Ortega ready to expand art in Fort Smith area

She may have arrived in Fort Smith via New York City and Miami, but Lee Ortega says Fort Smith is not that much different than the community in which she was raised.

“It’s not a big culture shock for me. … I feel right at home,” Ortega, the new director of the Fort Smith Regional Art Museum, said Thursday (Mar. 3).

Ortega grew up in Kenosha, Wisc., a manufacturing town of about 98,000 within the greater Chicago metro area. Her father is from Spain, and her mother from Columbus, Ohio. Because her father was a college professor, they took several summer vacations traveling Europe. She’s seen a few museums.

With a master’s degree in art history from none other than Harvard, Ortega has had the opportunity to learn the industry from some of the best art museums in the U.S. Ortega worked as director of marketing and public relations at Bass Museum of Art in Miami Beach, Fla., director of exhibitions at Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Ga., director of the Annina Nosei Gallery in New York City, and curatorial assistant at Albright-Knox Art Gallery.

Moving to Fort Smith to tackle an art center in the midst of a conversion to an art museum doesn’t scare Ortega.

“It was exactly what I was looking for,” said Ortega, who explained that she wanted to tackle a challenge that would help her grow in the industry.

Ortega joins a museum in the midst of significant expansion. A fundraising effort that began in late 2008 is more than 50% toward its $2.2 million goal. Most of the funds will be used to continue the ongoing renovation of the 15,000-square-foot building at 1601 Rogers Ave., near downtown Fort Smith. Arvest Bank donated the former branch bank at 1601 Rogers Ave. — acquired in its $211 million purchase of Superior Federal Bank in late 2003 — to the art center in early January 2009 to expand space to exhibit art, photos and provide other services.

Renovation costs are estimated at $1.5 million, with construction expected to be complete by summer.

During Thursday’s press conference, Ortega stressed several times that she wants to be more than “just about looking at art.” She plans to implement a “vigorous programming schedule” that includes family events and local artist exhibitions that “address the community on a larger scale.”

Part of that larger scale includes providing venues for art from numerous demographics, including Asian, African-American, Hispanic and Native American.

Ortega also wants to approach art collectors in the area “who might have interesting collections” and would be amenable to showing those collections in the new, modern museum.

Another aspect that intrigues Ortega about Fort Smith is the potential to tie into the U.S. Marshals Museum and the Crystal Bridges Museum in Northwest Arkansas.

“It will be an exciting time for the region when all three are up and running,” Ortega said. “It will be great for tourism, also.”

During a well-attended Thursday reception for Ortega held in the rotunda of the Fort Smith Convention Center, Fort Smith Mayor Sandy Sanders formally welcomed Ortega to Fort Smith.

Before introducing Ortega, Sanders thanked the former and current board members of the Fort Smith Regional Art Museum. He also praised the late Polly Crews for her work in ensuring the community supported arts.

“We can’t really talk about art in Fort Smith without remembering Polly,” Sanders said.

Sanders also praised Marta Jones, president of the art museum board, for keeping the organization on track during the almost 12-month search for a new director.

Sanders also said those who support the art museum and other “quality of place projects” in the city are supporting economic development. He said the type of companies Fort Smith seeks to recruit are usually interested in the creative aspects of a region.

“They don’t just look at land sites and utility costs. They’ll also look at these quality-of-place projects when they make those decisions,” Sanders said.

City Director Philip Merry Jr., who spoke on behalf of the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce, said the chamber’s Quality of Place division “stands ready” to support Ortega and the museum as it works to expand it’s presence in Fort Smith.