When the Walton Arts Center celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2022, ASV students undertook to record the stories of the people who founded and later contributed to its evolution into the state’s largest and busiest arts center. The venue opened in 1992, but the impetus for the Walton Arts Center began in the 1980s when Sam Walton made a donation to the University of Arkansas with the intention to create a performance space in Northwest Arkansas. At the same time, the City of Fayetteville was looking for a multi-purpose space for conferences and special events. They recognized that both needs could be filled by a single facility halfway between downtown Fayetteville and the University
This collection of interviews is sorted into ACT 1, which consists of the founders of Walton Arts Center decades ago, and ACT 2, comprised of those who grew WAC into the premier arts center it is today.
In 1986 the Walton Arts Center Council was formed to construct the facility. Composed of university and city appointees and community volunteers, the council undertook the daunting task of forging partnerships, acquiring the property on Dickson Street, hiring professionals, and raising capital. Students called this group ACT 1 – Founders.
ACT 2 is the group of the region’s community leaders and board members who took the Walton Arts Center to the next level. WAC is now rated as one of the nation’s top 50 regional arts centers. The Arkansas Music Pavilion in Rogers was opened in 2013, and renovation and expansion of the Center was completed in 2016.
Aidan McGinn
Aidan is a 2021 UARK psychology graduate and has been working at the Pryor Center as a video editor since 2019. During that time, he has been privileged to meet a diverse group of interesting people, discover exciting local organizations and events, and expand his skills and expertise in digital media creation.
Darby Gill
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.