Local activity: ACANSA Arts Festival

ACANSA Arts Festival

Dates: 09/18/18 - 09/23/18

Downtown

Main Street Creative Corridor

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 ACANSA exists as a visual and performing arts festival dedicated to building a more dynamic and engaging community through the arts and enriching the cultural vitality of the region. By fostering creative collaborations among artists, patrons, businesses, and community institutions, we facilitate the creation and presentation of more compelling art that encourages public dialogue, economic innovation, exposes people to a wider array of artistic experiences, and makes our community a stronger and more vibrant place to live.

Many people ask where the name ACANSA comes from. The word "Arkansas" is a Siouan Indian word. It has had several spellings over the centuries, including ACANSA, which was the name of a major Quapaw village in southeastern Arkansas. Many people believe that ACANSA meant "downstream people," but that isn't true – Quapaw, the tribe's own name for themselves, means "downstream people." ACANSA probably came from the Quapaw word meaning "southern place." Their non-native neighbors frequently referred to the Quapaw as the ACANSA, Arkansas, or Alkansea Indians because of this town.