U of A Libraries to Offer Community Scholars Program in Fox

Photo by Rachel Reynolds, Executive Project Steward, Cultural Continuum Consulting, LLC

Sign painted by local Fayetteville folk artist Olivia Trimble.

The next installment of the Arkansas Folk and Traditional Arts Community Scholars Program — a free training opportunity for Arkansans interested in finding, documenting and presenting community culture, folklife and traditional arts — begins Sept. 22 at The People’s Library in Fox, Arkansas.

Participants will gain skills in documenting and researching culture, archiving and presenting research and developing projects in collaboration with community stakeholders.

“The Community Scholars Program sessions were enjoyable and informative to me in my role at the museum — especially the discussions on exhibit labels, oral interviewing techniques and digital content,” said Mary Clark, a Spring 2022 Community Scholars Program alumna and board member of the Eddie Mae Herron Center in Pocahontas. “The instructors were extremely knowledgeable, enthusiastic and fun.”

This program consists of five sessions held every other week from Sept. 22 through Nov. 17. During the program, participants will develop a project to practice the skills learned. Participants are required to commit to the entire training series, and registration is required.

“It’s such a pleasure to be able to bring this program to new communities throughout Arkansas,” said Virginia Siegel, Arkansas Folk and Traditional Arts coordinator. “This coming program in Fox, Arkansas, marks our fourth iteration of this training series, and we are growing a truly talented group of Community Scholars Program alumni across the state.”

The next session of the Community Scholars Program will be held in Russellville in the spring. 

Arkansas Folk and Traditional Arts is a statewide program of the University of Arkansas Libraries dedicated to building cross-cultural understanding by documenting, presenting and sustaining Arkansas' living traditional arts and cultural heritage.

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 few 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.