by Matthew King
The Arkansas Arts Center is relocating three miles from its current MacArthur Park facility to the Riverdale Shopping Center in preparation for the beginning of the organization’s expansion and renovation project.
This temporary move will provide space for Museum School classes, Children’s Theater design and rehearsal, office, retail, storage and educational programs. “The Art Center’s programs are a vital part of our community,” said Bobby Tucker, Chairman of the AAC Foundation Board, in a press release. “We feel it’s of maximum importance that they continue to be offered while the center is under construction.”
Laine Harber, AAC Interim Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer, echoed Tucker’s comments, saying that the museum will remain a driving force for the region’s arts scene during its renovation period. “We’re gonna remain vibrant in the community in Central Arkansas as well as all over the state with a lot of our programming,” he said.
The Riverdale Shopping Center will serve as a temporary location, providing 15,200 square feet of studio space with the center offering almost all of their current workshops and classes. Programs at the MacArthur facility will run through the summer and move to Riverdale in September. All employees will move to the Riverdale space starting in September as well.
“The bulk of our efforts right now are going to be on finishing out a pretty strong year. We still have programming until the end of the summer and that will continue in this building and then we’ll be focused on packing up and moving to the Cantrell location,” Harber said.
As previously reported in Arkansas Money & Politics, groundbreaking on the museum’s renovation is expected to begin October 2019 and continue for roughly two-and-a-half years. The project is expected to be completed in 2022.
Chicago-based architectural firm Studio Gang will be serving as the lead firm on the project, with Polk Stanley Wilcox as an associate firm. Three construction companies – Nabholz Construction, Pepper Construction and Doyne Construction Co., will be working to complete the project.
“Over the next two and a half years, we plan to welcome our students into well-appointed studios, with all of our core classes currently being offered, in addition to offering expanded opportunities to build their talents,” said Rana Edgar, Director of Education and Programs.
The Arkansas Arts Center has more than 200,000 visitors each year. This transition will allow the center to continue to reach and inspire while it’s home is getting a much needed face lift.
“The AAC is more than any one space or one building. Our program will continue to span across communities and extend across the state over the next two and a half years,” Harber said. “This would not be possible without the commitment and dedication of our board leadership in continuing to fulfill our mission and vision while we undergo these much-needed renovations.”
READ MORE: Three Firms Hired to Oversee Arkansas Arts Center Construction
