Pryor Center Presents 'Reporting for Arkansas: The Documentary Films of Jack Hill'

Photo Submitted

Jack Hill Papers, Special Collections, University of Arkansas Libraries, Fayetteville

The David and Barbara Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences launches the 2022-23 season of Pryor Center Presents at 6 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 14, with a discussion by Dale Carpenter and Robert Cochran of their recently published book, Reporting for Arkansas: The Documentary Films of Jack Hill. This event is cosponsored by the University of Arkansas Press.

Reporting for Arkansas is a retrieval and reissue of journalist and documentary filmmaker Jack Hill's pioneering Little Rock production company, TeleVision for Arkansas. His best films reflect a passion for Arkansas history and a determination to report on significant events from local perspectives.

This presentation will feature Hill's 2004 film, Doing What Was Right, about the 1954 desegregation of public schools in Charleston. Chaplain Rev. Sylvia Bell, who attended school in Charleston in 1954 and appeared in the film, will join Carpenter and Cochran onstage.

Carpenter taught broadcast journalism and documentary filmmaking at the university for a quarter century. His documentary films have been broadcast nationally on PBS and have garnered seven regional Emmy Awards. Carpenter was also a cameraman on many of Jack Hill's documentaries, including Doing the Right Thing.

Cochran is professor of English and director of the Center for Arkansas and Regional Studies at the U of A. He is currently finishing a book on Charles Portis. Cochran edits the Arkansas Character series for the U of A Press, of which Reporting for Arkansas is the fourth volume. 

Pearl's Books will have copies of the book available for sale at the Pryor Center. 

This event will be held in person and via Zoom. If you wish to attend virtually, please register in advance with an e-mail address that is associated with a Zoom account. Registration is not required for in-person attendance.

The Pryor Center is located at 1 E. Center St., Suite 120. The event is free and open to the public, and parking is available on the Fayetteville Square. 

Upcoming Events at the Pryor Center 

Go to our website at pryorcenter.uark.edu for more information on upcoming events.

Monday, Sept. 19 — 6-7 p.m. at The Juke Joint Exhibit in the Pryor Center Atrium 
"From Juke Joints to Jacobean Literature: Arkansas Vernaculars and the Creation of Southern Fiction"

Tuesday, Sept. 27 — 6-7 p.m. 
"Natural Election: Does My Vote Matter?"

Thursday, Oct. 6 — 6-8 p.m.
OLLI Class: "Summitt with Brummett" Register with OLLI to attend

Wednesday, Oct. 12 — 6-7 p.m.
Pryor Center Presents "Race, Labor, and Violence in the Delta"

Wednesday, Oct. 26 — 6-7 p.m.
One Book, One Community - Keynote with Angeline Boulley, author of Firekeeper's Daughter

Thursday, Oct. 27 — 7-8:30 p.m.
"The Buffalo National River - The Next Fifty Years"

Wednesday, Nov. 16 — 7 p.m.
"Prelude to War: A Film Screening and Discussion" 
Please see the online guide to this exhibit and related events for more information: https://uark.libguides.com/AATH

Wednesday, Dec. 14 — 4-6 p.m.
OLLI Class: "Dog Mind" Register with OLLI to attend

About the David and Barbara Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History: The David and Barbara Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History is an oral history program with the mission to document the history of Arkansas through the collection of spoken memories and visual records, preserve the collection in perpetuity, and connect Arkansans and the world to the collection through the Internet, TV broadcasts, educational programs, and other means. The Pryor Center records audio and video interviews about Arkansas history and culture, collects other organizations' recordings, organizes these recordings into an archive, and provides public access to the archive, primarily through the website at pryorcenter.uark.edu. The Pryor Center is the state's only oral and visual history program with a statewide, seventy-five county mission to collect, preserve, and share audio and moving image recordings of Arkansas history.

About the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences: The Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences is the largest and most academically diverse unit on campus with three schools, 16 departments and 43 academic programs and research centers. The college provides the majority of the core curriculum for all University of Arkansas students.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas' economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the top 3% of U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research News.