Springdale arts venue rebrands to The Medium

The Medium, a project of Creative Arkansas Community Hub & Exchange (CACHE), is the new name for its Springdale hub at 214 S. Main St.

Brittany Johnson, director of communications for CACHE, said The Medium space was rebranded from 214 by CACHE, “but we’re thinking of it as more akin to a christening.”

According to a news release, “The Medium reflects CACHE’s dedication to representing our region’s diverse range of creative and artistic mediums and acknowledges Springdale’s geographical location in the middle of Northwest Arkansas and the heartland.”

The release shows that The Medium occupies one of the longest-standing independent arts venues in Northwest Arkansas. Its former tenant, the Arts Center of the Ozarks, had occupied the 25,000-square-foot venue since 1993. It includes a 371-seat theatre, stage, classrooms, gathering, rehearsal, and exhibition space for visual and performance-based artists and arts organizations.

Grove Arts, an affiliate of the Tyson Family Foundation, purchased 214 S. Main St. on Sept. 18, 2020, for $1.8 million from the Arts Center of the Ozarks. It rebranded to Arts One Presents after the sale of its venue.

Since CACHE started occupying it in 2020, it’s “dedicated this venue to creating equity and sustainability for the region’s creative community, providing affordable space to experiment, create, share and gather,” the release shows.

Johnson said the rebranding to The Medium was part of a two-year operation and programming grant from the Tyson Family Foundation. Kansas City, Mo.-based design agency Design Ranch, led brand development.

According to a recent IRS Form 990, the Tyson Family Foundation gave a $663,170 grant to Springdale-based Northwest Arkansas Council Foundation for “Arts Center of the Ozarks reimaging” in 2020.

CACHE is a regional arts organization that the Northwest Arkansas Council launched in 2019 with Walton Family Foundation funding. Earlier this year, CACHE shifted from a branch of the Northwest Arkansas Council to an independent nonprofit.

CACHE has 15 employees, five of whom are dedicated to The Medium space.