Fayetteville art collective Art Ventures has made some big changes recently, but the mission remains the same: Art for Everyone -- and they’re working hard to make that dream a reality.
Art Ventures opened in a basement on the Fayetteville Square as Fayetteville Underground in 2009 and then moved to the southwest corner of the Square in 2012. Fast forward a bit through the pandemic, and Art Ventures has left the square and is now located in the beautiful, historic Putman House! The new space provides opportunities for community collaborations and local partnerships, as well as being a fully furnished space with plenty of sitting areas and tables where people in the community can freely spend time studying, working, or meeting with a friend.
Art Ventures hopes to continue to utilize their new location to explore other partnerships and promote local businesses in the community as we move into the 2022 (AHHH!) season. Recently, Art Ventures partnered with Conscious Coco and Campfire Coffee to provide coffee and other refreshments to guests visiting the gallery. They also collaborated with Women's Wellth 360 to host a workshop on processing grief, guided by Lakeisha Edwards, the new Executive Director of Art Ventures.
Currently, Art Ventures is exhibiting their annual Art for the Holidays show. This exhibit is up now through January 16, 2022 and features art from thirty-one of the art collective’s represented artists! This exhibition, like all the exhibitions and gallery programming that Art Ventures offers, is free and open to the public to allow everyone to participate in the art experience.
Drop in any time to see the art currently on exhibit, or make a date night out of it by attending a reception! Art Ventures’ next reception will take place on Thursday, January 6 from 5 pm to 8 pm. All are encouraged and welcome to attend. There will be free refreshments and wine, and beer generously donated by Fayetteville Ale Trail partners Fossil Cove and Ozark Beer Company.
Looking to the future, Art Ventures has big plans! Besides hosting more collaborative events and in-person affairs, there will also be new programs and an updated exhibition schedule. One of these new programs rolling out in 2022 is Art Ventures’ art leasing program, which will provide a flexible and economical way for local partners to enjoy fine art in their office and business spaces. Art will be leased in three-month cycles, so partners can refresh their space while simultaneously building meaningful and sustainable relationships with local artists and bolstering the local community. Everyone wins!
The following exhibits will be displayed in January and February of 2022:
Jan 1 - Feb 28 | Pieces of the Fabric – Out of Northwest Arkansas | Fayetteville Public Library | features images of descendants and families of African Americans in the region before 1861
Jan 19 - Feb 27 | Critical Black Theory in Art | Art Ventures Gallery | features Black artists, their passionate expression of pain, conflict, and of joy in celebration of Black History Month 2022
TBD Spring ‘22 | Where Are My Reflections? | Faulkner Performing Arts Center | features contemporary artists in the Middle Eastern diaspora
Art Ventures is free and open to the public from 12 pm to 6 pm Wednesday-Sunday at the Putman House on 20 S. Hill Ave, Fayetteville, AR 72701.
