Artists from all over the world take over Fort Smith

The Unexpected recently wrapped up its third year in Fort Smith. And while the event is over, the "forgotten spaces" it helped to transform remain, here to co-exist with the other things Fort Smith is well known for.

Artists from all over the world spent more than a week in our city taking part in the event, which since its inception has brought international attention to the area. Fort Smith has been mentioned in the same breath as cities like New York and Paris, France, where the visiting artists have created other works. During The Unexpected, artists set up shop downtown and in other locations and set to work on larger-than-life projects, both permanent and temporary.

But the artwork done in Fort Smith isn't just downtown or in other places visible to the public. The walls at the Juvenile Detention Center, for example, were transformed this year from "depressing, drab, pale olive green" to a piece of art with a theme of "Still I Rise," appropriate and inspirational for the location. The project was the brainchild of recent members of Leadership Fort Smith, and even Gov. Asa Hutchinson made a point to stop by.

"When they came out here, it was just dull walls — nothing to look forward to," Sheriff Bill Hollenbeck said during a presentation at the facility. "But I mean, just walking in you can tell this is something they will look forward to — coming out and seeing these colors rather than gray walls of the jail."

The juveniles at the facility were so interested in the project, in fact, that one of them who was released before The Unexpected wanted to come back to see the finished project.

Other locations where new artwork exists include The New Theater, an Art Nouveau playhouse at 9 N. 10th St. that has not been open to the public in more than 30 years.

The art created during The Unexpected isn't for everyone. But then again, that's the way art is. You either like it or you don't. And if you don't appreciate the art, that's OK, but surely you can appreciate that the event brings both attention and opportunity to Fort Smith.

The Unexpected offers a chance for students from the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith, as well as Northside and Southside high schools, to put their own touches on things that will be seen and remembered for years to come. It also opened the doors for others to volunteer and get involved.

Fort Smith can't be OK with allowing itself to be defined by one thing, whether it's the city's "old west" history or something else. It must be proud of its diversity, and allowing artists to come into the city to create something new in these "forgotten spaces" creates an opportunity for tourism and exposure to a new audience who can learn what Fort Smith is all about. Truly, Fort Smith can be "Where the New South Meets the Old West."

"I have to say, when I'm walking around downtown Fort Smith for seven days straight, and I see people outside with their families, I see people of all ages, all demographics are out enjoying it," Claire Kolberg, The Unexpected's director, said on the event's last day. "That, to me, is an absolute huge sign of success."

You may not like the art or understand it, but what it reflects is Fort Smith's openness to things outside of what some have come to expect from our city, and we appreciate The Unexpected for opening those doors for both current and future generations.