Category Archives: Museum

Old State House Key to Clinton Story

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1992apg-horizontalIn conjunction with the 10th anniversary of the Clinton Library opening, many people are visiting the Old State House Museum.  It was at this location he announced his bid in 1991.  In the same spot (but with many more people) he delivered his acceptance speech on Election Night in 1992. Four years later, he again delivered his acceptance speech in 1996.

Current exhibits at the Old State House Museum include Pillars of Power; On the Stump: AR Politics. 1819-1919; Legislative Chambers and First Families of Arkansas. In addition the museum features “Different Spokes” and “Lights! Camera! Arkansas!”

The Old State House Museum is free.  It is open from 9-5 Monday through Saturday and 1-5 on Sunday.

The Old State House Museum is an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage.

Handbags for Hillary exhibit at Esse Purse Museum

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esseIn conjunction with the 10th anniversary of the opening of the Clinton Library, the Esse Purse Museum has a special exhibit.

This temporary exhibit features handbags given to Hillary Clinton while she served as First Lady of the United States. From handmade to haute couture, the exhibit promises a glimpse into the political journey of Mrs. Clinton, from her days as first lady of Arkansas to the most powerful address in the world.

The museum is open from 10am to 4pm Tuesday through Sunday.  It runs through November 30.

Science of the Saxophone at Museum of Discovery

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Clinton-ArsenioBill Clinton is arguably the most famous saxophone playing politician.  In conjunction with the events for the Clinton Library 10th Anniversary, the Museum of Discovery presents “The Science of the Saxophone: Good Vibrations today.”

11 AM – 1 PM: Saxophone players (soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone sax) will explain the science behind the sound – educating and entertaining museum visitors

1 PM – 3:30 PM: Arkansas Symphony Orchestra will present a Petting Zoo where musicians will guide museum visitors through touching and playing string, woodwind, and brass instruments.

The Tinkering Studio will also feature a family friendly hands-on activity discovering sound on Sat., November 15, and the museum’s early education public program Wiggle Worms will discuss sound as well.

Wiggle Worms is free with museum admission on Tuesdays and Saturdays at 10 AM and Thursdays at 3:30 PM.
Museum of Discovery

The Clinton Years: George Fisher’s Political Cartoons

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Clinton's tricycle transforming into a speeding truck June 1, 1986 20th Century 11 1/2 x 14 1/8 in. George Fisher (Searcy, Arkansas, 1923 - 2003, Little Rock, Arkansas) ink, pencil, collage on paper Arkansas Arts Center Library Collection of George Fisher Cartoons. Fisher.1986.06.01

Clinton’s tricycle transforming into a speeding truck
June 1, 1986
George Fisher
(Searcy, Arkansas, 1923 – 2003, Little Rock, Arkansas)
ink, pencil, collage on paper
Arkansas Arts Center Library Collection of George Fisher Cartoons.
Fisher.1986.06.01

Native Arkansan and longtime political cartoonist, George Fisher caricatured Arkansas politics for many years, including Bill Clinton’s journey as Arkansas attorney general and later governor, and two-term American president. For most of his career, Fisher hid his wife Rosemary Snook Fisher’s nickname, “Snooky,” into most of his cartoons. Finding it became a favorite game for those who read his cartoons regularly.

The Arkansas Arts Center has several pieces by Fisher in its collection. They are showcasing these through Sunday, November 23, in conjunction with the 10th anniversary of the opening of the Clinton Presidential Center.

An Evening with General Wesley K. Clark at the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History

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Flyer, ClarkSecond only to General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, Wesley Clark ranks among the highest military leaders from Arkansas.  During his 34 years in the U.S. Army, he rose to the rank of four-star general and was among the top tier of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff.  As Supreme Allied Commander, Clark led NATO’s first major combat action in Kosovo.

Tonight at 5:30 pm, the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History honors Gen. Clark with a temporary exhibit on his life and service.

Tickets for this fundraising event are $125 per person, which includes an autographed copy of General Clark’s newest book, Don’t Wait for the Next War: A Strategy for American Growth and Global Leadership.  Proceeds support the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History, created to preserve our state’s rich military heritage.

The museum, a program of Little Rock Parks and Recreation, relates the military contributions of Arkansans from territorial times to the present.

 

George Washington Gardened Here – Mount Vernon Horticulturalist speaks at Clinton School tonight

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mount vernon nortonTonight at 6pm at Sturgis Hall, Dean Norton, the director of horticulture at Mount Vernon, will give a presentation.

For more than 150 years, people have studied, researched, and dug the earth for clues helping to make the home of George Washington one of the most accurately restored 18th century estates in America. The beauty, the use, and the importance of Mount Vernon’s gardens and landscape will be discussed, as well as preservation over the years with a focus on the most recently restored pleasure garden. Norton’s presentation is an informative and entertaining look at the gardening world of George Washington.

A book signing will follow.

The director of horticulture at Mount Vernon since 1980, Norton calls upon a full-time paid staff of twenty-three and a few volunteers to manage both the fifty-acre parcel open to the public and 450 acres of field and forest. He also supervises the green house and the estate’s livestock operations.

Justice Jim and the Red Scare focus of Old State House Brown Bag talk today

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Justice JimNovember’s Brown Bag Lunch Lecture is presented by Marie Williams.

Arkansas Senator and state Supreme Court Justice, James D. “Jim” Johnson has been portrayed as one of the most outspoken racist politicians of Arkansas’s history. His legacy includes an Amendment to the Arkansas Constitution that gave Arkansas the right to nullify federal law. He is also remembered for being a constant thorn in the side of Governor Orval Faubus.

A look at the evidence surrounding Johnson’s political career suggests that Johnson was not purely motivated by race. Johnson started the White Citizens’ Council of Arkansas in 1955 in response to the integration of the Hoxie School District. Hoxie became Johnson’s soapbox and the Citizens’ Council became his campaign vehicle. The tactics he used to fight integration in Hoxie were unlike those of other Arkansas segregationists. Instead of citing race as the reason for his campaign in Hoxie, Johnson brought the Second Red Scare to Arkansas. He appealed to a wider audience by accusing integrationists of being communists.

Using primary source information, this presentation outlines the methods used by Johnson in 1955 as he started his campaign for governor. Marie Williams is currently finishing her Master’s Degree in History from Arkansas Tech University. She is an Arkansas native who lives in Dover with her husband and their two children.