Life + Culture

Paige Paints For Play

Bentonville Artist Paige Dirksen Invites The Community To Find Joy and Experience Play Through Her Imaginative Murals Article by Violet Bloomfield | Photography by Violet Bloomfield & Paige Dirksen Paige Dirksen is a local artist whose passion for community arts is abundant in both the designs and execution of her lively murals, which decorate many corners of the city. With an MA in Art Therapy Counseling and a BA in Art/Psychology, Dirksen uses her understanding of art and mental health to...

Life + Culture

Bentonville: The Next Creative Flashpoint

How Bentonville's collective creative energy allows us to imagine something none of us could have built alone. Article by Allyson de la Houssaye | Photography by Justin Palmer & Mandy Babyar The truth about what I do is a little nuanced.   I may say I’m a documentary filmmaker, State Commissioner, or Parks and Rec Board Chair, but through it all, what I’m really doing is building relationships. I help people meet each other. I connect those with an idea to those with a resource. Sometimes I...

Home Services

It Takes A Village

Article and Photography by Michelle Bazis They say it takes a village. If you’re a mother reading this, I want you to think about your family’s daily routine. Consider when your child was a newborn, surviving on formula, living in diapers, and building their immune system one germ at a time.  Think about your baby shower when friends and loved ones celebrated your growing family by gifting you with a car seat, stroller, baby monitors, and clothes. Think about when your partner switched shifts...

Education

Setting The Table

A Bentonville Farmers Market Spotlight Article by Violet Bloomfield | Photography by Violet Bloomfield & Ellison Bynum-Hyman Every Saturday morning, the Bentonville Farmers Market unites the community by creating a space for local businesses to shine. As seasons change and the weather cools, the market moves indoors to cherish the cozy winter months and continue recognizing small businesses year-round. Locals appreciate the concentration of NWA makers, farmers, and entrepreneurs who convene...

Finance + Legal Services

Arkansas Moves Activates Neighbors

What The Rebranding Of Bentonville Moves To Arkansas Moves Signifies For Mobility Throughout The Natural State Article and Photography by Michelle Bazis In the heart of Northwest Arkansas, a subtle but powerful ‘movement’ is taking root. You can hear itin the persistent hum of tires on pavement, the crunch of dirt on trails, and the chatter of new neighbors connecting outdoors. What began as a hyper-local initiative known as Bentonville Moves has officially rebranded as Arkansas Moves , a...

Professional Services

GORP Boosts Outdoor Rec As Arkansas Economic MVP

Article by Michelle Bazis The Greenhouse Outdoor Recreation Program (GORP) sprouted from the University of Arkansas’s Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation (OEI) as a tool for the state’s burgeoning entrepreneurial ecosystem, but has since become a catalyst for connection and economic development. At the helm is Phil Shellhammer, a man whose career mirrors the very path he now helps others navigate as an adjunct professor and Executive Director of OEI at the University of Arkansas (UofA)...

Professional Services

Walton Understood Betting On Place

What Sam Walton Understood About Betting on a Place Article by Serafina Lelany Sam Walton made a bet most CEOs wouldn’t make. He built the world’s largest company and kept it rooted in a town of 50,000 people. That bet left something behind: An intoxicating ambition baked into the place itself. You can feel it walking through Bentonville. Big projects and small ones, all pointing in the same direction.  I’ve spent my career close to this kind of energy. Thinking about how momentum builds, who...

Travel

Welcome To Bluewood Retreat

Meagan Miller Introduces Us To Her Local Destination for Retreats, Reunions, and Relaxation Article by Michelle Bazis | Photography by Cheryl Barton How are you connected to NWA? I grew up in Southeast Arkansas and went to the University of Arkansas. I met my husband, Brandon, after college while we were both working in Rogers. We spent a few years living in the Bentonville area before moving to Edmond, Oklahoma. Now we have two kids, Weston and Ryan, and our dog, Thunder. Northwest...

Life + Culture

More Than a House

Finding Community at BlakeSt: A Space for Connection and Collaboration Article by Greer Babione | Photography by Philip Thomas at Novo Studio Nestled just off the Bentonville Square, BlakeSt stands as more than a beautifully restored building. It is a living testament to connection, collaboration, and community. Originally, the late 1880s estate of Thomas Taylor Blake and his wife, Bertha, the property has evolved from a historic homestead into a vibrant hub where thinkers, athletes, artists...

Sports + Recreation

Preview: OZ Trails Bike Park

A Hard-Hat Preview Tour Of The Highly Anticipated OZ Trails Bike Park with General Manager, Gary Vernon Article and Photography by Michelle Bazis For years, Bentonville has been the undisputed "Mountain Biking Capital of the World." But just a few miles north, a new silhouette is rising against the Bella Vista skyline—one that promises to elevate the Northwest Arkansas riding scene to a global gravity destination. The OZ Trails Bike Park is no longer just a blueprint or a rumor. With...