The Families Who Saved the Buffalo
On any given summer morning, the Buffalo National River feels as if it...
Uh oh...
It appears that you're using a severely outdated version of Safari on Windows. Many features won't work correctly, and functionality can't be guaranteed. Please try viewing this website in Edge, Mozilla, Chrome, or another modern browser. Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused!
Read More about this safari issue.
Millennials often endure criticism from those generations that have come before them, but one group of youth decided to challenge the stereotypes and take positive action to change opinions in the community. Stitches is a group of young artists banding together to change the image of youth in Northwest Arkansas.
Stitches began last July when Samuel Lopez asked a few other youth interested in art and the community to join him at a downtown initiative meeting in Springdale. The group of young people knew only that they had a common interest in art, seeing it displayed in the community, and being a force for positive change. A group of around fifteen youth attended the meeting and drew attention by sitting front and center. When they had the chance to speak, they expressed their interest in removing the stigma about youth in Springdale and the millennial generation in general.
The reaction to the group was immediately positive. First, Stitches held a park cleanup in Springdale over the summer. Then they organized two open mic poetry nights at the Jones Center, allowing anyone to take the stage and share their words.
“Everybody has some sort of medium to contribute to the community,” Stitches member and Communications Director Marsea Lopez says. “I think we’re changing people’s ideas with our energy.”
That energy didn’t go unnoticed. Crystal Bridges Museum contacted the group about participating in a pop-up light art show and Stitches quickly agreed. A pop-up art show is an art event that takes place for a few hours and light art simply incorporates light into the artwork. Even though the medium was new for many of the Stitches members, they produced fantastic creations using black light, neon yarn and other techniques.
“I thought it was a Crystal Bridges event,” Marsea says, “but they made it about us.” Marsea created eleven-foot dream catchers with purple halogen lights. Another group member used neon yarn to create mountains against a black light backdrop. The show drew about 200 people to downtown Springdale on a chilly December night.
After a New Year’s Eve open mic night, the group was invited to join the Rogers based group Teen Action for an all-night vigil and supply drive to raise awareness of youth homelessness across Northwest Arkansas. Stitches created artwork depicting faces of homeless children and hung the oversized portraits along New Hope Road, where the event took place. The spotlighted faces glowed above the tents of teens camping out in tents all night long.
Stitches has continued to find opportunities to serve the community through art. Mike Gilbert, COO of the Jones Center for Families, approached the group about doing a mural at the center. Since this was Stitches founder Samuel Lopez’s original desire and motivation behind the group, they quickly accepted. Stitches is currently working on two different murals for the Jones Center. The Jones Center is also the group’s fiduciary sponsor this year, and Stitches plans on becoming their own non-profit organization by the end of the year. In the meantime, they’ve found the advice of older “honorary Stitches members” like Mike Gilbert and Eve Smith with the Arts Center of the Ozarks to be invaluable.
The afternoon Marsea and I chatted about Stitches, Samuel Lopez (Event Director) and Kenny Arredondo (Art Director) held a youth recruitment meeting for Stitches at Springdale Lake. Marsea admits they’re targeting other youth and young Millennials as they expand the group, youth like them who have an interest in art, community involvement or both. Their mission as a fledgling organization is to empower youth involvement in the community and stimulate cultural consciousness through all mediums of art.
“There’s so much energy in youth and we can use that energy productively for something positive. We’re not rowdy or sitting on the couch all summer. We’re trying to make a difference,” Marsea says. It’s a difference many in the community are starting to see as Stitches makes a visual impact on Northwest Arkansas.
The best way to keep up with Stitches is through social media. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram for the latest updates and projects. Even if you’re not a young person or an artist, you can support Stitches by attending events and cheering on their efforts as they work to remove the stigma associated with youth and infuse the community with their passion for art.
Photos courtesy of Stitches and used with permission.
We do the work.
You check your email.
Sign up for our weekly e-news.
Get stories sent straight to your inbox!
Like this story? Read more from Kimberly Mitchell
Women’s professional sports are having their moment. TV coverage and...
In 1875, a simple homestead became a source of healing, if only according...
The stagecoach is one of the most iconic representations of the Old West,...
Join the Conversation
Leave a Comment