SPRINGDALE, Ark. (June 1, 2022)–The windows of the Famous Hardware building in Downtown Springdale are once again activated with an art installation. This time the windows have been brought to life by the artist Nicole Banowetz who was commissioned by Creative Arkansas Community Hub & Exchange (CACHE) with funding from the Tyson Family Foundation.
Nicole Banowetz is a Colorado-based sculptor and educator whose sewn inflatable sculptures use the animal, plant, mineral, and bacterial world to address human qualities and relationships. Banowetz’s work combines the familiar and the strange, allowing viewers to question the world around them. Her #famoushardware installation—The Body Overwhelms—is a magnified petri dish of organic forms, overwhelming the front exterior windows and interior space of the store.
The #famoushardware art installations, which began at the beginning of 2021 and featured a variety of artists from across the county, will feature new artists throughout 2022. The installations are intended to make art accessible to the Springdale community and create new experiences for people visiting the downtown. Each installation will be visible from the sidewalk in front of the Famous Hardware building located at 113 West Emma Avenue and will be explained in English, Spanish and Marshallese.
“CACHE is consistently working to provide opportunities and experiences to NWA’s diverse cultural audiences,” says Allyson Esposito, President and CEO of CACHE. “We are proud to be working with the Downtown Springdale Alliance and the Tyson Family Foundation to present Nicole Banowetz’s work and are excited about the conversations that will take place as a result of the artist’s unique perspective on the environment and organisms that help us thrive.”
Banowetz will be in downtown Springdale on Thursday, July 14 for an artist talk at 6PM at 214 by CACHE located at 214 S Main Street followed by a public reception at 7PM at the Famous Hardware Building located at 113 West Emma Avenue. The art installation will be in place through mid-August.
More information about the art installation can be found at downtownspringdale.org.
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ABOUT DOWNTOWN SPRINGDALE ALLIANCE: Downtown Springdale Alliance is a nonprofit that was formed in 2011 with a mission to create vibrancy in our dynamic downtown. For more information, visit www.downtownspringdale.org.
ABOUT CACHE: CACHE formed in 2019 to act as the central regional agency committed to connecting, supporting and developing the region’s arts, culture, and creative communities. CACHE will bring cohesive vision and strategy to the region’s organic creative activities, uplifting local artists, the nonprofit sector, municipal leadership, creative industries, and arts philanthropy and investments. CACHE programs include the Arts and Culture Bridge Fund, OZCast, region-wide cultural planning, the Music Ecosystem Strategy and Action Plan, ARt Connect, and the Arts Resource Desk. Learn more at cachecreate.org.
ABOUT THE TYSON FAMILY FOUNDATION: Established in 1970, the Tyson Family Foundation supports efforts for education, health, arts and culture and youth programs as well as a scholarship program for Tyson Foods employees and their families. The foundation has endowed and supported local, regional and national organizations committed to furthering access to knowledge, promoting creativity and supporting communities. The Foundation is currently led by President Olivia Tyson.