Nineteen years ago, when the Art of Wine Festival began at the Walton Arts Center, it was the only event of its kind in the region. The challenge today, says WAC corporate relations manager Amy Freeman, is how to make the two-day wine festival a standout event while keeping its identity and original intent.
"It started as a garden party, so last year we kind of brought that back. In essence, we activated the entire campus of Walton Arts Center," Freeman reveals. "We took it outside to our rose garden. [Events manager] Shannon Thomas gave it a look and feel that is different than just coming to a show at Walton Arts Center."
FAQ
Art of Wine Festival
WHEN — Winemaker’s Dinner at 6 p.m. May 16; Uncorked! at 7 p.m. May 17
WHERE — Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville
COST — Winemaker’s Dinner, $225/person; Uncorked!, $75 or VIP ticket, $150
INFO — 443-5600 or waltonartscenter.org
That garden motif expands this year with the theme of Neon Industrial Garden. But also expanding are the event's activations, pop-up shops, spirit offerings and community involvement.
"The great thing about Walton Arts Center and being down here in Fayetteville is that we are connected to all these small businesses and the Dickson Street merchants, but at the same time, vendors like L'Oréal and Brown-Forman still want to sponsor because they still want to help out the community," Freeman shares. And with Art of Wine serving as one of WAC's largest fundraisers of the year, Freemen emphasizes how local business participation and ticket sales are compounded to give back to the community.
"You're really supporting Walton Arts Center, which in turn supports the Northwest Arkansas community with the arts education programming," she enthuses.
With the entire campus of WAC teeming with events, here's a list of some of the highlights for Art of Wine, besides the more than 800 wines from around the world guests can sample during Uncorked on the second night of the festival.
• Pop-up shops giving a percentage of the proceeds to fund WAC's arts education programming.
• Cocktail classes led by Maxine's Steven Idlet.
• Balloon pop with the chance to win prizes like tickets, wine, merchandise and gifts from local boutiques.
• Performances by Rozenbridge and DJ Jon Teal.
• Nearly two dozen participating restaurants.
• The Art of Wine app (available in the Apple Store and in Google Play) to navigate the booths, save and rank favorite wines and more.
-- Jocelyn Murphy
NAN What's Up on 05/12/2019