Next Community Scholars Training to Be Held in Russellville

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The April 2022 cohort of the Community Scholars Program hosted in Fox.

The next installment of the Arkansas Folk and Traditional Arts Community Scholars Program will begin on Tuesday, Feb. 7, at Arkansas Tech University’s Ross Pendergraft Library and Technology Center in Russellville. 

The program, which is open to the public, is a free training opportunity for all Arkansans with interest in finding, documenting and presenting community culture, folklife and traditional arts. It will consist of five in-person training sessions held every other week from Feb. 7 through Mar. 28. Participants are required to commit to the entire training series, and registration is required. Participants will gain skills in documenting and researching culture, archiving and presenting research, and developing projects in collaboration with community stakeholders and organizations. 

“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.” 

“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 upcoming program in Russellville marks our fifth iteration of this training series, and we are growing a truly inspiring group of Community Scholars program alumni across the state.” 

Visit the Community Scholars Program webpage for more information and to register to attend. Contact Lauren Willette at willette@uark.edu or 479-575-4664 with questions or for help with the registration process. 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 Arkansas Folk and Traditional Arts: AFTA is a statewide folk arts 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. AFTA is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts and works in partnership with stakeholder organizations and individuals, including the Arkansas Arts Council, Mid-America Arts Alliance and Arkansas State University.

About the University Libraries: Located in the heart of campus, the David W. Mullins Library is the university's main research library. Branch libraries include the Chemistry and Biochemistry Library, the Fine Arts Library, the Physics Library, and the Robert A. and Vivian Young Law Library. The Libraries provide access to more than 3.1 million volumes and more than 180,000 journals and offer research assistance, study spaces, computer labs with printing and scanning, interlibrary loan and delivery services, and cultural exhibits and events. The Libraries' Special Collections division acquires, preserves, and provides access to materials on Arkansas and the region, its customs and people, and its cultural, physical, and political climate. Visit the Libraries' website at libraries.uark.edu to learn more about services and collections.

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.