THE POWER OF PAINT
An interview with Claire Kolberg, director of The Unexpected.
COURTESY OF THE UNEXPECTED. ALL ARTWORK COPYRIGHTED BY THE ARTIST.
BY JONATHAN OPITZ
Can you describe what The Unexpected does and how you and Steve Clark were able to get things started? In 2015, Steve Clark founded a nonprofit, 64.6 Downtown, to act as a catalyst for economic development in downtown Fort Smith by inspiring and engaging the community and strategic partners through art, arts education and place-making, as well as the promotion of attractive amenities to accelerate the development of diverse commerce. Named for the number of square miles of the city at the time of its founding, 64.6 Downtown acts as a change agent within the community, working with the city, individuals and businesses to move downtown Fort Smith into an economically viable and artistically diverse community. Initiatives include Garrison Commons Park, transforming a burned-out lot into a public gathering space; Gateway Park, turning an abandoned building and underused greenspace into a welcoming plaza and park; Propelling Downtown Forward Master Plan, recipient of the 2017 Arkansas Chapter of the American Planning Association: Achievement in Comprehensive Plan Development Award; and The Unexpected, bringing urban and contemporary art, speakers and art education to Arkansas. The first Unexpected was held in 2015 and it was born out of a desire to bring what was happening 20 | BLOCK, STREET & BUILDING VOLUME 7 | 2021
Camille Walala, Walala Pump N Go, (2019), Fort Smith
