Muralist Olivia Trimble is the next guest on the Arkansas Folklife web series

Join host Lauren Willett and muralist Olivia Trimble on Wednesday, April 17th from 1-2:30pm for the next installment of the Arkansas Folklife Web Series. Trimble will discuss his history with sign painting, the ways this folk art practice enables community engagement and activism, and his experience at the 2023 Smithsonian Folklife Festival, among other topics. This event is free and open to the public, and registration is required.

“Olivia is a talented artist who represents and creates a space for women in a male-dominated trade,” Willett said. “I’m excited to give him a space to talk about how he combines this folk art with community service and activism.

Trimble is a second-generation sign painter and muralist who lives in Northwest Arkansas with his wife and two daughters. He has spent the last decade enhancing the urban landscape with bright and purposeful signs and murals. When she’s not painting, she can be found building neighborhood bonds and empowering other parts of her community. She serves on the boards of the Community Clinic, Second Helping NWA, and the Fayetteville Arts Council, and recently served as Secretary of the Arkansas Chapter of the National Organization for Women.

In 2024, the Arkansas Folklife Web Series will host a variety of guests, including chef Margie Raimondo of Urbana Farmstead and potter Stephen Driver of Little Mulberry Gallery. Recordings of previous webinars can be found on the Arkansas Folk and Traditional Arts YouTube channel.

Questions about the series can be directed to Willette at willette@uark.edu. Arkansas Folk and Traditional Arts is a state program of the University of Arkansas Libraries dedicated to fostering cross-cultural understanding through the documentation, presentation, and preservation of Arkansas’ living traditional arts and cultural heritage.