‘Confluence’ of the Arts Coming to Jonesboro on Oct. 12

JONESBORO, Ark. — An upcoming event in Jonesboro will bring together artists from ceramics, music, spoken word, and more in what is being called a ‘confluence.’

The Confluence, presented by Scott McDaniel, promises to be a unique convergence of ceramics, traditional visual arts, music, and spoken word. The event happens on October 12 at the Lounge, 313 West Huntington Ave. in Jonesboro. Doors open at 6:45 p.m. Tickets are $20 and they are on sale, now. All the money goes to the artists.

The event is planned to showcase many art forms from the region. Scheduled artists include ceramic work by BooandFinni, classical guitar by Adrian Little, and poetry by Paige Phillips. More artists may be added. The evening will conclude with a spoken word performance by Scott McDaniel, accompanied by local musicians Trent Duff and Derek Doyle.

Scott has been organizing and participating in creative, artistic events for years, he told NEA Report. His very first art show included a poet and an author who was homeless and discovered by professor at UCA. It blew up from there, both with the response and his interest.

“The concept was, I wanted to be an ambassador to the spoken word and show off and bring poetry here while also being an ambassador to Jonesboro and make it a cool spot,” McDaniel said.

Scott partnered with Nicole Silva to create a nonprofit called Delta Writers. He described Nicole as a fundamental aspect of the whole mission of celebrating the arts.

However, this event is one Scott is organizing solo.

Scott said he always had the idea of putting together poetry and music in a show, and after finishing a set, felt confident enough to show it to the public. He described it as sort of a vanity project and something that takes him out of his comfort zone.

“It’s important to put yourself into situations where you feel challenged,” McDaniel said. “It makes you feel alive and it’s good to feel alive. We spend most of our time asleep and if you can do something to wake yourself up to the beauty of the world, that’s good. I’m excited about the show.”

The idea of the Confluence was born with the concept of a “place where two rivers meet.” Those are poetry and music. But as he continued to explore the idea, Scott asked himself a simple question: why not more? He embraced the confluence theme and decided to add more forms, including his interest in the pottery scene.

It was the interest in pottery that led to one of the most unique elements of the event – the tickets, themselves. Tickets are hand-crafted out of clay.

The plan is to create an atmosphere as soon as guests enter the building.

“When they walk in, Adrien Little is going to be playing classical guitar,” McDaniel said. “That’s just going to be on in the background. Various artists are going to be there. They’ll have some stuff set up, look at, experience, and hopefully buy. They’ll have a full bar to mingle, settle in, and kind of have a show vibe. We’ll enjoy the art, enjoy the space, and roughly around 8 p.m., the show will start.”

When the show begins, the host will read a general statement and introduce guests to the performers. Paige Phillips will begin the show in what Scott described as kind of her debut. Scott’s performance will conclude the event, with him reading spoken word over music.

“It’s not a song,” McDaniel pointed out. “It’s not a rap. It’s a musical accompaniment. This kind of designed to accent the poetry and the poetry was designed to accent the music.”

Scott described it as tricky to pull off and even admitted he was scared. That’s the most exciting part for him, and he said he’s excited to be scared.

One way or the other, the event promises to be a unique show and a concept Scott hopes to continue.

Tickets are available on Eventbrite here. 

Click here to find the event on Facebook.