Faulkner Reflects Culture Of Community In New Art Exhibit

Courtesy Image Work by Martin Morales is among art on show at the Faulkner Performing Arts Center in Fayetteville. The exhibit, titled "Arte Contemporáneo en la Diáspora," is open through Dec. 10.
Courtesy Image Work by Martin Morales is among art on show at the Faulkner Performing Arts Center in Fayetteville. The exhibit, titled "Arte Contemporáneo en la Diáspora," is open through Dec. 10.

The University of Arkansas has "always had an international student body, but we want to ensure that we are reflecting everyone's cultures on our campus," says Nicole Cotton, managing director of the Faulkner Performing Arts Center. "One way the Faulkner Center can play a part in that is to display and present art from other cultures."

"Art Ventures believes the best way to share culture is to do so authentically, and we are having a bit of success in spreading the word that we really believe in the concept that 'art is for everyone,'" adds Sharon Killian, president of the Fayetteville nonprofit gallery's board.

FAQ

Artists’ Reception

WHEN — 6 p.m. Nov. 13

WHERE — Faulkner Performing Arts Center in Fayetteville

COST — Free

INFO — 575-5387

BONUS — The performance by Gina Chavez follows at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20.

When the two concepts met in the middle, the result was "Arte Contemporáneo en la Diáspora," featuring work by eight LatinX artists. It's hanging at the Faulkner Center to complement the Nov. 13 performance by Gina Chavez, a multi-ethnic Latin pop singer known for her passionate collecting of bilingual songs.

"Crystal Bridges has been brave in its work toward inclusion and takes Art Ventures' grassroots effort to a much larger scale," explains Killian. "This powerful message of inclusion has gotten through the morass of the recent US cultural shame; artists, learners, scientists, thinkers, craftspeople are coming to the center of this thing and will probably continue to do so until Northwest Arkansas becomes a 'metropolitan area.'"

"While this is not the first art exhibit to be held at the Faulkner Center, it is our first partnership with Art Ventures," elaborates Cotton. "Art Ventures has been doing such wonderful work for our community and very talented artists. We wanted to have more presence in the art community to let them know about our gorgeous space for art, and since we are at the university, it's free for the community to attend. There was no question for me that Art Ventures was the place to go for a high level of artistic integrity."

"Art Ventures has been a community based partner with Fulbright College and we are learning together how to make an impact. This has helped to make collaborations on projects work," says Killian.

"We hope this is just the start of something filling our lobbies all year," Cotton adds.

-- Becca Martin-Brown

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NAN What's Up on 11/09/2018

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