University art gallery planned at historic Fayetteville house

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.—A historic home downtown will have temporary tenants while crews repair the building, which may lead to a more lasting arrangement.

Molly Rawn, the city’s tourism director, introduced to the Advertising and Promotion Commission a deal with the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville’s School of Art for a three-month residency at Walker-Stone House.

The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that the school will host a gallery of student and faculty work from March through May. An official opening date has not been set, said Kayla Crenshaw, director of communications for the School of Art.

Becoming a destination for art in the state, expanding outreach and looking for new venues all fall in line with the school’s goals, Crenshaw said. The three-month stay will feature a mixture of paintings, drawings and graphic design work. Faculty will exhibit work of all types of mediums in May.

“We want to make sure we’re giving back to the community as much as we’re receiving from our community partners,” Crenshaw said.

Repairs and renovations at the 170-year-old house will continue during the gallery’s stay, Rawn said. The commission has $225,000 budgeted this year for the project.

The commission bought the home in 2016 for $750,000. Ideas have bounced around on what to do with it.

The house has served as an art-show venue before with collective Fenix Fayetteville’s events and Experience Fayetteville’s Green Candy Art Action, which brought several mural and sculpture projects to the city last summer. Experience Fayetteville is the name of the tourism bureau.

The School of Art will have its three-month trial run, and at the end of it, will come back to the commission and make a presentation on the experience. From there, a long-term arrangement could be made that would generate revenue and tourism, Rawn said.

“I am thrilled with this opportunity,” she said. “I think it will be wonderful, even if it does not turn into something long-term.”

Commissioner Robert Rhoads brought up the commission’s September meeting in which it was decided a committee would determine the house’s long-term future. Rawn said she didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity with the School of Art, and the arrangement would serve as a test for how to potentially move forward.

The School of Art will pay for utilities during its stay and won’t interrupt the repairs and renovations, Rawn said.