Register Today for This Fall's Online Community Scholars Training Program

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Members of the July 2024 Community Scholars Program.

The Arkansas Folk and Traditional Arts Community Scholars Program is a free training opportunity for Arkansans interested in finding, documenting and presenting community culture, folklife and traditional arts. The fall 2024 training, hosted in collaboration with the Mississippi Arts Commission Folk and Traditional Arts Program, will be fully online and open to residents of both Arkansas and Mississippi. 

This program consists of six training sessions held from 5:30-8:30 p.m. every other Tuesday from Sept. 10 - Nov. 12. During the program, participants will develop ideas for a project to practice the skills learned. 

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 and now Mississippi,” said Virginia Siegel, Arkansas Folk and Traditional Arts director. “This upcoming program marks our 10th iteration of the training series, and we’re excited to partner with Mississippi Arts Commission Folk Arts Program. We recognize and honor that traditions and communities are often not bound by state lines, so we’re happy to widen our audience while continuing to grow a truly inspiring group of Community Scholars program alumni across the state of Arkansas.” 

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 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.