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The University of Arkansas School of Art will reopen its Fine Arts Center on Thursday after a $38 million restoration of the midcentury building designed by Fayetteville native Edward Durell Stone.

Why it matters: The project preserves one of the campus's defining buildings and reinforces the university's growth as a regional and national arts school.

Backstory: The center opened in 1951 as an ambitious interdisciplinary building, uniting art, architecture, music and theater in one location.

Its inaugural exhibition included loans from major museums, including MoMA, the Whitney and the Art Institute of Chicago, bringing works by Pablo Picasso and Edward Hopper to Fayetteville, School of Art director Rachel Debuque told Axios.

State of play: The restoration was led by TenBerke of New York in collaboration with Fayetteville-based firm MBL Architects.

Stone's original design divides the facility into three blocks — a concert hall, classroom wing and theater — tied together by a lobby-gallery space.

To preserve Stone's vision, designers removed decades of alterations, restored the architect's original sight lines, reopened the lobby-gallery space, upgraded the concert hall and doubled the size of the Fine Arts Library.

The original teal accent color was used throughout the exterior and picked up in key interior locations, Debuque said.

A modern concert hall with tiered seating and a wooden stage, where a small group rehearses under a textured ceiling.

The Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall. Photo: Russell Cothren/University Relations

What they're saying: "The Fine Arts Center was conceived as a place where the fine arts converge under one roof, and that exchange remains central to how we educate today," Debuque said.

MBL president Roger Boskus told Axios the job carried personal weight because he used the Fine Arts Library himself while in school.

The team tried to restore Stone's original design intent, allowing for collaborative "cross-pollination" of the arts while also making the building work for current needs, MBL architect Steven Jones told Axios.

Behind the scenes: The toughest parts of the restoration were structural issues, Boskus said.

The building was designed efficiently, leaving little room to add modern systems, he said.

That was especially true in the concert hall, where the team had to improve acoustics and lighting without tearing into the roof. They used an electronic acoustic enhancement system and carefully integrated structural upgrades.

A bright library interior with wooden tables, bookshelves, a staircase, and large windows overlooking an indoor courtyard.

The Fine Arts Library. Photo: Russell Cothren/University Relations 

The big picture: The reopening also shows the School of Art's growth since its 2017 transformation from the Department of Art following a $120 million Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation gift.

The restored building will now anchor art history and art education, while most art practices have moved to the larger Windgate Art and Design District.

What's next: An exhibition, "The Fine Arts Center: The First Years," runs through July 10 in the teaching gallery.

Worth's thought bubble: I've spent my share of time hiding from the world near the koi pond in the courtyard; it's as serene as ever.

Anyone familiar with the building should be delighted with the renovation.

University of Arkansas landmark set to reopen

The Fine Arts Center opened in 1951, uniting art, architecture, music and theater under one roof.

A modern three-story building with long rows of windows overlooks a grassy courtyard with a large leafless tree.

Photo: Philip Thomas/Novo Studio/Courtesy of the University of Arkansas School of Art

The University of Arkansas School of Art will reopen its Fine Arts Center on Thursday after a $38 million restoration of the midcentury building designed by Fayetteville native <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Edward Durell Stone" data-vars-click-url="https://www.edwarddurellstone.org/" data-vars-content-id="0062fb03-3d78-4307-bd5b-a74572d341ff" data-vars-headline="University of Arkansas landmark set to reopen" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.edwarddurellstone.org/" target="_blank">Edward Durell Stone</a>.Why it matters: The project preserves one of the campus&#x27;s defining buildings and reinforces the university&#x27;s growth as a regional and national arts school.

Education

News

Northwest Arkansas leaders on Wednesday said the region still has time to get growth right, but only if leaders act with deliberate purpose.

The big picture: A panel discussion at the Northwest Arkansas Council's spring meeting showed there's a pressing need for a regional strategy.

