Creative Arkansas Community Hub & Exchange (CACHE) today announced a comprehensive survey designed to assess the needs of the Northwest Arkansas arts and culture industry.
“Survey responses will help CACHE identify the major gaps and needs within our region’s arts and culture community,” said Allyson Esposito, CACHE executive director. “We will use this information to develop programming and resources to address issues brought on by the global pandemic, along with a specific focus on racial equity in the arts and economic stability.”
The survey seeks information from individual artists and creatives, arts and culture nonprofits, regional chambers of commerce and higher education institutions. Survey findings will inform development of CACHE’s Arts Resource Desk (ARD) to provide resources, group-based learning and one-on-one consulting for artists and organizations around artistic and business needs.
“Through the survey, CACHE hopes to gain an understanding of economic trends and gaps, graduation to creative workforce rates, missing resources and the regional perception of public art,” said Simone Cottrell, manager of CACHE’s Arts Resource Desk. “Armed with information from the survey and other resources, CACHE will be able to better connect the local field with national learning opportunities, aggregate and share funding and creative opportunities and act as a key connector for the local arts and culture community.”
The survey is open to nonprofits, businesses, and individuals who self-identify as an artist, creative or cultural bearer in Benton, Washington, Carroll and Madison counties. Organizations and businesses must have a primary mission or key programmatic focus related to arts and culture.
“Having CACHE willing to listen to the needs of our art community is game changing,” said LaKisha Bradley, founder and owner of My-T-By Design Therapeutic Art Studio. “By sharing our moment of truth, we can help unlock opportunities for artists and elevate our work throughout the NWA community.”
The survey is open through Wednesday, Feb. 10. Eligible respondents will be compensated for participating in the survey.
For more information and to participate in the survey, click here.
