Summer Celebration: ESSA fetes artists, sets fall workshops

August 18, 2023

BECCA MARTIN-BROWN

bmartin@nwaonline.com

An artists’ reception celebrating the culmination of the 2023 Ceramics Residency was held Aug. 12 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Eureka Springs School of the Arts. Ceramics artists Lisa Crews and Stefani Christianson displayed the work they created while living on ESSA’s campus for their monthlong residencies, and pieces were available for purchase by a crowd that ESSA Director Kelly McDonough described as “wowed onlookers and patrons of the arts.”

Together, the two ceramists showcased more than 100 pieces of art, and each artist gave a 15-minute talk detailing her creative process and inspiration.

“In the belief that art is vital to the human spirit, the Eureka Springs School of the Arts commits itself to cultivating, promoting, and encouraging artistic expression by providing art and fine craft education opportunities for students of all levels in a unique environment of beauty and creativity,” according to the school’s online mission statement.

“When ESSA began in 1998, we were a school without walls, with passionate local artists offering up their studios to support workshops. A few years later, ESSA moved into a small campus with one building and an acre of land. Today, ESSA has grown into a 55-acre campus with seven teaching studios located in the beautiful Ozark Mountains of Northwest Arkansas.”