What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/1244619
BECCA MARTIN-BROWN NWA Democrat-Gazette K inya Christian loves trees — "and what they represent." So, tasked with bringing the word "together" to life in a piece of art, she began with what she loves. "I started thinking about being together but staying apart to keep each other safe," she remembers. "You know, the largest living organism on earth is a grove of aspens, because they all share the same root system. And I thought, 'Oh, my gosh, that's it!' A tree never really dies; it creates oxygen through photosynthesis, and it drops its seeds to make new trees, and it continues to give shelter and food throughout its whole life. But these aspens, in particular, all share the same roots." Christian went from thinking about aspens to thinking about the giant redwoods in California. "There's a particular tree there that has been photographed a million times, huge, gnarly, with all of these branches and limbs reaching up to the sky. And it has to count on an amazing root system as well to keep going. So, we're all in this together, and we've just got to keep going. Then, as an abstract artist, I wanted to include faces in this tree and the face of the sun to give it character — because the sun is part of photosynthesis, and it's all part of a huge circle of life thing." Starting this week, postcards bearing Christian's line drawing of her tree of life — plus the works of eight other Northwest Arkansas artists — will be going out to staffers, volunteers and members of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and the Momentary. It's all part of a community initiative intended to "help those especially vulnerable to the negative effects of isolation." Called "the Social Connecting Campaign," the effort asks members of the community to color the line drawings and write "inspirational messages" on the back. Then the postcards will be returned to Crystal Bridges and, in Phase One, be delivered to hospitals and senior living facilities — along with art kits — hopefully bringing joy and social connection with them. The artists will also paint large- scale, colorful versions of the postcard drawings which will be displayed outside the same hospitals and nursing homes. GET GREAT BRANSON DEALS sent directly to your phone! Text BRANSON to 82928 Message and data rates may apply. Text STOP to cancel. Go to taponitdeals.com/terms for privacy and terms. MAY 10-16, 2020 WHAT'S UP! 5 Color The World Springdale artist Kinya Christian was invited to create one of the images illustrating the word "together" for the Social Connecting Campaign, an outreach effort by Crystal Bridges Museum and the Momentary. In addition to a line drawing that will be colored by volunteers and sent to isolated Northwest Arkansans, Christian is working on a large-scale piece of art that will be displayed at hospitals and assisted living facilities. (Courtesy Images/Kinya Christian) Art initiative brings isolated Arkansans 'together' See Connecting Page 6 FYI Social Connecting Campaign For more information on loca- tions, timeline and process of picking up postcards: crystalbridges.org/postcards BENTONVILLE