A giant lineup featuring family events, movement, visual arts and music performances makes up this year’s Artosphere Festival.
Artosphere runs Tuesday, June 16, through Saturday, June 27, throughout Northwest Arkansas. Tickets to Artosphere events are free or low cost. For more information call 479.443.5600 or visit waltonartscenter.org/artosphere.
“At its heart, Artosphere represents what makes Northwest Arkansas so special,” says Jenni Swain, VP of programming at Walton Arts Center. “This festival gives the community the opportunity to interact for two full weeks with over 150 artists visiting our region and sharing their art form with us. This challenges us to see our community through a different lens and invites meaningful dialogue about nature through innovative arts experiences.”
Below is Artosphere’s free events at a glance. For a complete listing and more information on Artosphere events and activities, visit waltonartscenter.org/artosphere.
I Think I Can
Joy Pratt Markham Gallery, Walton Arts Center
Tuesday, June 16 – Saturday, June 27 Open Daily
Free to Public
I Think I Can is an interactive installation by Terrapin Theater of Australia that will place a model railway and city layout in Joy Pratt Markham Gallery. This exhibit unites model trains, intricate puppetry, live video and audience participation to create an innovative public artwork that invites participants to become temporary residents through the form of tiny puppets. Each participant plays a role in creating a community story that evolves throughout the project and is accessible to all through an online newspaper.
Remembered and Rendered: A Ceramic Garden
Created by artist Katie Sleyman in collaboration with Community Creative Center
Tyson Plaza, Walton Arts Center
June 11 – Saturday, June 27
Free to Public
Northwest Arkansas is home to hundreds of species of wildflowers, some exclusive to the region. Excursions on the Fayetteville trail system gave volunteers and students the chance to experience the beauty of native wildflowers on a guided nature walk. Afterward, participants gathered to translate their experiences with nature into thousands of handmade porcelain wildflowers. Their individual pieces of art, when put together, make up Remembered and Rendered: A Ceramic Garden, an outdoor installation by Fayetteville artist Katie Sleyman in collaboration with Walton Arts Center’s resident company Community Creative Center. The installation includes small paths that invite viewers to stroll through the porcelain wildflower garden on Tyson Plaza for reflection and appreciation for the natural world around us. Porcelain wild flower creations workshops and excursions will take place in April. Please register at Community Creative Center.
Food & Music Night
Downtown Square, Bentonville
Thursday, June 18, 6 p.m.
Free to Public
Settle in or move around your favorite local restaurants, coffee shops, pubs and other gathering places around downtown Bentonville to hear Artosphere Festival Orchestra ensembles perform “tiny concerts.” For more of these live music informal gatherings, don’t miss the Food & Music Night in Fayetteville on Thursday, June 25.
Australia’s The Fruits – Spheres
Tyson Plaza, Walton Arts Center
Friday, June 19, 9:30 p.m. and 11 p.m.
Free to public
After the AFO Concert, enjoy a night under the stars on Dickson Street on Tyson Plaza featuring the world renowned performing arts company that fuses theater, dance and circus on 14-foot-tall flexible poles. Spheres is a cosmic and awe inspiring performance that takes an imaginative look at the laws of physics. If you love this performance, make plans to attend their next performance of “Swoon” at Trail Mix on Sunday, June 21, at 1 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 4 p.m. in Bentonville.
Trail Mix Concert Tour
Frisco Trail, Fayetteville
Saturday, June 20, 6 p.m.
Free to public
Capturing the essence of Artosphere, Trail Mix is a time for families and community members to explore our trail systems. Creating one-of-a-kind musical and outdoor experiences, audiences can visit artists and musicians set up in various locations along the one-mile stretch of the Frisco trail to enjoy music from bands across the country. Artists include: Jayme Stone’s Lomax Project, Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem, AFO ensembles and many more. Trail Mix continues on the Crystal Bridges Trails in Bentonville on Sunday, June 21, at noon.
Trail Mix Concert Tour and Family Fun Sunday
Crystal Bridges Trails, Bentonville
Sunday, June 21, noon
Free to public
Artosphere Festival’s signature event, Trail Mix gives families the opportunity to walk on the museum trails while enjoying local and international bands playing a variety of musical genres. This year, Australia’s new circus daredevils, The Fruits, will present their original, groundbreaking performance, Swoon, that tells a spectacular story of love, loss, joy and freedom on high.
Australia’s The Fruits – Swoon
Crystal Bridges Trails, Bentonville
Sunday, June 21, 1 p.m., 2:30 p.m., and 4 p.m.
Free to public
Enjoy the world renowned performing arts company that fuses theater, dance and circus on 14-foot-tall flexible poles. Spheres is a cosmic and awe inspiring performance that takes an imaginative look at the laws of physics.
Food & Music Night
Dickson Street & Downtown Square, Fayetteville
Thursday, June 25, 7 p.m.
Free to public
Settle in or move around your favorite local restaurants, coffee shops, pubs and other gathering places around Dickson Street and downtown Fayetteville to hear Artosphere Festival Orchestra ensembles perform “tiny concerts.” After visiting these tiny concerts, come see AFO’s final performance on Friday, June 27, at Walton Arts Center.
Summer Poetry Series at Crystal Bridges
Thursday, June 11, 8 a.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Free, drop-in program.
Enjoy poetry performances in the circular shape of the Skyspace designed by the artist James Turrell at Crystal Bridges. Houston Hughes leads the night of poetry slams featuring poets on light, color and the Universe! (Sunset is at 8:35 p.m.)
Outdoor Performance and Screening with the Oklahoma Dance Film Festival at the Skyspace
OKDFF presents a screening of short contemporary dance films exploring the body’s relationship with nature produced by filmmakers from around the world. The festival screening will kick off with a special dance performance around the Skyspace, starting at 8:30 p.m.No date on this.jb
Free with online registration at Crystal Bridges.
Saturday, June 13, 9 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Discover the Grounds: Medicinal Plants
Get to know Dr. Justin Nolan who will take you on a journey foraging of medicinal plants found on Crystal Bridges grounds. Dr. Nolan will discuss unique perspective on Ozark native flora through his studies of the human’s relationship with nature and our health belief systems often found in region-specific folkways and traditions. Starts at the Tulip Tree Shelter.
Free with online registration at Crystal Bridges.
Monday, June 15 to Friday, June 19, 9 a.m. – noon
Outdoor Film: KOYAANISQATSI at the Skyspace, followed by telescope stargazing. KOYAANISQATSI is the first film of the QATSI trilogy. The title is a Hopi Indian word meaning “life out of balance.” Created between 1975 and 1982, the film is an apocalyptic vision of the collision of two different worlds — urban life and technology versus the environment. The musical score was composed by Philip Glass.
Free with online registration at Crystal Bridges.
Sunday, June 21, 7 a.m.
101 Sun Salutations for the Summer Solstice at the South Lawn
Start out the first day of summer with 101 Sun Salutations experienced at Crystal Bridges’ lush South Lawn, and facilitated by Cindee Joslin of Yoga Story.
Free with online registration at Crystal Bridges.
