Few people are able to make a living with their passion. Fewer are able to also make a community impact. Kathy Thompson is one of those few.
Originally from El Dorado, she moved to Fayetteville in 1976 with her son. Thompson said that art became an obvious path after she moved to Fayetteville.
“It’s never been about the money,” she said. “This is just the work that I want to do.” Since then, Thompson has worked in multiple disciplines and spaces in art: pottery, contemporary painting, collage, interior design, curation, and more. Each one of these areas has been a blessing to Fayetteville. From a piece at Washington Regional called “Arkansas Color” to helping design Arsaga’s all around Fayetteville to providing pieces at Blair Library to curating shows at the Walton Arts Center, Thompson’s passion has created beauty for many people to enjoy.
One discipline at the core of her passion is teaching. For over two decades, Thompson has worked with students of all ages helping them explore their creative talents. She said, “I love teaching…I never thought of it as laborious; getting kids to have fun by looking at the world in a new way.” Thompson said she never imagined that many of her young students would go into design and architecture fields, because she was just teaching them to have fun.
Fayetteville is fortunate to have an artist with such talent, work ethic, and passion.
