The Fayetteville Art Attack was originally started in 2014 at The Rock Shop. Every Wednesday night, artists, musicians and crafters would gather to share their love for the arts. Shawn Adkins was the proprietor of The Rock Shop. He now owns Back-A-Round Records, a local establishment situated in the downtown area which offers an assortment of vintage vinyl records, cassettes, CDs and collectibles for purchase. Adkins, who had been eagerly waiting for an opportunity to revive the Fayetteville Art Attack event, has successfully accomplished his goal.
“Diversity and art have always been very important to me and so many others' well-being. The Art Attack at my old venue, The Rock Shop, was also every Wednesday. It was my favorite night of the week. Doing something about The Attack really became obvious to me around October of last year. People kept talking about the great vibe it created for them. I knew 100% that the trigger was needing to be pulled. The question was when and how?” says Adkins.
As it turns out the perfect venue was The Church Entertainment Lounge, the dance club at Paddy's Irish Pub.
“Every time I would go into Paddy’s Pub, the crew would ask me to bring back Art Attack. I finally had some time and energy to invest in doing it again. I love the venue and all the positive people working there. We sat down and talked in the right place at the right time,” shares Adkins.
“This time around it is a force to be reckoned with. We have the support from the whole crew at Paddy’s to all the artistic-minded people that come into Back-A-Round Records, to the old Rock Shoppers and all of our socials. Success has already happened within the first couple of Wednesdays. It is a very beautiful thing. Protecting the original vision of The Art Attack is key. You can say we have changed the locks and bought sturdier doors. Art Attack for many, will be a much needed, positive, influential, artistic, vacation in town that happens once a week.”
If you are an artist or musician interested in participating Adkins invites you to just come to the event.
“For visual artists, just bring your art in and put it up for sale. For stage performers, I want to meet you first. As long as you have something for me to hear or see. It is that easy. I would say, show up and check it out for yourself.”
Adkins hopes that the revival of Fayetteville Art Attack will help to bring local artists together to be able to share a night.
“I just want people to feel inspired to do something artsy outside their home and meet other artistic people to bounce ideas off of. The people that I personally enjoy being around are the people who implement art into their daily lives whenever possible. If your readers feel the same, then this is their day to come out and play!”
If you are interested in participating, or just checking out Fayetteville Art Attack, it will be happening every Wednesday at The Church at Paddy’s Irish Pub located at 2606 Raeford Road. Artists' set up time is 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. every week and doors open at 8 p.m. to the public. This event is free to attend and is open to all ages. For more information about art setup, you can email fayettevilleartattack@gmail.com. Also, be sure to check out the Fayetteville Art Attack Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/fayettevilleARTattack

(Photo: Visitors view art at Fayetteville Art Attack. Photo courtesy of Fayetteville Art Attack)