What they're saying: "Relying on organic development to fill the gaps that we're missing in Northwest Arkansas — that's not going to happen," Johnson Mayor Chris Keeney said during the discussion.

"If we don't manage growth, it will manage us."

Keeney said his city's experience with Johnson Square showed that growth does not have to erase a community's character but that growth can help create identity.

The debate there included fears about multifamily housing, crime and declining property values, he said, but public discussions and education helped residents understand what benefits mixed-use development could bring.

The same concerns came up repeatedly in conversations across the region: traffic, preserving rural land and protecting each community's identity, said Susan Henderson, a principal at urban planning firm PlaceMakers, which helped develop the report.

Collaboration will be essential because the region's challenges are now happening at scale, she said.

When growth is handled well, it should "feel like opportunity and not pressure," said Meredith Bergstrom, senior program officer with the Walton Family Foundation.

The bottom line: If done right, "it will look like you designed it — that it was done with purpose — rather than that it took advantage of you," Henderson said.

Panel: NWA needs regional strategy

The same concerns came up repeatedly in conversations across the region: traffic, preserving rural land and protecting each community's identity

Five panelists sit in chairs on a stage; center woman in a red blazer speaks into a microphone, flanked by four others. A large red football-themed banner hangs behind them.

Kyle Kellams, from left, news director of KUAF-FM; Meredith Bergstrom with Walton Family Foundation; Susan Henderson with PlaceMakers; Johnson Mayor Chris Keeney; and Nelson Peacock, president and CEO of the Northwest Arkansas Council. Photo: Worth Sparkman/Axios

Northwest Arkansas leaders on Wednesday said the region still has time to get growth right, but only if leaders act with deliberate purpose.The big picture: A panel discussion at the Northwest Arkansas Council&#x27;s spring meeting showed there&#x27;s a pressing need for a regional strategy.

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Business

Development

A federal judge on Wednesday blocked a deal that would have eased penalties on several Northwest Arkansas poultry companies, leaving in place an extensive cleanup plan, the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette first reported.

Why it matters: That order mandates a 30-year cleanup, limits on poultry litter use in the Illinois River Watershed and court oversight funded by the companies, a move that could reshape the poultry industry in NWA.

Tyson Foods said in December it won't renew contracts with farmers to grow chickens in the watershed, saying the area is "no longer a hospitable place to do business."

State of play: U.S. District Judge Gregory Frizzell denied proposed settlements between Oklahoma and poultry companies including Tyson Foods, Cargill and subsidiaries, keeping his sweeping December ruling intact.

Frizzell said in the ruling that the proposed settlements from the companies wouldn't actually fix the pollution, saying:

They do not prevent excess poultry waste application and would allow phosphorus pollution to continue.

The proposed seven- to 10-year timelines fall short of the decades needed to remove phosphorus from the waterway.

The proposed $30 million relief fund could be reduced by legal fees.

Proposed caps "do not assure that the amount of poultry waste applied to the lands of the [Illinois River Watershed] will decrease."

Catch up quick: In 2005, Oklahoma's then-attorney general filed the lawsuit against 11 Arkansas poultry companies.

Following a 2010 trial in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma, the judge did not immediately file a decision.

In a 2023 ruling, the judge ordered the companies to collectively work on an agreement with Oklahoma.

No agreement was reached, and a judgment was entered in December 2025.

What they're saying: "The judge's decision, once again, reignites uncertainty for Arkansas poultry farmers and puts their livelihoods at risk," Dan Wright, president of Arkansas Farm Bureau, said in a statement.

What we're watching: The companies filed notice of an appeal to Frizzell's ruling in the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver, Colorado, this week.

Judge rejects Oklahoma, poultry company settlements

The judges said the proposed settlements wouldn't actually fix the pollution

Broiler chickens feed at a poultry farm in Ranga Reddy district, Telangana, India, on Saturday, Nov. 7 2015. 

