Community Spotlight: ACANSA
inVeritas Connection
inVeritas Vice President of Government Relations Meagan Davis joined the ACANSA Board in January 2020. She serves as Chair of the Advocacy Committee and as a member of the Governance Committee. Meagan, an artist herself, was thrilled for the opportunity to join an organization dedicated to promoting the arts in Central Arkansas.
ACANSA
The word “Arkansas” is a Siouan Indian word, which had several spellings over its centuries of use. One of those spellings included ACANSA which was the name of a Quapaw village in southeastern Arkansas. ACANSA likely came from the Quapaw word meaning “southern place.”
Mission
ACANSA is a visual and performing arts festival dedicated to building a more dynamic and engaging community through the arts and enriching the cultural vitality of the region. By fostering creative collaborations among artists, patrons, businesses, and community institutions, they facilitate the creation and presentation of more compelling art that encourages public dialogue, economic innovation, exposes people to a wider array of artistic experiences, and makes our community a stronger more vibrant place to live.
History
ACANSA was founded by Charlotte Gadberry, after a visit to Spoleto Arts Festival in Charleston, South Carolina encouraged her to talk to community leaders about collaborating to bring an arts festival to Central Arkansas.
The inaugural festival took place in September of 2014. Now in its seventh year, ACANSA continues to bring a wide variety of showcases and performances to Central Arkansas and to engage the community through the arts. In 2019, ACANSA Arts Festival of the South welcomed more than 7,500 patrons from 50 Arkansas communities and eight states.
2022 Festival
There’s still a lot of great shows coming up in the festival lineup this year, including, the Grammy Award-winning quintet Ranky Tanky and the ever-popular Ten-Minute Play Showcase. Tickets and the full festival line up can be found on ACANSA's website.
Community Spotlight Series
inVeritas is proud of our employees’ dedication to serving the Central Arkansas Community. This blog series will highlight community organizations where our employees dedicate their time, energy, and expertise.