Arts Center of the Ozarks Transitions Facility Operations to CACHE
Arts Center of the Ozarks Transitions Facility Operations to CACHE
SPRINGDALE, Ark. (Sept. 3, 2020) – The Arts Center of the Ozarks (ACO) will transition facility operations toCreative Arkansas Community Hub & Exchange (CACHE), effective Sept. 18, 2020.
Supported by a grant from the Tyson Family Foundation, CACHE will facilitate community engagement around reimagining the future of the space as a grassroots creative hub for the Northwest Arkansas region.
CACHE will work closely with the ACO team on the transition.
“For more than 53 years, ACO has been one of the largest organizational champions of arts in the area – delighting the public through performances, exhibitions and outdoor festivals,” said Bryan Gott, ACO executive director. “We believe this transition will encourage partnership between the various organizations in the area, offering a wonderful opportunity for the arts in Springdale to flourish. The ACO will then have the ability to focus its energy on developing and producing future programming.”
“This is a huge opportunity, and we hope that you will celebrate with us,” said Derek Gibson, ACO board president. “The ACO will now have the chance to focus on creating and exploring new ideas that will take us to our next level. The spirit of community theatre remains strong and the dedication of the ACO to its theatre family has not wavered. Our traditional summer musical will be back on stage in 2021.”
As an organization, the ACO will move into a strategic planning phase that will include taking some time to gather information from its theatre family and public to inform its future plans.
CACHE will work to rejuvenate the center to aid the discovery and development of local creative talent, and attract energy and investment from across the country.
“We have the opportunity with this space to reinvent the modern era’s arts center in the Downtown Springdale Arts District,” said Allyson Esposito, CACHE executive director. “This transition will allow us to expand equity, inclusion and expression across all artistic disciplines and Northwest Arkansas communities, and we are thankful to the Tyson Family Foundation for its dedication to preserving the history of arts in downtown Springdale.”
“The Tyson Family Foundation is proud to be a part of the evolution of one of the oldest arts institutions in Northwest Arkansas,” said Olivia Tyson, Tyson Family Foundation president. “As we strive to create an inclusive and accessible space for artists and arts organizations in our region, we want to express our appreciation for the individuals and families that have been pivotal in the success of ACO.”
Amber Perrodin, a long-time Springdale resident and practicing artist, expressed her excitement about the new era for ACO. “This downtown icon has held space for the artistic community for over 50 years,” Perrodin said. “Knowing it is continually evolving to service the needs of the greater Northwest Arkansas creative economy to include artists of all backgrounds and mediums is refreshing, to say the least. I look forward to this incredible new chapter and have no doubt some really fantastic projects, exhibitions and opportunities are about to unfold.”
"Northwest Arkansas has many talented people but doesn't always have systems in place to support artist growth and well-being,” said Max Pérez, director of arts and cultural programming at Teen Action & Support Center in Springdale. “It's wonderful to see resources being provided to our growing artist community. I'm so excited to see what the people of Northwest Arkansas can accomplish with a space dedicated to the stewardship of artists and collaboration."
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About Creative Arkansas Community Hub & Exchange
Established in 2019, Creative Arkansas Community Hub & Exchange (CACHE) works to expand Northwest Arkansas' cultural sector with a focus on building an inclusive, innovative and inspiring creative ecosystem. CACHE seeks to elevate Northwest Arkansas as a recognized hub for creativity at all scales – from the individual to the institutional – and to co-create the conditions for the region’s rich diversity of artists, creative workers, and cultural businesses and nonprofits to thrive. CACHE focuses on infrastructure development, arts engagement and participation, grantmaking, data collection, advocacy and policy, and capacity building for the full Northwest Arkansas cultural sector, to create conditions favorable for local arts innovation. CACHE also supports the elevation of Northwest Arkansas as a premier destination for the arts, with the goal of encouraging additional public support, cultural tourism, economic development and diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility best practices. Learn more at nwacouncil.org/cache.