Walton Arts Center proudly presents the 10th Annual Artosphere: Arkansas’ Arts + Nature Festival June 10-29 with events at locations across Northwest Arkansas. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased in person at the Walton Arts Center Box Office, by calling 479.443.5600 or by visiting artospherefestival.org.

The Artosphere Festival celebrates art, music and nature with exciting performances, activities and events that the whole family can enjoy. Each year, Artosphere spotlights artists and performers from around the world who are inspired by nature, and provides a creative framework for the community to discuss issues of sustainability and environmental awareness.

This year’s festival features performances and community events inspired by the infinite wonders of the universe and the fragile beauty of our home planet.

“As we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Artosphere Festival in 2019, which coincides with the 50th anniversary of man walking on the moon, we are focusing thematically on space. Since the dawn of time, space has been a source of wonder, innovation and artistic inspiration for all the world’s people,” said Scott Galbraith, vice president of programming and executive producer at Walton Arts Center.

“Man’s exploration of space has given us the technology to look back on ourselves and observe both the Earth’s changing ecosystem and our shared humanity.”

Artosphere will again produce the Artosphere Festival Orchestra (AFO) for three major concert performances: Live from Crystal Bridges: Mozart in the Museum, Romantic Masterworks of Mendelssohn & Brahms and Artosphere Festival Orchestra Celebrates: The Moon.

Now in its ninth year performing under the baton of internationally acclaimed Maestro Corrado Rovaris, the AFO features more than 90 premier musicians from major symphonies, prestigious ensembles and distinguished programs across the globe performing both classic and new works by leading composers.

For classical music lovers who like a casual vibe, don’t miss the festival’s AFO: Off the Grid events featuring AFO musicians performing pop-up concerts at downtown restaurants and pubs in Fayetteville and at the Memorial Park Amphitheater in Siloam Springs.

The popular Chapel Music Series is back with both internationally lauded and locally loved musicians, many making their festival debut. This uplifting music series takes place in churches, chapels and unique architectural venues across Northwest Arkansas.

Artosphere Trail Mix will focus on Downtown Fayetteville and the Frisco Trail System. The event ends with a free screening of Disney’s WALL-E in Walton Arts Center’s Walker Atrium.

This year’s Artosphere Film Series will include an IMAX screening of A Beautiful Planet at Malco Razorback Theater. The documentary looks at humanity’s impact on the Earth via stunning footage shot from the International Space Station. Free screenings of Apollo 13, E.T., 2001: A Space Odyssey and Close Encounters of the Third Kind will be held in Starr Theater.

Several additional performances and community events are planned this year including Bella Gaia, an immersive multimedia performance that combines NASA images, data visualizations, world music and dance on stage; staged readings of The Moon Project, a new work by One Year Lease Theater Company; a performance by Trout Fishing in America at the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks; and the opportunity to explore the night skies with the Ozark Natural Science Center.

“Inspired by diverse and quality arts programming, Artosphere provides a platform for outstanding national and international artists, as well as the finest in local talent,” Galbraith said. “Each year, we take pride in presenting authentic artistic experiences through inclusive events and activities for kids, families and the entire Northwest Arkansas community to enjoy.”

ARTOSPHERE FESTIVAL EVENTS:

Artosphere Festival Orchestra
Live from Crystal Bridges: Mozart in the Museum
Thursday, June 20 | Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville
8 pm | Tickets: $45

Returning for the seventh time to Crystal Bridges, this season’s all-Mozart AFO program includes Eine kleine Nachtmusik, Clarinet Concerto featuring clarinetist Andrea Levine, and Symphony No. 29. Broadcast live on KUAF 91.3 FM. Seating is limited.

Romantic Masterworks of Mendelssohn & Brahms
Wednesday, June 26 | Walton Arts Center, Baum Walker Hall, Fayetteville
7 pm | Tickets: $10

AFO musicians perform Felix Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor, featuring violinist Benjamin Beilman, and Johannes Brahms’ Symphony No. 3 in F major.

Artosphere Festival Orchestra Celebrates: The Moon
Saturday, June 29 | Walton Arts Center, Baum Walker Hall, Fayetteville
8 pm | Tickets $11-$49

Featuring the 1902 film A Trip to the Moon by Georges Méliès and a diverse program celebrating our closest celestial neighbor, the Moon, AFO musicians will perform a collection of works by composers ranging from Strauss, Monteverdi, Bach, Handel, Debussy and Puccini, to the modern likes of John Williams and David Bowie.

Chapel Music Series
Sam Reider and The Human Hands
Monday, June 10 | Thorncrown Chapel, Eureka Springs
6:30 pm | Tickets: $10

Wednesday, June 12 | Mildred B. Cooper Memorial Chapel, Bella Vista
6:30 pm | Tickets: $10

Jazz pianist turned roots musician, Sam Reider is redefining American music on the accordion. Reider has been featured at Lincoln Center and on NPR, performing alongside pop stars, jazz and folk musicians ranging from Jon Batiste and Stay Human, to Bluegrass mandolin prodigy Sierra Hull and Venezuelan virtuoso Jorge Glem. Irresistible melodies, fiery improvisation and otherworldly sounds collide in what Songlines magazine has dubbed a “mash-up of the Klezmatics, Quintette du Hot Club de France and the Punch Brothers.”

Dover Quartet
Monday, June 17 | Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville
6:30 pm | Tickets: $15

Hailed by The New Yorker as “one of the world’s finest young string quartets” and returning for their ninth season as principal musicians in the Artosphere Festival Orchestra, the Dover Quartet will once again bring their unmistakable sound to the Crystal Bridges Great Hall, surrounded and inspired by the natural beauty of the Ozarks.

