Grief, Art, and Community — Closing Out 2025

Hey friends,

It's been an incredible few weeks on I Am Northwest Arkansas®. We've covered some ground that really matters to this community—from understanding immigration realities to preserving our regional history and building creative spaces where everyone belongs.

If you missed any of these, here's what we've been talking about:

Episode 338 – Attorney Nathan Bogart joined me to answer the most asked questions about immigration in Northwest Arkansas. Straight talk, no politics — just the facts people need to understand what's happening in our community.

Episode 339 – We explored how the Shiloh Museum is connecting the past of the Ozarks with its future. If you care about preserving our stories while making them accessible to the next generation, this one's for you.

Episode 340 – I sat down with the team behind Creative Mornings Fayetteville to talk about how they're building inclusive, inspiring spaces that bring creatives together across Northwest Arkansas.

Before I get to today's episode, I want to wish everyone celebrating Hanukkah and Christmas peace, joy, and meaningful time with the people you love. These past few weeks have been packed with conversations, and I'm grateful you've been along for the ride.

Episode 341—dropping today—is our last guest episode of 2025. Next week, we're bringing you something special to close out the year and get ready for what's coming in 2026. But first, let me tell you about this conversation, because it honestly left me thinking for days.

Turning Grief Into Beauty: Monica Moore and the COVID Hearts Project

I sat down with Fayetteville artist Monica Moore to talk about her COVID Hearts Project—a public memorial made of thousands of paper hearts honoring the more than 13,000 lives lost to COVID-19 in Arkansas.

What started as Monica's personal way of processing grief turned into something much bigger. Volunteers from across the region stepped up—one person alone cut 2,000 hearts. Organizations like Lifestyles, Inc. got involved, giving people with developmental disabilities a chance to create their own pandemic art. The project became a movement.

Monica told me something that stuck: "The lives that were lost were beautiful lives. I want to honor the beauty that we lost. For sure, we can do that through the beauty of art."

This isn't just about remembering statistics. It's about remembering people. And it's about how art—especially community-driven art—can help us heal, connect, and process things we might still be carrying around.

Where You Can See It

The COVID Hearts Project is currently on display at Northwest Arkansas Community College (NWACC) in the Shoemaker Center. Upcoming showings are planned at Likewise Community and Coworking Space and the Fort Smith Regional Art Museum. Check out theheartsproject.com for more details.

For the Creatives Out There

Monica's advice? Trust your imagination. Believe in your vision. And don't try to do it alone—lean on your community. Northwest Arkansas is the kind of place where people will show up when you ask.

Thanks for being part of this journey with us. These conversations matter because you're listening, sharing, and showing up for what's happening in this region.

Happy Holidays, and we look forward to seeing you next week for our year-end wrap-up.

Randy Wilburn

Listen to the full episode and check out show notes at https://iamnorthwestarkansas.com/341