Quarterly arts networking meetings resume Oct. 26

The Hot Springs Area Cultural Alliance, which hosts quarterly arts networking meetings, was forced to cancel its summer meeting due to COVID-19, but plans to hold one via Zoom on Oct. 26.

The goal of these meetings, which are free to attend, is to allow “members of the arts community to communicate what they have and to look for opportunities to collaborate,” Mary Zunick, executive director of the Alliance, said.

The last meeting was held in February, “right before all this fell apart, before COVID,” Zunick said.

The Oct. 26 meeting will be held virtually beginning at 5:30 p.m. The deadline to register for the meeting is noon that day and those interested in participating can do so by emailing

hsaca@hotspringsarts.org.

Each meeting has a program, and this one will cover how to market on social media. The program will be led by John Caver and Dmitri Scott of the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Center.

“John Caver became director of the Henderson State University ASBTDC in July 2020, bringing 30 years of Fortune 500 technology company experience,” a news release said.

“His background includes executive roles in sales, marketing, and strategic planning with GTE, Verizon, Alltel, Sprint, and Optus. John was named ‘Best in Job’ nationally four times during his career for three different companies. John is both a native of Hot Springs and a 1987 graduate of Henderson and is excited to give back to all of the communities across southwest Arkansas where he still has so many friends and classmates,” the release said.

“Dmitri Scott joined the Henderson State University ASBTDC in August 2020. Scott brings a MBA-level education to ASBTDC as well as a passion and drive for small business that comes from helping his family start businesses of their own, and he has a strong background in media marketing,” it said.

Zunick said it is a good program topic because the holiday season is coming up. “Lots of people looking for gifts. We want people to be able to promote their art virtually,” she said.

The networking meetings started in 2014, and Zunick said they usually have 20 to

50 artists participate. With the next meeting being held virtually, she said, “I think it will allow a lot more people to participate.”

As an example, Zunick said she attended a virtual conference this summer where the attendance is usually around

300 people, but because it was held virtually, there were over

2,000 people participating.