Pumphouse Community Art Walls
One of my proudest professional achievements has been the activation of a decommissioned water department pumphouse on Poplar Street in Fayetteville, Arkansas. This project has been made possible because of the City of Fayetteville’s dedication to public art, and I am so grateful to them for allowing me to be the steward of this project.
When I interviewed to serve on the Fayetteville Arts Council in 2019, one goals was the need for spaces where artists could practice public art skills without fear of legal issues. I have had the privilege of learning to paint murals because I first started as a commercial sign painter, picking up skills along the way, and painting larger and larger projects over the years. Most artists don’t have that kind of privilege and access, and that isn’t right. There’s also the issue of gatekeeping the public art game, folks don’t always share their skills or resources. We have desperately needed a free and legal space where artists can practice without worry. After I became Chairperson of the Fayetteville Arts Council I continued to push for this, however, we didn’t have the staff or infrastructure to bring this project to fruition until November of 2023.
The building was primed, my team and I painted a wild “ Imagine the Possibilites” on the Poplar Street side of the building, Jeremy Navarette (NVEST) put up an incredible piece on the east side of the building, and the other two sides were painted on the kick off day by community members. It was incredible. Since that day, the building as been used exactly as intended. Artists have treated it as a living canvas, putting up new, beautiful, clever work every few days. It’s the delight of midtown Fayetteville, and a testament to what can happen when we trust the art community to curate and care for a public art space.
The Smithsonian Folklife Festival
In 2023 I worked on the Smithsonian Folklife Festival as both a production designer and a participant. The 2023 program was called The Ozarks, Faces and Facets of a Region, and I was beyond honored to lend my perspective as a 6th generation Ozarker.
The research was a joy, site visits with the curators across the region to observe our ozark vernacular architecture, ghost signs, a ballad-off in a holler, a glimpse of the future through a hagstone, a trip to the Ozark Folk Center and so many meticulously laid giraffe stone structures. We gathered in secret spaces to collect precious Ozark Chinquapin Chestnuts almost all lost to blight, and to learn the art of spoon carving.
The bulk of my involvement was staying in DC for a month to prepare for and then participate in the Folklife festival. I handlettered 20 signs, painted a nearly 800 square foot mural with my assistant Jennifer Northorp, and sat on a number of panel discussions about what it means to be an Ozarker.
An especially fun collaboration was with my old friends Ozark Beer Company on the official festival beer. The Olivias Folklife IPA was created to celebrate two women bringing the best of cultural heritage to Washington D.C. this Summer, and the 2023 festival celebrates the many different cultures throughout the Ozarks. It’s an honor and a trip to have a beer named after me, and to get to design the label for it!
I Exist In The Future Murals x Advanced Type with graphic design seniors at University of Arkansas
During the autumn of 2022, I collaborated with professors Dina Benbrahim and Ryan Slone on a semester-long project titled "I Exist in the Future." This project involved a profound examination and revival of historical found typography in Fayetteville and the Northwest Arkansas region, undertaken by the University of Arkansas' Graphic Design Advanced Type Seniors. The primary objective of the project was to visually translate the past into the future. My role was to share hand-lettering skills in the classroom with workshops and to guide the execution of the collaborative murals.
The Quilt Square Project
I started the Quilt Square Project in 2014. The first piece was an 8’x8’ multicolor square that was installed on the side of the Perrodin Supply Co. warehouse in downtown Springdale, Arkansas. The idea was that it would brighten a space that had seen better days, and would be easily digestible to a community that had not yet been the recipient of the many pieces of public art that now adorn Springdale. That first piece was well received and it was quickly followed by another 8’x8’ installed nextdoor to the Oddfellows building at the Shiloh Museum.
Over the years the Quilt Square Project has grown and changed. From 8’x8’ single blocks, it’s morphed into entire blankets covering buildings and structures. You can find pieces of the project across Arkansas, all the way to Washington, DC. You’ll find small pieces in homes and large blankets on businesses. It pays homage to the countless hours of hidden work that women put into the warmth, safety, and comfort of their families and loved ones. Likewise, when a person in the community comes upon one of the pieces of the Quilt Square Project, I hope that they are met with a feeling of warmth and comfort.
