A comprehensive regional arts resource and community calendar launches today to help the Northwest Arkansas residents learn about important arts and culture amenities and events.
Developed by Creative Arkansas Community Hub & Exchange (CACHE), the Arts Resource Desk provides the first-ever artists and creatives online directory, professional development and best practices library and interactive messaging boards.
The Arkansas creative calendar contains a curated listing of arts and culture events happening in Northwest Arkansas. Organizations and individual artists may submit listings to the calendar. Users will be able to filter by event type and discipline, as well as family-friendly happenings, free opportunities and more.
The Arts Resource Desk is supported through funding from the Walton Family Foundation and the Walmart Foundation. The Walmart Foundation funded the pilot of the Arkansas creative calendar.
“The Arts Resource Desk is modeled after other influential, successful programs found across the nation,” said Simone Cottrell, CACHE Arts Resource Desk manager. “It provides resources for nonprofits and individuals, in addition to group-based learning and one-on-one consulting for artists and organizations around artistic and business needs.”
Findings from CACHE’s arts & culture survey will further inform expansion of the Arts Resource Desk. The survey, completed in February 2021, gathered information from nonprofits and businesses with a primary mission or key programmatic focus related to arts and culture, along with individuals who self-identify as artists, creatives or cultural bearers in Benton, Washington, Carroll and Madison counties.
Users will need to create a personalized online profile to submit listings to the Arts Resource Desk message boards and calendar. CACHE plans to host an information session later this month to guide users through the use of both programs. The date for the session will be announced via CACHE’s newsletter and on social media.
Learn more at cachecreate.org.
