Walton Arts Center Launches Mosaix Festival

Walton Arts Center's new Mosaix Festival will explore the various cultural tiles that come together to make Northwest Arkansas unique and diverse. Each year, a different culture will be highlighted with a weeklong celebration of that culture's performers and performing arts. The inaugural Mosaix Festival April 20-25, 2020 explores the sights and sounds of India.

"Northwest Arkansas is such a diverse region, and we're partnering with local cultural communities to create an annual festival that celebrates that diversity through a variety of experiences including performing arts, food, fashion, visual arts, crafts and games," said Scott Galbraith, vice president of programming and executive producer for Walton Arts Center. "It's important to be exposed to each other's cultural expressions. Art not only showcases what is unique about a culture, but it also reminds us of all that we have in common."

The finale event for this year's Mosaix Festival is A Conversation with Hasan Minhaj on Saturday, April 25 at 7 pm. Minhaj is the host and creator of the weekly comedy show "Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj" that explores the modern cultural and political landscape with depth and sincerity through his unique comedic voice. His Nexflix comedy special "Hasan Minhaj: Homecoming King," earned him a 2018 Peabody Award. Minhaj got his start on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart."

Moderated by Heena Patel, founder and CEO of Mela Arts Connect, producer and artistic director of Bollywood Boulevard - also part of Mosaix, the conversation with Minhaj will focus on his career and experience as a first-generation American. Tickets for the show go on sale to the public on National Diversity Day, Friday, Oct. 4 at 10 am, and prices range from $56 to $95 plus applicable fees. Tickets can be purchased in-person at the Walton Arts Center or Walmart AMP box offices, by calling 479.443.5600 or by visiting waltonartscenter.org.

In addition to the finale event with Minhaj, the inaugural Mosaix Festival offers a curated collection of Indian films, dance, music and drama. Tickets to each of these additional events are on sale now at waltonartscenter.org.

Photo Credit: Darial Sneed