Help us build the House.

Our Story

The Rogers Experimental House was born on the bricks of Rogers, Arkansas, the second week of June 2016 during a chance meeting and sidewalk conversation between founding board members Dayton Castleman, a Rogers-based artist and museum professional, Jessica Hester, a Rogers-based architect, and Karen Wagaman, downtown development VP at the Rogers-Lowell Chamber of Commerce. The consensus was that downtown Rogers would make an ideal home for a space driven by making, and by facilitating the growth of innovative ideas - a place where art, and technology, and learning, and skill-building could thrive and become a creative resource to the community. 

Conversations about just what form that making space might take continued for the next several months, including public forums to begin building a community of partners and collaborators, shaped by Dayton's and Jessica's involvement in the founding and operation of artist-run and maker-run spaces in Philadelphia, Chicago, and Rome, Georgia. That summer we added board members Morgan Hooker, a local real-estate developer, and David Vaden, an accountant, and by the fall of 2016 we had incorporated and begun the process of applying for non-profit status, receiving our 501(c)(3) in December of 2016. 

2017 came with the potential to test drive the Rogers Experimental House in a temporary home with a wonderful address. The Elks Lodge at 121 W Walnut sits in the heart of downtown Rogers, steps from Arkansas Public Theatre, the Rogers Historical Museum, and Rogers' growing mix of eateries, breweries, and unique shopping. By April we had secured the opportunity to create a pop-up creative space on the ground floor of the building, as an incubator and community-building pilot for the future Rogers Experimental House.

What the House needs.

Like any "new" house, we need a few things to keep us running and facilitate the creative work we want to support.

• Furnish the House! We are in need of work tables, seating, and storage solutions in order to host workshops, classes, performances, and community gatherings. Hufft, a design-build firm based in Kansas City with an outpost in Bentonville is on board to assist us by donating design and shop time to fabricate customized solutions to help us get the most out of the space, and to expand with us when we grow into a future, permanent home. We need to purchase materials to fabricate our work furnishings, and your contribution can help us furnish the House!
• Keep the lights on! While use of the space has been generously donated, we have expenses in the form of utility and insurance costs, as well as day to day supplies for maintenance and cleaning, and signage to let the community know who we are. The space is our greatest current asset, and in order to host the creative life of the community into the future, we need to pay our utility bills! Your contribution can keep space running!
• Be the Experimental House! Projects already in the works include collaborations with Rogers Public Schools, public art projects, and community gatherings for learning and skill-building. We need contributions to help us fund our community creative life. We're releasing a call for proposals in order to support pop-up projects of all kinds and your contribution can help us make those happen!

Every donor to the Rogers Experimental House will be recognized by name with a tile on our 3D printed donor wall - a mosaic of hexagonal plaques that will grow with us and recognize those who have contributed to establishing a making space for the region in downtown Rogers.

Rogers' Experimental House

As our region's cultural footprint and influence expand, so does its population of creative professionals and artists. Anchored by major cultural institutions like Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, and the Walton Arts Center, the opportunity exists for localized cultural specialization, and we'd like to see Rogers become a hub for artists, for supporting independent projects, and for creative innovation.

Join the Experimental House Family

Even if you can't contribute to our campaign you can be a part of the movement to establish a making space in Rogers:

• Share this fundraiser with friends and family!
• Volunteer to help!
• Submit an idea for a project, gathering, workshop, or class!