Imagine South Fayetteville is a 3-day arts-integrated community visioning festival to discuss issues directly impacting residents and envision a future South Fayetteville that is equitable for the people who live there, who have always lived there, and will live there. This festival is in collaboration with the City of Fayetteville and made possible by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and Walmart Foundation. Elected officials are encouraged to attend. Events begin Friday, November 16 and end Sunday, November 18. The festival takes place at multiple locations throughout South Fayetteville, and most events are free and open to the public.

On Friday, November 16, Modus Studio will produce a PechaKucha themed around community-based solutions. PechaKucha is a presentation style in which 20 slides are shown for 20 seconds each (6 minutes and 40 seconds in total). The format, which keeps presentations concise and fast-paced, powers multiple-speaker events called PechaKucha Nights (PKNs). This event is free and open to the public, and runs from 7-9 PM at Spring Shop, 704 S. Washington Ave.

On Saturday, November 17, an Ozark Regional Transit bus tour of tactical urban projects from the community challenge “Hands On, South Fayetteville” lasts from 10 AM – 12 PM. The tour begins at the bus stop at South 15th Ave and South School, across from the Salvation Army. This part of the festival includes a workshop performance of The Camp as part of Good Person of South Fayetteville, an upcoming Artist’s Laboratory Theatre play about housing insecurity and community accountability. This event is free and open to the public, with limited seats available to reserve online.

An additional event on November 17 is “Building a Vision Together” from 1-5 PM at the Senior Activity Center, 945 South College Avenue. Following the session is a 5 PM meal. In this session, guest artists Michael Rohd and Rebecca Martinez of CPCP (Center for Performance and Civic Practice), in collaboration with Ganelle Holman from the Giovanna Group of Little Rock, will lead a session focused on listening, collaboration, and imagining what conversations and action steps could help lead to an equitable future for residents of South Fayetteville. Conversations will be nuanced through a racial equity lens, so that outcomes for current and future residents of South Fayetteville are not determined by race. This event is invitation-only.

Closing the festival on November 18 is the “Community Empowerment and Ownership Workshop” from 2-4 PM at the Senior Activity Center. This presentation and discussion features national experts on equitable community revitalization that benefits local residents, preserves local culture, and prevents displacement. The workshop will be moderated by Ellen Shepard from Community Allies in Chicago, Illinois, a Chicago-based firm working with community economic development organizations across North America to build local economies where prosperity and opportunity are accessible for all.  Ellen was one of the pioneers of the local economies movement. She is the creator of the “Radical Inclusion” model of community engagement. This event is free and open to the public.

For more information and press bookings, contact Haley Smith, Director of Marketing, at haley@artlabtheatre.com or at 479-439-6046 ext. 704.

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