Spring 2026 Community Scholars Training Begins Feb. 19 in Mountainburg

The next installment of the Arkansas Folk and Traditional Arts Community Scholars Training Program will be held Feb. 19 through April 16 in Mountainburg. This free training opportunity for Arkansans interested in finding, documenting and presenting community culture, folklife and traditional arts will be held at the Boston Mountain Heritage Society, located at 11430 US Hwy 71. Participants must commit to attending all five in-person training sessions, 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.  

Lauren Willette, fieldwork coordinator for Arkansas Folk and Traditional Arts, notes, "I enjoy hearing community members across the state of Arkansas explain the projects in local archiving and preservation they hope to undertake; it is wonderful to see community members' confidence grow as they learn more about the skills needed to preserve our local history and heritage in Arkansas." 

The five in-person training sessions will be held from 5:30-8:30 p.m. every other Thursday. During the program, participants will develop ideas for a project to practice the skills learned. 

Please visit folklife.uark.edu/scholar for more information about this training program.