Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Translating Community
NWACC celebrates creativity, culture
As I teach and share what I love with others, I feel re-inspired to create,” says Mary TidyCoyle, assistant professor of art at Northwest Arkansas Community College in Bentonville. “Getting students excited about art, and seeing their personal growth as artists, is one of the most rewarding experiences — and I feel so fortunate to have that be part of my everyday life.”
The month of March at NWACC is designated to “highlight the talents of our student body and professors, as well as build relationships with others outside the college to share knowledge [and] skills with one another,” continues Brody Parrish Craig, assistant professor of English. The Spring Arts & Culture Festival, which begins March 4, offers “multiple events that are student led — theater performances, creative writing readings, presentations of work by honors and gender studies students — all while hosting talented local and regional speakers as well — such as Andrea L. Rogers, SG Huerta — artists local to the Northwest Arkansas community and writers connected to the University of Arkansas.”
“My goal,” says Craig, who is Arts & Culture co-chair at NWACC, “is to use [the festival] as a bridge to both showcase the talent and scholarship happening on campus as well as bring in community speakers to build a reciprocal relationship between NWACC and our local community.”
Craig came to the region in 2013 to study creative writing in the Master of Fine Arts program at the University of Arkansas and has been involved with the NWACC festival since he started teaching there in 2019.
“This year is my first year serving as co-chair of the festival, and I’m so excited to lead our planning committee,” he says. “Personally, I love the value of art and writing to engage folks in dialogue or conversation with perspectives [and] cultures outside of their own or perhaps their own immediate circles.
“Growing up in Louisiana,” he explains, “I often turned to books to have conversations about my world that weren’t readily available to me in my immediate community or to see myself reflected on the page. I also believe that art [and] writing can be healing and build community!”
The theme “Translate” was open-ended deliberately, he says, to “encourage all departments and divisions at NWACC to contribute according to their own discipline/field. For example, we have a talk on ‘Translating Your Skills into a Career You Enjoy’ alongside a ‘Shakespeare in Translation’ performance that will pull in multilingual performances from various community members.”
Asked to recommend one event, Craig chooses “TRANSLATE: A Poetry Reading” at 10:45 a.m. March 6 “specifically because it will incorporate two published poets, CD Eskilson and SG Huerta, reading alongside several NWACC creative writing students.”
“I’m also thrilled to highlight our keynote speaker, Andrea L. Rogers, who will be reading on March 4 at noon in White Auditorium,” he adds. “Rogers will be reading from
‘Man Made Monsters’ and other creative work with a Q&A to follow discussing themes of translation and more.” Rogers also will present a free author talk at 6 p.m. March 4 at the Fayetteville Public Library.
Originally from Philadelphia, Tidy-Coyle’s artwork is on show as part of “Translation: A Collection of Works by NWACC Art Faculty.” The theme for the exhibition, she says, was based on this prompt:
“How do we convert meaning from one language, person, or culture to another? As visual artists we translate our ideas and visions, often through non-verbal ways, seeking to communicate — feelings, ideas, experiences, views, interests, etc.” Her acrylic-on-paper painting, “In Our Closet, Hers and Hers 1,” looks at “‘coming out of the closet’
… as a metaphor for openly embracing LGBTQ+ identity and challenging societal norms” and “‘hers and hers’ contributes to discussions about equality in the LGBTQ+ community, challenging heteronormative language and emphasizing samesex partnerships.”
“The cultural significance of these terms underscores the evolving landscape of LGBTQ+ acceptance, fostering a more inclusive society,” her artist statement says.