Fayetteville’s Walton Arts Center is calling on Northwest Arkansas visual artists to submit their work for the sixth annual group exhibition “Our Art, Our Region, Our Time.” The deadline for entries is Aug. 10, and artists 18 and older (or younger with parental consent) can submit up to two pieces completed after Jan. 1, 2025.
This year’s exhibition will display a wide range of visual art mediums and runs from Sept. 25 through Dec. 20 in the Alexander Gallery at the Porter Art Warehouse on the Walton Arts Center campus. Curator Kathy P. Thompson will be reviewing all submissions, which artists can upload via the Walton Arts Center website.
The show offers local creators a spotlight in Fayetteville’s vibrant arts scene, complementing the city’s ongoing efforts to enrich cultural life alongside institutions like the Crystal Bridges Museum a little ways down I-49 in Bentonville. Whether painters, sculptors, or mixed-media artists, the opportunity aims to highlight the region’s creative voices in a highly visible downtown venue.
For artists curious about the submission process or seeking more information, Walton Arts Center encourages questions sent to vi********@**************er.org.
Book festival names Ariel Lawhon as Oct. 4 headliner
Meanwhile in Little Rock, the Central Arkansas Library System’s 2026 Six Bridges Book Festival has announced author Ariel Lawhon as the featured speaker for its closing fundraising event on Oct. 4 at Ron Robin.
Lawhon’s presence caps a notable literary gathering that draws readers and writers from across the state, although the details of her talk or book focus were not disclosed. The event serves as both a celebration of books and a way to support library programs in the region.
While this part of Arkansas’ literary scene feels a bit outside NWA’s regular orbit, there’s often crossover with writers and readers in Fayetteville’s university and arts communities who take an interest in statewide cultural happenings.
Between the Walton Arts Center’s visual art call and the Six Bridges Festival’s literary headliner, it’s shaping up to be a fall rich with cultural energy—perfect timing as the summer heat pushes folks indoors and into galleries and event spaces around town.
Source: NWA Democrat Gazette
