We will kick off a four-city tour of town hall meetings about the creative economy at 11 a.m. Friday, April 26, at the ARTSpace on Main at the ARTx3 Campus, located at 623 S. Main St. in Pine Bluff.
The event is free, and includes lunch, but seating is limited. Registration is required via Eventbrite or by contacting Executive Director Mariah Hatta at mariah@arkansansforthearts.org.
“We are excited to be back in Pine Bluff for the first 2024 town hall meeting. Our lineup will feature leaders from South Arkansas who work in the vast sector referred to as the creative economy,” said Jean Lacefield, board chairperson for Arkansans for the Arts. “Listening directly to communities, bringing together nonprofit organizations, creatives and artists with civic leaders and sharing how to advocate for the creative economy is essential in building ecosystems that support all aspects of the creative economy.”
Jimmy Cunningham, tourism development director for the Pine Bluff Advertising and Promotions Commission, will be a featured speaker during the event. Cunningham is the director of the Delta Rhythm & Bayous Cultural District, a cultural heritage tourism initiative highlighting music, arts and bayou history along U.S. Highway 65 and U.S. Highway 82 from Pine Bluff to Greenville, Mississippi. Other confirmed speakers include: Dr. Suzzette Shaw Goldmon, assistant professor of hospitality and tourism management for the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Pam Griffin, president and CEO of El Dorado Festival and Events with Murphy Arts District, and Chef Cynthia East-Malik, director of Food and Beverage at Saracen Casino Resort.
The first two speakers, Jimmy Cunningham of Pine Bluff and Pamela Griffin of El Dorado, will talk about music districts as a cultural resource feeding the local economy. Over a free sandwich lunch, we will have discussion led by ARftA board Chair Jean Lacefield of Hot Springs.
After lunch, we will hear from hospitality specialists Cynthia Malik, director of Food and Beverage at the celebrated Saracen Casino Resort, and Dr. Suzzette Goldmon, program coordinator for Hospitality and Tourism Management at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, which prepares students for careers in the restaurant, hotel and gaming industries. The culinary arts are a road to diverse careers and professional distinction. Pine Bluff is fortunate to be growing its visibility in the culinary and musical arts, proving that the arts are a basis for economic activity and opportunities.
The arts town hall includes lunch and a tour of the ARTSpace on Main, located at the newly named ARTx3 Campus that includes the Arts and Science Center for Southeast Arkansas. The ARTSpace features a retail gallery of works by regional artists along with a community gallery space and hands-on arts workshop studios. The two-hour event will cover arts-related issues focusing on southern Arkansas counties. The areas included are related to the Arkansas Arts Council’s arts districts, which mirror the Arkansas planning and development districts, and are outlined at arkansasarts.org.
Attendees will have the opportunity to discuss the arts and creative industries, ask questions and learn how they can advocate for the arts with other artists, creatives and art workers, educators, and community and civic leaders. Each town hall will highlight creative work by local creatives and artists. Participants will be invited to become members of Arkansans for the Arts.
The 2024 Arkansans for the Arts Town Hall tour includes events in Northwest Arkansas, Jonesboro and Conway. Times and places are pending. For more information, sign up for updates at arkansansforthearts.org.
The event in Pine Bluff is in partnership with the ARTx3 Campus, which includes the ARTSpace on Main, ART WORKS on Main, and the Arts and Science Center for Southeast Arkansas.
