CACHE, pronounced like the kind you keep in your wallet, is an abbreviation for “Creative Arkansas Community Hub & Exchange,” but it carries a meaning of even more significance. A “cache” refers to a hidden collection of items, typically of one kind and stored in one place. An example of a cache that we are all familiar with here in Northwest Arkansas ... is Northwest Arkansas.
CACHE has served as an arts intermediary organization in the region since 2019. From their perspective, “Northwest Arkansas has always been a cache or treasure trove of hidden gems, glistening pockets of insight and innovation. Our artists and creative industries form the equivalent of a network of caverns and hideaways, valuable underground caches, strong foundations of rock and stone, and winding interconnected waterways.” By working with local artists and arts organizations, CACHE’s goal is to bring creatives out of their caverns and into the light. In the last six years, they have invested over $4 million in the NWA creative community to make this possible. Brittany Johnson, Director of Communications for CACHE, highlights three necessities for any artist: space, money, and time. Through platforms like Groundwaves (which was created for hip-hop artists and ended last year), programs like the Creative Exchange Fund (which offers space and funding for artists at The Medium in Springdale), and events such as workshops and social hours, local artists are being given opportunities to have their needs met and to grow in community with one another. Ultimately, CACHE’s work shows us that creativity isn’t just waiting to be discovered—it’s already here, shaping our community from the inside out, one unearthed gem at a time.
Northwest Arkansas has always been a cache or treasure trove of hidden gems, glistening pockets of insight and innovation.