The NorthWest Arkansas Community College Spring Arts and Culture Festival is a multi-day, interdisciplinary event series that brings together artists, academics, intellectuals, and the community to reflect on an annual theme. This year, NWACC's Spring Arts and Culture Festival.

All events are free and open to the public. Events include live performances, guest speakers, generative artmaking, dance, music, film, art exhibits, and more!

2025 Theme - Risk
It's often said that the best learning happens on the edge of our comfort zone. As artists, community members, and scholars, how do we negotiate the line between stability and calculated risk? What risks have shaped history and will shape our future as a collective or within a given field? How does risk shape art, culture, and innovation?

Schedule of Events:

ALL WEEK
Risky Writers, NWACC Library
Risk Room, Student Center
RISK: A Collection of Works by NWACC Art Faculty, Integrated Design Lab
March Mammal Madness, NWACC Library

March 3, 2025
9:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. Panel: Risk and Organizing in NorthWest Arkansas
10:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.Opening Keynote: Alice Driver and The Life And Death of the American Worker
12:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. Night and Fog: The Nazi Concentration Camps
12:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. Personal Narratives through Zinemaking in the South
1:30 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. Risking Play In A World Of Work: Putting Fun Back In Your Toolbox
3:00 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. “Risk” Readings and Open Mic
4:30 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.  ??????? - Singing Kites: Khmer-American Public Art in Bentonville.

March 4, 2025
9:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. Taking the Next Risk: The Art of Crowdfunding with Sean Fitzgibbon
10:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. “Sing Down The Barriers”: On Risk and American Music
12:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. DivaDance NWA:  Community, Choreography and Leaving It All On the Floor
1:30 p.m. –2:45 p.m. Women Taking Risks in Civil War Benton County, Arkansas
3:00 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. On Risk and the Fractured Body: Artist Talk w/ Cory Perry
3:00 p.m. –5:00 p.m. Reception: “RISK”: A Collection of Works by NWACC Art Faculty
4:30 p.m. – 5:45 p.m. True Crime Investigation: Snake Eyes - Murder in a Southern Town.

March 5, 2025
9:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. On Campus QandA with Visiting Artist Ajamu Kojo
10:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. From Dread to Elation: Writing Close Calls with Visiting Writer Jane Blunschi
12:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. Book Discussion: Sissy by Canese Jarboe
1:30 p.m. –2:45 p.m. Harm Reduction 101: Community Care and Risk in NWA and Beyond
3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Special Guests: Don Tyson Jazz Band Performance in White Auditorium
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Closing Keynote: Artist Talk with Ajamu Kojo at 21c Hotel

March 6, 2025
9:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. What’s The Risk? Collaging Identity, Media and Perceptions of Safety
10:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. Misled Youth: Risk, Reward, and the Skater’s Journey with Jud Ferguson
12:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. Fresh Check Day with NWACC Counseling
1:30 p.m. –2:45 p.m.Philip Glass’ “Einstein on the Beach”: NWACC Chamber Singers
3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. NWACC MUSIC SHOWCASE  Hosted by Chris Lynch!

Date: March 3 - 6, 2025

Location: Various Venues in Bentonville, AR 72712

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