SPRINGDALE, AR – CACHE is proud to announce its support for the 2025 Women of the Ozarks program through a sponsorship that will cover participation fees for two selected artists.
Co-founded by Tram Colwin and Claire Pongonis, Women of the Ozarks is a traveling exhibition series showcasing six female-identifying artists from the Ozark Mountain region of Arkansas. Women of the Ozarks is now entering its second year. Recognizing a need to create opportunities that amplify women's voices and uplift artists, the program focuses on the creation of new work, asking artists to create a collection based on a central theme. The cohorts are comprised of artists who are at the beginning of their creative practices (often creating in the margins of other jobs) and with established artists. Participating artists are responsible for securing their own funding.
The artists for the 2025 cohort were selected through a competitive application process reviewed by a panel of arts administrators, creatives, and community advocates. CACHE was not involved in the jurying process.
CACHE is dedicated to helping creatives and organizations become stronger and more influential within their communities. The sponsorship of two artists through the Women of the Ozarks program is part of a larger ongoing effort to remove barriers and increase opportunities for Northwest Arkansas creatives to participate in regional programming. CACHE has twice sponsored artist participation in Northwest Arkansas Equality’s annual Pride Festival Market and the Little Craft Show with more planned for 2025.
“We are thrilled to partner with Women of the Ozarks to directly support the participation of two talented artists,” said Kelsey Howard, CACHE Executive Director. "We understand the importance of removing barriers for creatives and providing them the ability to focus on their practice. By covering their participation fees, we hope to empower the women selected to share their unique voices and contribute to the Ozarks' vibrant cultural landscape."
Over eight months, the second cohort of artists will have their work exhibited in a traveling exhibition titled Unbound Spectrum. The show will visit Springdale, Rogers, Fayetteville, and Bentonville. Women of the Ozarks will announce concrete dates and locations.
The six artists selected for the 2025 cohort are:
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Autumn Blaylock: A historian, writer, and artist whose practice is rooted in storytelling, history, folklore, and its relationship to memory.
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Emma Johnson: A painter and sculptor whose work explores perception, femininity, and identity.
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Camilla Crittenden: An abstract painter and ceramicist whose work draws inspiration from nature and the Ozark Mountains.
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Ceci Norman: An artist, arts administrator, and educator whose work focuses on storytelling and healing.
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Emma Irwin: A painter originally from the Hudson Valley, whose abstract works and experimentation with color theory aim to simplify the complexities of adulthood into geometric forms.
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Flora Saldivar: A painter specializing in large-scale works using a soak stain technique.
For more information about Women of the Ozarks, please visit: https://womenoftheozarks.org/