Photo: Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg via Getty Images

A federal judge on Wednesday blocked a deal that would have eased penalties on several Northwest Arkansas poultry companies, leaving in place an extensive cleanup plan, the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette first <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="reported" data-vars-click-url="https://www.nwaonline.com/news/2026/apr/08/judge-rejects-settlements-in-the-illinois-river/" data-vars-content-id="aa8ea599-d9e8-4118-b0e9-a58d68bcbbd4" data-vars-headline="Judge rejects Oklahoma, poultry company settlements" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.nwaonline.com/news/2026/apr/08/judge-rejects-settlements-in-the-illinois-river/" target="_blank">reported</a>.Why it matters: That order mandates a 30-year cleanup, limits on poultry litter use in the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Illinois River Watershed" data-vars-click-url="https://www.irwp.org/" data-vars-content-id="aa8ea599-d9e8-4118-b0e9-a58d68bcbbd4" data-vars-headline="Judge rejects Oklahoma, poultry company settlements" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.irwp.org/" target="_blank">Illinois River Watershed</a> and court oversight funded by the companies, a move that could reshape the poultry industry in NWA.

Leaders of the Northwest Arkansas Council on Wednesday revealed a vision for a regional approach to plan for development, housing, transportation, water and land use.

Why it matters: NWA's current path is fractured and gets harder to manage as each city grows, potentially undercutting the area's affordability and livability as its population is set to hit 1 million by 2050.

What they found: "The strategy finds that the region's most pressing challenges are interconnected," authors of the Northwest Arkansas Council report write.

"Housing availability affects commuting patterns. Development patterns influence infrastructure costs. Transportation access shapes workforce participation. Decisions made by one community increasingly affect outcomes across Northwest Arkansas."

State of play: The report centers on familiar growing pain issues for residents but goes further by laying out a regional playbook for policy collaboration.

The proposed strategy is organized around six priorities:

Growth — Build communities and preserve rural land

Infrastructure — Steer development where services can be sustained

Housing — Add options for different stages of life

Transportation — Improve connections to cut congestion and trip times

Governance — Strengthen regional coordination

Stunning stat: Using historic trends, existing regulations and population projections, report authors calculated that if current growth patterns continue, the region would consume another 59 square miles by 2050 and generate about $20 million a year in net surplus.

Yes, but: A more focused model would cut land consumption to about 37 square miles and generate an estimated $340 million annual regional surplus for infrastructure, mobility and conservation.

What they're saying: "There's a lot of issues out there … the fact that we have $6 billion in needs for highways and $3 billion in revenues … rising house prices, we have a lot of challenges to address," Nelson Peacock, president and CEO of the NWA Council, told Axios.

"I believe what we do here over the next six months, two years, five years helps us figure out if we're going to be able to have the kind of region that we enjoy today."

What's next: Three of the priorities — housing, transportation and water infrastructure — have detailed tactical outlines in an accompanying document.

The council is finalizing the last three outlines and plans for them to be available in the next week.

What we're watching: The council says it plans to move from strategy to implementation in May by convening regional leaders, assigning responsibilities and setting metrics to track progress, Peacock told Axios.

"Hopefully this vision will help us clarify some of the things — the big things — that we need to do … so we can get working on those quickly," he said.

Northwest Arkansas Council outlines visionary plan

The region's most pressing challenges are interconnected

Two report covers titled "Growing Home NWA" show a regional strategy for Northwest Arkansas, with one featuring a landscape illustration and the other a stylized city street.

Covers of the vision documents. Courtesy the Northwest Arkansas Council 

Leaders of the Northwest Arkansas Council on Wednesday revealed a vision for a regional approach to plan for development, housing, transportation, water and land use.Why it matters: NWA&#x27;s current path is fractured and gets harder to manage as each city grows, potentially undercutting the area&#x27;s affordability and livability as its population is set to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="hit 1 million" data-vars-click-url="https://nwacouncil.org/growth/" data-vars-content-id="c1e119d0-9ce1-4464-a846-9f1d9b77d274" data-vars-headline="Northwest Arkansas Council outlines visionary plan" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://nwacouncil.org/growth/" target="_blank">hit 1 million</a> by 2050.

