Public Places and Spaces

The first project the ASV team took on was an exploration of how Northwest Arkansas’s “public places and public spaces” influence the character of the community. The Pryor Center’s proximity to the Fayetteville Square created an excellent opportunity for students to develop their filmmaking skills while documenting the history of Fayetteville. Arkansas Story Vault students discussed topics like the renovation of the Downtown Square and the creation of the Fayetteville Farmers Market with the people who were instrumental in making these changes.

Interviews

Mark Cain

Mark Cain is vice president of the Fayetteville Farmers Market Board of Directors, a longtime vendor, and co-owner of Dripping Springs Garden in Huntsville, Arkansas. As one of the most established vendors, Cain has a far-reaching and insightful perspective on the market.

Mayor Lioneld Jordan

Mayor Lioneld Jordan has served as Fayetteville’s chief executive since he was first elected in 2008. Leading from a platform based on the inherent diversity of this college town, Mayor Jordan sees it as his responsibility to promote economic growth and equality opportunity for his constituents.

Susan Hall

Susan D. Hall is a Fayetteville native and longtime resident of the area. Throughout her life, Hall has witnessed the decline and rehabilitation cycle of the Fayetteville Square, as well as dramatic changes in the culture and landscape of Northwest Arkansas. After moving away as a young adult, she was eventually drawn back to the area and raised a family here.

Chuck Rutherford

Chuck Rutherford is president of the Fayetteville Farmers Market Board of Directors. After being exposed to farming at a young age, he developed a deep connection to organic agriculture. Rutherford owned a construction company in California but returned to Northwest Arkansas, where his passion for farming was renewed by his role as a vendor and eventual board member of the Fayetteville Farmers Market.

Willam Schwab

William Schwab is the executive director of the Pryor Center and was a long-serving professor of sociology at the University of Arkansas. Since moving to the area in 1976, his work has focused on the changing demographics and economic structure of the Northwest Arkansas area. Schwab participated in the Community Development Block Grant program, which helped revitalize the Fayetteville Square and surrounding areas.

Marcella Thompson

Marcella Thompson is a professor of sociology at the University of Arkansas and one of the founding members of the Fayetteville Farmers Market. Despite no current involvement with the market, Thompson was instrumental in its creation and continues to be an avid supporter.

Meet our amazing team.

We’re a talented group of students with a variety of academic interests.

Hanna Ellington

Journalism / Political Science

Hanna is a Junior from Kansas City, KS. During her time at the University of Arkansas, she’s dabbled in reporting, public relations, social media, and video production. When she graduates in May 2021, she is considering a career in journalism or heading to law school.

Aidan McGinn

Psychology

Aidan is a junior from Fayetteville, AR. He has a variety of interests, from politics and economics to drawing and playing music. Aidan plans to attend law school following his graduation in May 2021, after which he hopes to work in government.

Sarah Behrend-Wicox

Theater / French

Sarah is a senior at Oberlin College in Ohio. Arkansas Story Vault was her first time working with documentary film. After school, she hopes to pursue a career in production management. In her free time, she enjoys knitting and embroidery, proving that once you are a senior in college you become a grandma.

Darby Rush

Finance

Darby is a senior who has worked with the Pryor Center on both social media and the Arkansas Story Vault. Darby has always enjoyed watching movies but now, with the skills he has learned at the Pryor Center, he also enjoys making them.

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