The board of directors for the Community Creative Center in Fayetteville last week selected Jessica DeBari to serve as its new executive director, effective this month. The organization announced the hire last week, marking DeBari’s return to the 2nd Street spot where she will guide the organization’s creative direction. Honestly, this feels like a natural fit for someone who has lived and breathed the NWA arts scene for a long time. DeBari brings a mix of professional experience and local roots to the role. She holds an MFA and is a practicing artist, which means she isn’t coming in just to sign checks—she’s coming in to make art, too. Before taking the helm at the Community Creative Center, DeBari spent time managing creative spaces and development at the Mount Sequoyah Center in Fayetteville. She handled everything from facility logistics to raising funds for the nonprofit. Her history with the Mount Sequoyah Center shows she understands the grind of keeping nonprofit operations running in a rural region—a hustle that looks way different than it does in Chicago or NYC. She’s also been a presence on the Fayetteville City Council’s radar for quite some time. DeBari served on the Fayetteville Arts Council and even chaired the Fayetteville Gallery Coalition. In a town that’s constantly trying to balance corporate growth with local culture, having someone who bridges that gap is crucial. Her connection to the Community Creative Center runs deep. She hasn’t just volunteered her time at the CCC; she’s been a student there. DeBari taught drawing, painting, and summer camp workshops at the center for years. She knows the classrooms, the studio space, and the people who walk through the door looking for a place to create. Christopher Shields, who chairs the board of directors, said the organization is thrilled to have her leadership. Given DeBari’s background—from teaching the kids in the summer camps to managing the big development angles at Mount Sequoyah—it’s easy to see why the board felt good about this choice. The Community Creative Center operates differently than the big museums downtown. It’s about accessibility. It’s about giving folks a chance to pick up a brush and make something without the pressure of a degree hanging over their head. In Northwest Arkansas, where the creative economy is on the rise, having a steady hand at the wheel like DeBari
Source: Fayetteville Flyer
