The Doors To The RØDE House Have Opened!

Released 06 Mar 2020

We're thrilled to announce that the doors to the RØDE House have opened!

The RØDE House is a state-of-the-art live music and performance space within the Momentary, a new contemporary art space in Bentonville, Arkansas, USA, which officially opened to the public on Saturday, February 22nd.

Momentary Director Lieven Bertels gives an opening speech at the RØDE House. Photo by Dero Sanford, courtesy of the Momentary.

The Momentary was founded by the Walton Family, based on the vision of Tom, Olivia, and Steuart Walton. The Walton Family Foundation is supporting the project as a way to enhance the quality of life in Northwest Arkansas. Occupying a decommissioned 63,000 square-foot cheese factory in Bentonville, Arkansas, the Momentary is a satellite to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, founded by Alice Walton. 

The RØDE House is a multidisciplinary performance space within the old Milk Intake Room of the factory. In 2018, RØDE became a founding funder of the Momentary alongside Walmart, Coca-Cola and The Tyson Family Foundation, and construction of the RØDE House began. The venue is a unique platform for Australian and international artists to perform for American audiences, and marks the beginning of a new cultural exchange between Australia and the US.

The Momentary, Bentonville, Arkansas. Photo by Dero Sanford, courtesy of the Momentary.

The RØDE House can fit upwards of 600 people standing and features an adjustable floor system that allows the room to be altered from one stage configuration to another, giving artists and performers the freedom to manipulate the space to suit their needs.

The venue also features a dedicated bar called the RØDE Bar, projection screens for presentations, and can either be fully closed or partially open-air for special performances and events. And, of course, RØDE has taken care of the venue’s audio production requirements. 

Australian singer/songwriter Courtney Barnett gave a string of rare solo performances – her first ever in Arkansas – on the opening weekend. These intimate performances were the debut shows for the venue and a part of TIME BEING, the inaugural festival that offered a look at what’s to come in the Momentary’s first year. Also taking to the RØDE House stage were Icelandic electro-pop band FM Belfast and Bobbi Jene Smith’s performance piece A Study on Effort.

Courtney Barnett performs at the RØDE House. Photo by Dero Sanford, courtesy of the Momentary. 

The Momentary is now open to the general public. General admission is free. Find out more about what is happening at the RØDE House and the Momentary at the website.