I'd like to take a moment....

 

I'd like to take a moment to talk about something that is very dear to me - The Fayetteville Underground .

This is a long-winded story so if you want the basics, please go to here: Morph The Org and here: The Fayetteville Underground .

Ok, now for why this organization is so important to me.

In 2009 I was in a very bad state. It was so bad that I believed there was no recovery (to put it lightly).

I won't go into detail but I will say, I was rushed from Florence back home to Arkansas to regroup and get out of the stress.

My studio space my first summer there.

While I was home, it was like being a ghost, just empty and quiet.

After 2 weeks at home, I was lucky enough; to have someone drag me out and to a First Thursday event (every 1st Thursday of the month they have new work up and have a public opening) at the Fayetteville Underground.

That was when I found out what the F.U. had to offer. The Fayetteville Underground is a non-profit arts organization, which offers exhibition space to local, national and international artists, and studio space for local artists in Northwest Arkansas.

The location is (until the 31st of December) at the East Center Square Plaza, on the basement floor. When I did my very first walkthrough of the place, there was some really good art. There were only 3-4 artists before I applied, and the studio spaces had yet to be really set up.

I applied shortly after and was accepted, When I moved in, I was one out of 13 artists then it grew to 15, then more than doubled with the addition of the Fine Crafts gallery, E-Street.

Photo of a few of the galleries.

This was such a positive environment, and I'm pretty sure if I hadn't been there during this hard time, I would have not gotten better, I might have even stayed home and never gone back to the Florence Academy. I would have quit. Even though that isn't who I am as a person, I was so broken, confused, angry and sad, that I would have. But I didn't, because over the time I was there, I had received so much guidance, so much support, and so much positive energy from these complete strangers.

Today, we rally around this cause that we cared for

Awesome cake at my going away party!

so much. The Fayetteville Underground brings talented art/artists to Northwest Arkansas while supporting the great artists we have here already. They enrich the community with something that has changed all our lives for the better. That is what it is all about.

I think of these people as family. When I come home for Christmas break, I always visit the Fayetteville Underground's artists, and on my longer summer breaks, I have always been lucky to be able to have a studio space there.

I'd like to talk about the past a little. 

Second summer at the FU starts off with a warm welcome.

Few of the artists/ and visitors remember the starting days.

We had no regular hours or work schedule, just notes posted on the gallery doors saying "Call # if you are interested in the art work" 

We had no label or branding. I remember when William Mayes Flanagan and I used kitchen contact paper to put up signs on the gallery windows.

I remember when we first put up proper lighting in the galleries, when we named the galleries, made an artist committee, and etc.

The Fayetteville Underground that people have known the last two years is a polished organization, that holds an amazing opening night ever month. It hosts 4 shows during that time, brings in local, national and international artists' show, has classes, open studios, host events, has demos and much more.

This Underground is a beautiful thing for our community and due to unfortunate events will be dissolved (more detail can be seen on the Fayetteville Underground's website).

But this is by no means bad news because the artist of the F.U. are coming together, and starting a new non-profit that will stand for everything that the old organization has, and more.

I would really appreciate if you would take the time to visit the website: morphtheorg.com It is where this new organization begins 

- you can vote for the new name, or volunteer, or suggest a building that the organization can move to.

If you cannot to do these things, then you can also help out by just being supportive of the new organization to-be!

Thank you for your time.