Walton Arts Center

History

Walton Arts Center, on Dickson Street at North School Avenue in Fayetteville, opened debt-free on April 26, 1992, after the Walton family, the University of Arkansas, and the City of Fayetteville agreed in the late 1980s to build a hall for touring shows and community events. The Walton Arts Center Council formed in 1986; Bill Mitchell was hired as the first executive director in late 1987. The Walton Family Foundation, the university, and the city put in $9 million, private donors added about $7 million, and $3 million was reserved as an endowment. The original plan focused on a 1,200-seat hall. A 2016 expansion added front-of-house, production, and office space. The center also operates Nadine Baum Studios and the Walmart Arkansas Music Pavilion. Baum Walker Hall is the main concert room. Sources: waltonartscenter.org mission and history; Encyclopedia of Arkansas; Walton Arts Center bl