created when the per- forming arts are part of the pattern of your life, I think you do over time see these smaller theater companies start to bubble up and au - diences are then ready to receive that work," she said. A diversity in program- ming promotes the idea that theater can be accessible to everyone, and not just for a certain class of audience. There is an element of com- petition, yes, but the more interest and enthusiasm gained in the performing arts, the wider an audience there is to tap into, said Scott Galbraith, vice president of programming at the Walton Arts Center. "All ships rise with the tide," he said. "If they're go- ing to Trike in Bentonville one day, they may be com- ing to see Mary Poppins on the Broadway series the next time." That tide is certainly high. The arts made a $131 million economic impact on Northwest Arkansas in 2015, according to the most recent study from the Arts and Eco- nomic Prosperity 5 project of Americans for the Arts. The average attendee of an arts or cultural event in the region spent $35.89 in addi- tion to the cost of admission. The Walton Family Foun- dation set forth an effort to establish Northwest Arkan- sas as a national leader in arts and cultural amenities as part of its 2020 Home Region strategic plan. Key partners include the Scott Family Amazeum, Com- munity Creative Center, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Symphony of Northwest Arkansas, The- atreSquared and the Walton Arts Center. ARTS FOR EVERYONE The list of new and inter- esting performing arts op- tions is growing. S h a k e s p e a r e t r o u p e Crude Mechanicals wrapped its fourth season in January and plans to perform all over Northwest Arkansas. Pilot Arts in Fayetteville offers classes and holds auditions for its productions at the Fayetteville municipal air- port. The Artist's Laboratory Theatre, formed in 2010, operates in a former church across the street from the se- nior center in Fayetteville. Original productions and performances move around to different venues, such as Walker Park or anywhere else they can be arranged. The nonprof it theater company uses art as a tool to discuss larger social issues, such as housing insecurity, poverty and means of trans- portation, said Haley Smith, marketing director. Perfor- mances often are relevant to issues facing the community on the south side of town. Artist's Lab aims to bring people together through outreach while having fun, Smith said. "Everything is steeped in purpose," she said. Arkansas Public Theatre, entering its 33rd season, but only its fourth under the new moniker, may look a little different but still serves as a place for community theater seeking local talent. There is no shortage of talent, said Joseph Farmer, executive di- rector. Cast lists always have someone new who wasn't in the last show. The region's in a great spot talent-wise, Farmer said. He likened the land- scape to that of the burgeon- ing business startup scene in Northwest Arkansas. It will only thrive if everyone supports each other, Farmer said. "There are arts for every- one in Northwest Arkansas," he said. "Different theaters have different shows to of- fer and, we offer them at different times. You can make a whole weekend and see four different shows, no problem." Stacy Ryburn can be reached by email at sryburn@nwadg.com or on Twitter @stacyryburn. v Continued from preceding page $131.2 million Total arts and culture industry expenditures 4,647 Full-time equivalent jobs supported via spending by arts and cultural organizations and their audiences $63.7 million Event-related spending by arts and cultural audiences (excluding the cost of admission) Total attendance to arts and culture events Resident attendees: 1.3 million Nonresident attendees: 450,935 All cultural audiences: 1.8 million 74.6% Resident attendees 25.4% Nonresident attendees Percentage of total attendance to arts and cultural events Average arts and cultural audience event-related spending per person Resident attendees: $23.85 Nonresident attendees: $71.20 All cultural audiences: $35.89 Economic impact of nonprofit arts and cultural organizations Americans for the Arts partnered with 250 local, regional and statewide organizations to complete its national Arts and Economic Prosperity 5 report. The Northwest Arkansas study region is defined as Benton and Washington counties. $3.5 million Revenue generated to local governments via spending by arts and cultural organizations and their audiences Source: Arts & Economic Prosperity 5: The Economic Impact of Nonprofit Arts and Cultural Organizations and Their Audiences in the Northwest Arkansas Region NWA Democrat-Gazette/CHRIS SWINDLE NOTE: Numbers are from Fiscal Year 2015 DAN HOLTMEYER NWA DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE Exhibits reflect multiple voices Art becomes accessible to all at museum CRYSTAL BRIDGES At a glance Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art 2018 temporary exhibitions Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power, Feb. 3-April 23; works by black artists from the 1960s through the 1980s; $10 for nonmember adults, free for members and children. The Beyond: Georgia O'Keeffe & Contemporary Art, May 26-Sept. 3; several dozen works by O'Keeffe and later artists; tickets not yet on sale. Native North America (working title subject to change), Oct. 6-Jan. 7, 2019; Native American artists from the 1950s to today; tickets not yet on sale. Source: crystalbridges.org See MUSEUM, Page 4U ∂ ∂ SUNDAY, MARCH 18, 2018 v 3U Live & Play 20690 Bruce Rutherford Dr Siloam Springs 479-228-0803 • Thecypressbarn.com Weddings • Receptions Dinner Parties • Group Events Beyond a venue… The top destination for live music in Northwest Arkansas. Walmart AMP 5079 W. Northgate Rd. | Rogers, AR 72758 amptickets.com | 479.443.5600 PH TO REPRINTS available for purchase online at nwadg.com/photos