Downtown Springdale Engages Fort Houston Artisan Support Project and Local Makers in Open Seating Project
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 15, 2020
Contact: Jill Dabbs, Executive Director
Downtown Springdale
jill@downtownspringdale.org / (501) 425-0478
Downtown Springdale Engages Fort Houston Artisan Support Project and Local Makers in Open Seating Project
Springdale, AR – Downtown Springdale with funding through a Tyson Family Foundation Grant is collaborating with Nashville-based Fort Houston Artisan Support Project and local makers to fabricate and install outdoor furniture in Walter Turnbow Park.
Aptly named the Open Seating Project, Downtown Springdale has engaged Fort Houston and local makers to fabricate and install the new furniture. “Many artists and makers believe their opportunities are limited to making and selling one-off products and pieces. That’s why we're excited to incorporate an additional production pipeline element to makers in Springdale through the process of communicating with the CNC cutter, acquiring materials, coordinating logistics, assembling a larger maker production team, and installing the project,” says Ryan Schemmel of Fort Houston. The furniture CNC templates are designed by Better Block, a Dallas-based non-profit that provides open-source furniture designs that can be downloaded for free.
The installation, supported through a dynamic partnership between Downtown Springdale and Springdale Parks & Recreation and funded by the Tyson Family Foundation, will take place during the week of September 14th at Walter Turnbow Park. “We’re thrilled to engage such leading-edge partners in this project and to provide makers with the opportunity to work with Fort Houston and fill a critical need in our downtown,” says Olivia Tyson, President, Tyson Family Foundation.
The installation will be open to the public and is set to be completed by September 19th.
“This collaborative installation could not come at a more exciting time for Downtown Springdale,” says Jill Dabbs Executive Director of Downtown Springdale. “As our bike trails become busier and more businesses move into the Downtown Springdale, our downtown needs furniture. And now more than ever our restaurants need outdoor seating for their patrons to enjoy a meal with appropriate social distancing.”
The Open Seating Project will provide seating for at least 100 people in and near Walter Turnbow Park.
ABOUT DOWNTOWN SPRINGDALE: Downtown Springdale is a nonprofit that was formed in 2011 with a mission to create vibrancy in our dynamic downtown. For more information, visit www.downtownspringdale.org.