Eve Smith, director of visual arts at the Arts Center of the Ozarks, promises that the nonprofit's annual 5x5 Soiree on Thursday will offer not only the charming 5-by-5 inch canvases created by area artists, creatives and local businesses, but it will also include a special nod to Springdale's history. A hallway in the art gallery will be dedicated to photos of historic Emma Avenue and artwork created by the businesses located there.
"Some of the photos are historical photos from the Shiloh Museum," she explains of the event she calls a "social event focused on visual arts." Businesses like Emma Ave. Bar and Tap, Shelby Lynn's Cake Shop and the Jones Center have created special works of art in honor of their establishments.
FAQ
5x5 Soiree & Auction
WHEN — 5:55 p.m. Thursday
WHERE — Arts Center of the Ozarks, 214 S. Main St. in Springdale
COST — $15
INFO — 751-5441 or acozarks.org
"I think it's a great way to show our community how creative the businesses can be in downtown Springdale," Smith says. Participants will get the opportunity to purchase the 5x5 canvasses through a silent auction.
Photographer Meredith Mashburn is donating a black and white photo of the band Moon Taxi performing at the 2013 Wakarusa Music Festival. This is Mashburn's second year participating in the event, and she says she's not only a participating artist but also an eager partygoer.
"I really like the variety of artwork there," she says of the popular community event. "I took my daughter last year, and she absolutely loved it. She was just engrossed by all of the art, and it was so cute, because she bid on a piece. We gave her a $35 limit, and she bid on this little painting of a dog. She just sat there and pushed it up. Every time someone would bump her, she would put her name back down."
Mashburn says her 10-year-old daughter was thrilled when her final bid won the small painting and notes that it's still hanging in her bedroom.
"It's got a great family atmosphere. It's very inclusive," she says of the soiree.
Smith says the event attracts some of the most well-known artists in the Northwest Arkansas area as contributors. Some other favorites returning this year include Eureka Springs artist Zeek Taylor and renowned Southwest landscape artist Johnathan Harris.
There will be around 300 canvasses to choose from, says Smith.
"It's always an exciting and daunting challenge to create on not only a square, but a 5-by-5 inch square," says Smith. "Although the art pieces are small, they always have a big impact."
The event, which starts at 5:55 p.m. -- a cheeky nod to the theme of the event -- will also include live music, a wine reception, ice cream provided by local company Pure Joy Ice Cream and the opportunity to mix and mingle with some of the artists.
Proceeds from the evening -- one of the ACO's largest fund-raising events of the year -- will help support the center's efforts to expand community arts programs.
"I like to remind people that this is a fundraiser," says Smith. "So at the end of the night, not only do patrons have their ears filled with great music, bellies filled with food and drink and eyes and hearts filled with great art; [their] purchase furthers the arts ecology in [their] area!"
NAN What's Up on 12/02/2016