I've been on a burger kick, so when I saw that Oak Steakhouse in Rogers had started serving midday meals on the weekends, it was a natural pick.

Dig in: The burger ($18 for lunch or $21 for dinner) is dressed with sharp cheddar, lettuce, tomato, house-made pickles and Duke's mayo. It comes with a side of french fries.

I nixed the tomato because it's not yet summer tomato season.

This is a big and juicy burger that requires both hands, even after a cut down the middle.

The pickles popped, the cheese was melty and the lettuce was crispy.

It delivered on taste, substance, smell and just about everything else you'd expect from an $18 burger.

Yes, but: I had two major complaints on this trip to the top of the Avail Hotel.

I'm OK with a char on the pattie — a burger's better with a little crunch — but there was an unmistakable burned bite. It may have been the toast on the bun; I'm not sure.

A little is fine, even expected, but this was heavy-handed.

That same hand forgot it had already salted the fries — at least twice — and did it again. The crispy treasures were so sodium sodden, they were too painful to eat.

To be fair, I've had Oak's fries another time, and they weren't so salty.

The verdict: I'm not mad. I'm just disappointed.

The good outweighed the not-so-good, and it won't keep me from ordering it again.

Check it out: Dinner served Sunday-Thursday 4-9pm, Friday and Saturday 4-10pm; brunch served 10am-2pm on Saturday and Sunday at 4100 S. Pinnacle Hills Parkway in Rogers.

Monday Munchies: The "Oak" Burger

Juicy cheeseburger with melted cheddar, pickles, and lettuce in a glossy brioche bun, beside a heaping pile of seasoned french fries on a white plate.

The "Oak" burger from Oak Steakhouse in Rogers. Photo: Worth Sparkman/Axios

I&#x27;ve been on a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="burger kick" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/nw-arkansas/2026/03/02/monday-munchies-lunch-at-gaskins-on-emma" data-vars-content-id="f6941ceb-6838-458b-80cd-6f04d3908a4a" data-vars-headline="Monday Munchies: The &quot;Oak&quot; Burger" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/nw-arkansas/2026/03/02/monday-munchies-lunch-at-gaskins-on-emma" target="_self">burger kick</a>, so when I saw that <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Oak Steakhouse" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/nw-arkansas/2025/09/08/oak-steakhouse-rogers-review" data-vars-content-id="f6941ceb-6838-458b-80cd-6f04d3908a4a" data-vars-headline="Monday Munchies: The &quot;Oak&quot; Burger" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/nw-arkansas/2025/09/08/oak-steakhouse-rogers-review" target="_self">Oak Steakhouse</a> in Rogers had started serving midday meals on the weekends, it was a natural pick.Dig in: The burger ($18 for lunch or $21 for dinner) is dressed with sharp cheddar, lettuce, tomato, house-made pickles and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Duke&#x27;s mayo" data-vars-click-url="https://dukesmayo.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoon-p-36-ZhGh9M8tCrWeW7HUfsuvbBnp0DfY_k4KFbluh42QCo" data-vars-content-id="f6941ceb-6838-458b-80cd-6f04d3908a4a" data-vars-headline="Monday Munchies: The &quot;Oak&quot; Burger" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://dukesmayo.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoon-p-36-ZhGh9M8tCrWeW7HUfsuvbBnp0DfY_k4KFbluh42QCo" target="_blank">Duke&#x27;s mayo</a>. It comes with a side of french fries.

Worth Sparkman

Featured stories

Panel: NWA needs regional strategy

Northwest Arkansas Council outlines visionary plan

University of Arkansas landmark set to reopen

Monday Munchies: The "Oak" Burger

Judge rejects Oklahoma, poultry company settlements