We recently marked our 29th anniversary at Walton Arts Center. To celebrate the milestone and in looking ahead to our 30th anniversary, we launched My Walton Arts Center, a year-long campaign to collect memories from patrons, volunteers, staff, artists and partners.
The project launches as we are gearing up for the return of Broadway shows and full-scale performances after over a year of modified operations due to the pandemic. During the performance suspension, we consistently heard from patrons and community members about how much Walton Arts Center means to them. This inspired us to capture those memories and celebrate our place in the cultural fabric of Northwest Arkansas for nearly three decades.
We’re looking for all kinds of memories—the first show you saw at WAC, what you value most about WAC, a favorite memory attending a WAC event with family or friends, a time you got to be part of an educational experience or why you consider WAC to be your theater.
Memories can be submitted in two ways.
Option one: call us and leave a voicemail! We’ve set up a special My Walton Arts Center voice mail box. Just call 479.571.2702 and state your name, the city you’re calling from and your memory.
Option two: visit our website. The My Walton Arts Center page on our website. Follow the instructions there to record your memory.
Our goal is to incorporate memories from the community into our 30th anniversary celebration in 2022. By recording your memory, patrons give Walton Arts Center permission to use their voice or memory in next year’s celebration.
Five Ideas for Memories to Share
Your First Time at Walton Arts Center
WAC’s Grand Opening in 1992
We’ve been here for almost 30 years—did you see a show in our first season in 1992? Or maybe you discovered WAC when you recently moved to the area? Tell us how you found us and what the first performance you saw in our venue was!
A favorite show you’ve seen at WAC
In a normal year, we host over 500 events in the Northwest Arkansas region including Broadway, dance, classical music, VoiceJam, Artosphere and more. What is your favorite performance you’ve seen? Maybe a singer-songwriter you discovered through West Street Live, seeing touring Broadway show you’d waited years to experience, traipsing through Artosphere: Off the Grid with family or even a concert at the AMP? Tell us about it!
An Educational Experience
During a normal school year, over 26,000 students hop onto school busses to see an educational show at WAC. Did you take a field trip to WAC as a child? Maybe you’re a teacher who looks forward to bringing their students to a show—or even a parent who makes a point to be a field trip chaperone when your child is heading to WAC. Tell us what you learned from visiting WAC or why you enjoyed the educational show!
Your Performance at WAC
We want to hear from artists too! Touring performers visiting our venue often say that the Northwest Arkansas area is a hidden gem on their tour route. Have you performed at WAC before? Tell us why stopping here sticks out in your memory.
Special Events
WAC knows how to plan a party! We host special events like Art of Wine and the Masquerade Ball, but we also throw patron events too! Did you attend a gala, a private party or even a wedding at WAC? Tell us why your special night at WAC was one to remember.
Patrons enjoy Art of Wine: Uncorked! (Novo Studio)