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THE OLD STATE HOUSE MUSEUM LAUNCHES NEW SLATE OF EXHIBITS
May 7, 2008
LITTLE ROCK--With gallery openings and store renovations now complete, the Old State House Museum invites everyone to visit and see what’s new! Within the past three months, the museum opened three exhibits and galleries, as well as an interactive children’s area, updated two existing exhibits, and gave the museum store a complete renovation.
New Exhibits
- First Families of Arkansas, features personal artifacts from Arkansas’s governors and their families that tell their stories and illuminate their impact on Arkansas history over the past 150+ years;
- Sparkle and Twang: Marty Stuart’s American Musical Odyssey, a traveling exhibit from the Tennessee State Museum that presents a unique perspective on American history, illustrating the impact of fashion and music on popular culture through the efforts of Marty Stuart, a country music icon himself. This exciting exhibit features handwritten song lyrics, original instruments, Johnny Cash’s first black suit, and the flashy, colorful stage suits of many of Nashville’s most famous stars designed by Nudie and Manuel;
- A Circus Hitched to a Tornado: Arkansas Politics in the 20th Century, examines our state’s political legacy and the leaders who shaped it from the perspective of the period’s most important elections. Also part of the exhibit is a new gallery, Drawing on Arkansas Politics, an exhibit of some of Arkansas’s leading political cartoonists of the last 50 years, and includes the works of George Fisher, Jon Kennedy, and John Deering; and
- The Whistle Stop Station, an interactive children’s area that includes a variety of fun, hands-on educational activities. This room, with a panoramic mural and a life-size rail car entry platform, recalls an era in our past when political candidates would travel from town to town and make campaign speeches at the railway depots from the platforms of train cars.
Exhibit Updates
- The gallery for Arkansas’s First Ladies Gowns is updated to include the inaugural gown and other personal items from the state’s newest first lady, Ginger Beebe;
- The Pillars of Power exhibit, which details the history of the building, is also updated. Visitors can view the exhibit As Long As Life Shall Last, which considers the impact and changing roles of women in Arkansas’s history; and
- The Museum Store reopened April 1, after undergoing an extensive renovation. A brighter palette and new cabinetry make it easier for visitors to shop. The store features an impressive selection of books, music, apparel, jewelry, and decorative accessories that relate to the museum’s exhibits and other aspects of Arkansas’s history and culture.
About the Old State House Museum
The Old State House Museum hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Guided tours are available seven days a week; please call in advance for group tour reservations at (501) 324-9685.
The Old State House Museum is a museum of the Department of Arkansas Heritage and shares the goal of all seven Department of Arkansas Heritage agencies, that of preserving and enhancing the heritage of the state of Arkansas. The agencies are Arkansas Arts Council, Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, Delta Cultural Center in Helena, Historic Arkansas Museum, Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, and the Old State House Museum. The Old State House Museum is accredited by the American Association of Museums.
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