What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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4 WHAT'S UP! JANUARY 5-11, 2020 COVER STORY Other Milestones • In June, D. Andrew Gibbs retired after 20 years as chairman of the University of Arkansas drama department. Michael Riha was named his successor. • In August, "The Spiritualist," Bob Ford's drama about a British spiritualist, had its world premiere at TheatreSquared. • In September 2013, the Arts Center of the Ozarks and Crystal Bridges Museum showed off the results of the first "Sensory Iconoclasts" partnership pairing artists and chefs. • In October 2013, the Fort Smith Symphony celebrated its 90th birthday. • Also in October, John Burroughs became director of the Rogers Historical Museum upon the retirement of Gaye Bland. Burroughs resigned at the end of 2018. 2014 The Big News After beginning life as a tent in a parking lot in 2005 and a temporary move to the Washington County Fairgrounds, the Arkansas Music Pavilion debuted its next era as a $12 million dollar, fully contained structure on June 7, 2014. Following the donation of land near Interstate 49 — formerly Interstate 540 — by businesswoman and philanthropist Johnelle Hunt, and a $2.5 million contribution from Walmart, the new Walmart Arkansas Music Pavilion found its new, permanent home in Rogers. The new venue brought more seating — nearly 10,000 between the fixed seats under the canopy and the general admission lawn area — and greater performance and technical capabilities than any of its previous homes. The increased space allowed AMP seasons moving forward to host top-tier names the past venues couldn't accommodate. The venue had a bigger season than expected, hosting more shows than planned at the season announcement, drawing nearly sold-out crowds for several big names and hosting the Latin Grammy Awards for 2014. Other Milestones • Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art debuted its internally curated, groundbreaking exhibition, "State of the Art" on Sept. 12, 2014. The exhibition comprised 227 works from 102 artists across the country, amassed through visits to nearly 1,000 artists' studios nationwide. Online news source Huffington Post called "State of the Art" the second-best art exhibition of the year and in less than three months, it was the museum's most-viewed exhibit to date. • The museum also acquired a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home in January of 2014. The Bachman-Wilson House was taken apart at its New Jersey location and construction for reassembly began at the end of the year. 2015 The Big News The first round of tickets for the inaugural Bentonville Film Festival May 5-9, 2015, was sold over the course of a single weekend — better than even its co-founders Trevor Drinkwater and actress Geena Davis could have imagined. In addition to a slate of some 50 films — which were required to have cast or crew members who were either women or minorities — the event brought to Bentonville panel discussions with industry leaders, a concert series and star power that included Rosie O'Donnell, Robert DeNiro and Bruce Dern. Other Milestones • The Scott Family Amazeum opened its doors on July 15, revealing 50,000 square feet of space where kids can explore a homestead cabin and farm, shop at a replica Walmart Neighborhood Market and more. • The $15.5 million Windgate Art and Design Building opened for fall classes at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith campus, thanks to the single largest donation in school history. The 58,000-square-foot facility brought the studio art and design programs together under one roof, as well as housed gallery space for student work Decade Continued From Page 3 NWA Democrat-Gazette/BEN GOFF A view of the nearly complete Walmart Arkansas Music Pavilion in Rogers from the top of the grass seating area on May 22, 2014.