Jennifer Ross Named Vice President of Programming; Curt Owens Joins Walton Arts Center

Walton Arts Center has announced that Jennifer Ross has been promoted to vice president of programming for the nonprofit performing arts center, and Curt Owens will replace her as director of programming.

Ross has been with Walton Arts Center since 2002 where she started as the school performance coordinator. During her tenure, Ross has been director of artist and client experience as well as director of production and oversaw not only the artist contracting process but also the full production crew, client and promoter rentals. Most recently she was director of programming. In her new role, Ross will be responsible for booking all of the programming at Walton Arts Center.

"I'm excited about the next phase of my career with Walton Arts Center," said Ross. "This organization, the team of people who make the organization tick, and the work that we do for Northwest Arkansas are so important to me. I look forward to working with the entire team, other regional arts organizations and our presenting partners to continue Walton Arts Center's long history of providing a diverse array of arts experiences for our region."

A native of Pine Bluff, Ark., Owens joins the Walton Arts Center team after 11 years at NETworks Presentations, a touring production company for the Broadway theater community. He has worked on more than 40 productions including War Horse, Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables. Before joining NETworks, Owens worked in both the producing and presenting divisions of Broadway Across America.

Returning to his home state with his wife and two children, Owens is excited to bring his love for the performing arts to Northwest Arkansas.

Support for Walton Arts Center is provided, in part, by the Arkansas Arts Council, an agency of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Walton Arts Center is Arkansas' largest and busiest performing arts presenter. Each year more than 215,000 people from Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma and beyond attend more than 300 public events at Walton Arts Center, including performances, rehearsals, community gatherings, receptions, weddings and more. Approximately 35,000 students and teachers participate annually in arts learning programs at Walton Arts Center, and almost 250 volunteers donate 28,000 hours of time each year to its operations. Walton Arts Center presents entertainers and artists from around the world including Broadway musicals, renowned dance companies, International Artists, up-and-coming jazz musicians and more. As a non-profit organization, Walton Arts Center enjoys the generous support of public sector funding, corporate sponsorship and private donors, allowing audience members to enjoy world-class performances at a great price.

To learn more about Walton Arts Center, visit www.waltonartscenter.org.

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