[title subtitle=”words: Marla Cantrell
image: courtesy Fort Smith Regional Art Museum”][/title]
Fort Smith Regional Art Museum Receives Endowment from the Windgate Foundation
We’re fortunate to have the Fort Smith Regional Art Museum (RAM), which offers visitors free general admission. Last year, the museum welcomed 12,307 visitors, and in December, RAM announced it had been awarded a $12 million endowment from the Windgate Foundation, which will be distributed in installments each quarter.
The Fort Smith Regional Art Museum will use the endowment for educational programming and general operations. RAM offers a wealth of free programs. Melissa Conry, who’s the marketing coordinator, said their most popular program is RAM Saturdays, a weekly family education program that takes place from noon until four in the afternoon.
Every other Tuesday, RAM offers Toddler Tuesdays, for children ages eighteen months to four years. The group creates art, listens to music, and participates in a fun activity. On alternating Tuesdays, there’s Homeschool School of Art, an art history class for homeschooled students ages five through eighteen.
On the first two Wednesdays of the month, Arts with Grace, geared toward senior citizens and persons with disabilities, takes place. Drop in and Draw is held every Thursday, complete with easels and a live model.
In addition to the free programs, there are several paid workshops planned. “Starting this year, RAM will offer In Touch, a three-hour workshop held on the last Sunday afternoon of every month,” Melissa said. “This class uses the Art4Healing method developed by Art & Creativity Inc., which allows participants to express their feelings abstractly with color on three canvases, available to be taken home afterward. The fee is $65, and all supplies are provided.”
From July 30 through August 3, the museum will offer RAM Art Camp, a week-long, all-day camp with classes for kids aged five through eighteen, at a cost of $40 per child. On February 1, the exhibit, Bold Improvisation: Searching for African American Quilts, opens to the public and runs through May 5. Timothy J. Clark: Masterworks on Paper, is on display through March 31.
“More exciting news is that we are currently working on opening a new permanent gallery, the Dr. William E. Knight Porcelain Gallery. Several years ago, before we were gifted our current building at 1601 Rogers Avenue, a large collection of Boehm porcelain was donated to us by Dr. William E. Knight. Until now, we never had the available space to display this exquisite collection.”
Finally, for those who love art, a good party, and a great cause, RAM is holding its annual black-tie optional fundraising gala, Love Art, on February 9. To learn more, visit fsram.org or call 479.784.2787.
Fort Smith Regional Art Museum
1601 Rogers Avenue
Open: Tuesday through Saturday, 11AM-6PM; Sundays, 1-5PM
