If you’ve lived in Arkansas for any amount of time, you know the state has a vibrant, unique, often-underrated creative scene.The Arkansas Arts Council knows this better than most, and is spreading the word through its virtual series, ARTalks.
Hosted weekly on Facebook Live with council director Patrick Ralston, ARTalks takes deep dives into the state’s artistic spaces “to engage the creative community, encourage artists and nonprofits in the arts and showcase the movers and shakers who are driving the creative arts scenes in Arkansas.”
ARTalks kicked off in spring and has since featured a long list of pros including Chaney Jewell, curator for the Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas; artist Kathy Liao with the Mid-America Arts Alliance; Christina Shutt, director of the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center; and most recently Daleana Vaughan, education director for the Fort Smith Regional Art Museum.
Rounding out November is Jessica Crum, creative director of Conway-based Silverlake Design Studio. The series will break for Thanksgiving before returning in December.
ARTalks is livestreamed on Thursdays at 1 p.m. on the Arkansas Arts Council’s Facebook page and lives on social media afterward so you can watch it any time. Learn more on the council’s website and follow along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for updates.