As the seat of arts and culture in Northwest Arkansas, the revitalized Walton Arts Center is a welcoming, inviting environment knit into the surrounding community fabric that showcases the vibrancy of the arts within. A response to the space constraints and heavy, closed-off aesthetic of the original 1992 facility, the new arts center is refined yet accessible, elevating the lively social interactions that take place around a performance.

Seeking to engage the Center with downtown Fayetteville’s street life, a new double-height lobby and a cantilevered porch spilling onto Dickson Street form a prominent threshold for patrons and passers-by. A warm gray pleated metal skin complements the exposed brick remaining from the original building, lending a sense of lightness in juxtaposition to the mass. In homage to Arkansas’ respect for craft and natural materials, we bathed the new lobby in soft wood textures, with a rich, sculptural palette of custom furnishings imparting a jewel-like quality. The revitalization allowed us to reclaim the full potential of the original facility’s amenities like the Starr Theater, contributing to the Center’s overall transformation as a bustling, celebrated civic amenity.