Twenty years of hats gone mad

On October 21 the wildly popular Mad Hatter’s Ball returns to the Crescent Hotel to celebrate a milestone 20^th Anniversary after COVID sent it down the rabbit hole for two years as an online-only affair. But don’t rush out to get tickets because the event has long been sold out.

There’s still time to participate in all the fun, however, since the Out of the Rabbit Hole Ball’s auction of rageous and outrageous art and gift certificates is open for bidding online. You don’t have to have a ticket to the ball to view auction items and register for free to bid. Go to essa-art.org and click on Events, then Mad Hatter Ball. Bidding closes at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 21.

Renowned artists and craftspeople from around the region and beyond have donated some impressive works of art and jewelry to the auction. It’s an opportunity to support ESSA while gaining a one-of-a-kind piece to be treasured for years to come.  

The Ball’s auction became the major fundraising event for the Eureka Springs School of the Arts five years after ESSA was founded in 1998 – 25 years ago next year! In those days, classes were taught in the studios of early supporters and founders Doug Stowe, Eleanor Lux and Mary Springer.

In 2004, the school purchased one building and one acre at its current location on 62W. Today the almost-50-acre campus includes 11 buildings, including 7 teaching studios. In 2020, ESSA completed construction of on-campus lodging for visiting instructors and artists in residence, and then had to cancel almost all in-person workshops through 2021 due to COVID.

ESSA pivoted and began providing workshops, special events and free public programming online until in-person activities resumed this year. According to Executive Director Kelly McDonough, registration and programming are now near pre-pandemic levels.

“All of us at ESSA desperately missed the energy of students and instructors creating on campus,” McDonough said.  “It was absolutely joyous to welcome students back to campus and to get back to full speed this year. I must admit a tear came to my eye during student orientation at our first in-person workshop, and I know I wasn’t the only one! It means the world to all of us at ESSA to provide a supportive and inspiring environment for people to learn new skills and to be inspired and invigorated by the creative process.”

 In 2020 ESSA became beneficiary of a legacy endowment by the Windgate Foundation. ESSA does not have access to the fund directly but receives a grant each year to fund basic operating expenses for the school. That means ESSA will be here for generations to come.

However, the school still must raise funds to provide scholarships, maintain and upgrade facilities, support teaching studios and expand programming. This is why the annual Mad Hatter Ball fundraiser is so important.

McDonough, who has been with ESSA for five-and-half years, says a lot has changed in that time.  “We have grown from a part-time staff of five to eleven, several of them full time. Also, when I started, the budget was so tight we couldn’t afford trashcan liners in the office!  We still run a very tight budget but meet the basic needs of the school due to generous donors that have given us stable funding. We have doubled numbers in the last few years from about 250 students to more than 500 each year and are adding more programming all the time.

“One of the things I love about ESSA is watching people who have no experience at all in what they signed up for leave impressed and amazed by themselves! The majority of our workshops require absolutely no experience, and a beginner can leave with fantastic, finished projects. There are no pre-requisites and anyone can sign up for any workshop. Many sell out quickly, so we try to offer repeats whenever possible.”

Workshops taught by nationally recognized artists and craftspeople include woodworking, woodturning, blacksmithing, welding, jewelry making, painting and drawing, ceramics, stained glass, leather working, bookmaking and other art forms.

“We are constantly seeking new instructors and are regularly approached by artists and craftspeople who have heard of ESSA and are interested in teaching,” McDonough said. 

ESSA plays an important role in the city’s history, but it also provides opportunities for a diverse community of faculty and students. Through scholarship funds, grants and outreach classes are provided for a variety of students from veterans and college students to teachers and retired community members. 

Old time crafts such as blacksmithing, ceramics, woodworking, wood carving and stained glass are an integral part of Ozark history and ESSA is committed to seeing those traditions live on alongside new techniques in the fine arts.

Explore essa-art.org for details on upcoming workshops and donation information.