In the Paper: “All Cooped Up” in the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette covered Our Art 2026 twice the week it opened, and All Cooped Up is in both of them.
I asked the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for permission to share the printed pages here, and they said yes. So here they are!
The Feature
“‘Chockablock’ with talent” by Monica Hooper, in What’s Up!, September 20 to 26, pages 4 and 5.
Monica’s feature dives into the scale of the regional show, 102 pieces selected by curator Kathy Thompson from 659 submissions, and spends time highlighting the creative platform we are building in Northwest Arkansas.
After I delivered the animation to the gallery, Kate and I had the chance to meet Monica during the gallery’s art drop-off, and we got to share our story about moving our studio from Fort Worth to Bentonville in June, building an art business in the area, and bringing our hand-illustrated animated series, BizarreBeasts, to life.
The article highlights my award from Decentralized Pictures to create family-friendly content for their upcoming streaming platform (DCP+), with Kate and I working side-by-side to produce the series.
Monica also covers the story behind All Cooped Up itself: how the chickens were built from the animated series assets as a subtle nod to the Northwest Arkansas poultry industry, and how the piece extends directly into interactive gaming with All Cooped Up: The Game inside the BIZarcade at bizarrebeasts.io.
👉 Read it on nwaonline.com: Annual “Our Art, Our Region, Our Time” exhibit highlights 86 artists across mediums
👉 Read it on nwaonline.com: Annual “Our Art, Our Region, Our Time” exhibit highlights 86 artists across mediums
The Entertainment Page
“ENTERTAINMENT: ‘Our Art’ exhibit opening at Walton Arts Center” by Eric E. Harrison, Sunday Entertainment, September 20, page 4E.
The second one is the Sunday listing, and it is the page I have been carrying around. All Cooped Up is named in it, and I am listed as a Bentonville artist, which four months after moving here is a sentence I did not expect to read about myself quite so soon.
👉 Read it on arkansasonline.com: ENTERTAINMENT: “Our Art” exhibit opening at Walton Arts Center
Thank you to Monica Hooper and to Eric E. Harrison for the coverage, and to the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for letting me share the pages here!
See It Before December 20
All Cooped Up is 123 hand-illustrated chickens in an 80-second seamless loop exhibiting on a 55” screen.
📍 Location: Alexander Gallery at the Porter Art Warehouse, 212 N West Ave, Fayetteville, AR
📅 Exhibition Dates: On view through December 20, 2026
🕚 Gallery Hours: 11 AM to 2 PM Monday through Saturday | 5 PM to 8 PM Thursday through Saturday
🎟️ Admission: Free
🕹️ Play the game: allcoopedup.bizarrebeasts.io
🎬 How it was made: How 123 Hand-Drawn Chickens Became a Gallery Installation
🖼️ Opening night: Opening Night Recap: “All Cooped Up” at Our Art 2026
Press Citations
Monica Hooper, “‘Chockablock’ with talent,” What’s Up!, Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, September 20 to 26, 2026, pages 4 and 5. nwaonline.com
Eric E. Harrison, “ENTERTAINMENT: ‘Our Art’ exhibit opening at Walton Arts Center,” Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Sunday Entertainment, September 20, 2026, page 4E. arkansasonline.com
Todd Gill, “Walton Arts Center announces artists for sixth annual regional exhibition,” Fayetteville Flyer, August 26, 2026.
Printed pages shared with permission of the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.