The Unexpected public arts festival, a Fort Smith creation that has spread to other parts of the state, will be supported again this year by the Fort Smith Advertising and Promotion Commission.

The commission on Tuesday approved a $1,250 grant request from 64/6 Downtown on the basis the Unexpected is expected to create an estimated 250 “room nights” during the week of its fifth annual festival — Oct. 7-12.

The Unexpected is privately funded except for the A&P grant. An estimated 2,000 people from outside of Fort Smith visit the city during the festival, which began in 2015. About half of those 2,000 come from outside a 100-mile radius, according to the A&P grant application.

John McIntosh of 64/6 Downtown said this year’s Unexpected will kick off with a block party Oct. 5 at Cisterna Plaza downtown with the Future School of Fort Smith. Most of the mural artists are expected to arrive Oct. 5-6.

64/6 Downtown, a nonprofit group, will announce this year’s lineup of artists and locations in a week to 10 days.

“It’s going to be a little different .... spread out a little differently,” McIntosh added. “But that’s kind of what we do.”

Robyn Dawson, at-large city director and A&P commissioner, said she felt $1,250 was not enough and the Unexpected is a “beneficial thing to our city” that draws tourists from across the region. The Unexpected received $5,000 last year from the A&P for a "visiting artist underwriter sponsorship."

McIntosh pointed out in a July 29 letter to A&P Executive Director Claude Legris the Unexpected led to Fort Smith being named the No. 3 Art Town in CubeSmart's list of America's Most Unique Art Towns this year with the quote "Fort Smith might be the artsy dark horse you've been waiting for — Home of the Unexpected Festival." The Unexpected was also recognized by the Arkansas Parks & Tourism Department in 2017 as the Henry Award winner for Community Tourism Development and has been featured with at least eight magazine cover stories.

"Our media impressions (social, print, TV) now exceed 16,000,000+ who see Fort Smith as a progressive community that welcomes public art," McIntosh added in the letter to Legris. "We average 85,000+ individuals engaged on social media during the annual events."

The festival is curated by Justkids, "a global creative house," and now associated with the Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville.

Talicia Richardson, executive director of 64/6 Downtown and a Fort Smith Public Schools board member, told A&P commissioners Tuesday a program was under development that will create a curriculum for schools based on the murals. Claire Kolberg of 64/6 Downtown explained the nonprofit is facilitating a partnership with the Walton Arts Center for a curriculum with schools that visit and take the Fort Smith Unexpected tour.

People who want an Unexpected tour may send an email to info@646downtown and arrange for a paid, guided tour. Or they can go online at unexpectedfs.com to download a map for a self-guided tour. There is also an UnpexpectedFS mobile app from the App Store and Google play that offers a self-guided tour.

“Motor coaches that come from around love the mural tour,” said Carolyn Joyce, Fort Smith Convention and Visitors Bureau sales manager for tour and travel.

There are about 30 murals and art pieces in Fort Smith that have been created over the past four festivals.

Peacemaker ‘traction'

McIntosh also said music industry representatives from Nashville, Tennessee, have visited with 64.6 Downtown and others associated with the Peacemaker Music Festival, held July 26-27 at Harry E. Kelley Park on the riverfront in downtown Fort Smith.

“Peacemaker has really made an impact on the Nashville music scene, which is what we were hoping for, and if you didn’t go this year you missed a national production,” McIntosh told A&P commissioners. “It’s really getting traction, so anything we can continue to do is really good for the whole community.”

This year’s lineup featured Robert Earl Keen, Lucero and North Mississippi Allstars to name a few.

Financials

In other business, the A&P director reported $400 had been collected from Airbnb.com since a contract was signed last month to remit the 3 percent lodging tax. The Fort Smith CVB collected $91,273 in June, which was $11,030 more than the previous July. Expenses for the CVB in July were $65,449 with a fund balance as of June 30 of $279,903.

Fort Smith Convention Center General Manager Tim Seeberg reported the center's fund balance as of July 31 was $561,581 with year-to-date expenses at $814,731. It is $62,893 less than the same period last year. Seeberg said there has been about $15,740 less spent on building repairs this year.

Although event invoiced revenue for July was down about $6,800 compared to last July, year-to-date event invoiced revenue is up about $34,622 dollars to $433,313 as of July 31.

Total revenue at the Convention Center for 2019, including concessions and catering, is $502,316 by July 31. It is 13%, or $58,044, more than the same period last year.