Women of the Ozarks is spotlighting local artists with a traveling exhibition that will be on display in Bentonville for the next two months.
The exhibition features dozens of original works from six Northwest Arkansas artists. After stops in Springdale, Rogers, and Fayetteville, the exhibition is at Midnight Gallery (407 SW A St.) for the final leg of its tour, now through Jan. 4.
Women of the Ozarks, founded in 2024 by artists Tram Colwin and Claire Pongonis, is a grassroots artist collective dedicated to spotlighting female artists at every stage of their creative journey.
“We focus on a wide range of artists,” Colwin said. “Some are emerging artists, some are professional artists, and then some of them are in the developing stages of their careers.”
The organization provides professional development and mentorship, fosters community support, and gives artists the opportunity to showcase their work through exhibitions.
Colwin and Pongonis were inspired to create Women of the Ozarks after recognizing a need in the region for a group that could advocate for and support female artists.
“We felt if we carved out a space for female and femme-identifying artists, that some of that would just come naturally and create a little bit broader of a voice that we wanted to see for ourselves,” Pongonis said.
Given the theme “Unbound Spectrum,” artists had free rein to create pieces that reflected their own vision of it.
“Even in the very different mediums and the very different subject matters, there's a through line of color and motif and movement that just works so well together. It’s really exciting for Tram and me to see that collective vision organically happen,” Pongonis said.
Emma Johnson is a painter and sculptor whose abstract pieces in the show are inspired by dreams that she’s had.
“I keep a dream journal, but almost never remember the actual dreams,” she said. “I write about the feelings I woke up with the next morning. I find that those are the lasting effects I have.”
As a recent college graduate, she said she’s enjoyed the collaborative nature of Women of the Ozarks in what is often a highly competitive industry.
“Being in this particular show has been really impactful just because I'm freshly out of college,” Johnson said. “It makes it a little less nerve-wracking to try and come into this space and make it a career.”
Each year, the organization chooses different artists to participate. This year’s artists were selected by a panel of jurors who are engaged in the Northwest Arkansas community as artists, curators and community advocates. The artists in this year’s cohort are:
Artist panel events are scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 16, and Sunday, Dec. 14, at Midnight Gallery.
The show is free to view, but donations to the organization can be made online. Contributions help cover participation fees, secure exhibition venues, host receptions and provide necessary materials for installations.