Seraph Brass
Tuesday, June 18 | St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Fayetteville
6:30 pm | Tickets: $15

Known for engaging audiences with captivating programming, Seraph Brass is a dynamic ensemble drawing from a roster of America’s top female brass players.

The Aeolus Quartet
Sunday, June 23 | Hunt Chapel, Rogers
2 pm | Tickets: $15

Praised for combining smooth technique with a sense of spontaneity and discovery, the Aeolus Quartet is known for performing time-seasoned masterworks alongside new cutting-edge works with equal freshness, dedication and fervor.

Trail Mix
Friday, June 14 | Downtown Fayetteville
5:30 pm | Free

Artosphere’s signature event, Trail Mix returns to the Frisco Trail with live art and music, and activities for kids and families. Following Trail Mix, join us for a special screening of Disney’s WALL-E in Walton Arts Center’s Walker Atrium.

AFO Off the Grid: Memorial Park Amphitheater in Downtown Siloam Springs
Saturday, June 22 | Downtown Area, Siloam Springs | Free

AFO Off the Grid: Fayetteville
Thursday, June 27 | Dickson Street Entertainment District, Fayetteville | Free

Follow Walton Arts Center on social media for the most up-to-date schedule of Off the Grid performance times and locations.

Artosphere Film Series
A Beautiful Planet in IMAX
Saturday, June 15 | Malco Razorback Theater, Fayetteville
10 am | Tickets: $10

A Beautiful Planet is a breathtaking portrait of Earth from space, providing a unique perspective and increased understanding of our planet and galaxy as never seen before. Made in cooperation with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the film features stunning footage of our magnificent blue planet — and the effects humanity has had on it over time — captured by the astronauts aboard the International Space Station. Narrated by Jennifer Lawrence and from IMAX Entertainment and Toni Myers — the acclaimed filmmaker behind celebrated IMAX® documentaries Blue Planet, Hubble 3D and Space Station 3D — A Beautiful Planet presents an awe-inspiring glimpse of Earth and a hopeful look into the future of humanity.

2001: A Space Odyssey
Tuesday, June 25 | Starr Theater
7 pm | Free (reservation required)

Apollo 13
Friday, June 28 | Starr Theater
7 pm | Free (reservation required)

E.T.: the Extra-Terrestrial
Saturday, June 29 | Starr Theater
10 am | Free (reservation required)

Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Saturday, June 29 | Starr Theater
2 pm | Free (reservation required)

Additional Events

Trout Fishing in America
Tuesday, June 11 | Botanical Gardens of the Ozarks, Fayetteville
6:30 pm | Free (reservation required)

Join us for a family-friendly concert full of tongue twisters, mind-benders, spooky situations and instantly identifiable slices of a kid’s life – featuring the musical talents of four-time Grammy® nominated Ozark natives Keith Grimwood and Ezra Idlet. The performance is part of the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks Terrific Tuesday Nights.

Bella Gaia
Thursday, June 13 | Walton Arts Center
7 pm | Tickets: $10-$20

Don’t miss this award-winning, immersive, multimedia performance. Inspired by astronauts who spoke of the life-changing power of seeing Earth from space, this awe-inspiring production combines projected NASA images, data visualizations and stirring world music and dance live on stage, threaded by an orbiting flight path from the International Space Station. Prepare to open your minds and hearts to the beauty of our world and beyond

The Moon Project
Wednesday, June 19 | 21C, Bentonville
7 pm | Free (reservation required)

Thursday, June 20 | Arts Center of the Ozarks, Springdale
7 pm | Free (reservation required)

Friday, June 21 | Walton Arts Center
Noon | Free (reservation required)

Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the moon landing, One Year Lease Theater Company presents cosmically adventurous theatrical production that features a deep exploration into the private motivations of the astronauts, and their personal challenges and sacrifices endured before, during and after the landing event. Surrounding their stories will be a narrative of the political landscape of the time, the clashing economic and social priorities of American society in the late 1960s, and the collision of events that formulated the space race. The script merges pieces of sourced historical text, including political speeches, sermons, conversations, letters, phone calls, the lunar landing radio transcript and song lyrics from the time.

Stars and Songs by the Fire
Saturday, June 22 | Ozark Natural Science Center
Tickets: Dinner Only $4-$12 | All Programming $10-$30 | Lodging and Breakfast $30

Join us for a spectacular evening under the stars at the Ozark Natural Science Center. The evening will begin with dinner followed by story time and an outdoor, acoustic musical performance around the campfire. As the sky darkens, star gazing begins. Participants can use binoculars and star charts to identify consolations, or a large telescope to see planets and stars up close. Afterward, guests are invited to return to the ONSC lodges for a cozy night away from the city. Registration is required and space is limited. Ticket pricing details are at www.onsc.us. Rain or shine.

Visual Arts
Mirror Mirror: The Prints of Alison Saar
May 28 – Oct. 6 | Joy Pratt Markham Gallery | Walton Arts Center
Free

Walton Arts Center’s Joy Pratt Markham Gallery is honored to present a collection of works by renowned artist Alison Saar as a visual journey and expedition of both strength and exploration. From the collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and his family foundation, this exhibition reflects the artist’s vast body of prints created over the past 35 years. Addressing issues of race, gender and spirituality, Saar’s lithographs, etchings and woodblock prints are evocations of her sculptures, for which she is renowned.

For more information about the Artosphere Festival and a complete event lineup, download the Artosphere App from Google Play™ or the Apple® App StoreSM or visit artospherefestival.org.

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