Check our schedule of museum events, including gallery openings, special events and more.
If you have a specific date in mind to visit, try our calendar below.
The Art of Carl Hancock
November 20, 2008 through July 12, 2009
Carl Hancock (1898 – 1966) was a self-taught etcher, designer, painter and commercial artist. He sketched many scenes and architectural subjects in and around Little Rock, Memphis and New Orleans, as well as St. Francisville, Louisiana, and Natchez, Mississippi. He produced many works of a commercial nature, including souvenir sketches and Christmas cards. He was born in Springville, Tennessee, and moved to Arkansas in the early 1900s. He was a long-time resident of North Little Rock.
Carl Hancock was a member of the Southern States Art League, the Southern Printmakers Society, and the Mississippi Art Association. He is listed in Who’s Who in American Art (1947 and 1959,) Who Was Who in American Art 1564-1975, and Who is Who in Arkansas, by Bessie Butler Allard. He died in January 1966.
This exhibit draws from the collection of Carl Hancock’s niece, Myrtie Engelkes, and from the permanent collection of the museum.
We Walk in Two Worlds: The Caddo, Osage and Quapaw in Arkansas
Permanent Exhibit
Learn the story of Arkansas's first people, in their own words. Those words and more than 150 objects tell teh history of the Caddo, Osage and Quapaw--their arrival, their lives here, their forced removal and how their traditions continue today.
Guns in Arkansas History
May 1, 2009 through January 31, 2010
This exhibit examines the history of firearms in Arkansas, from settlement to the twentieth century. On exhibit is a diverse range of guns from early muskets to a Gatling gun. Learn more about their makers, as well - Arkansas gunsmiths and renowned gun manufacturers.
Cosmic Interplay - Light and Darkness
May 14 through August 16, 2009
Cosmic Interplay: Light and Darkness features the mixed media work of artist Don Shaw and the stainless steel sculpture of artist John Ellis--both contemporary Arkansas artists.
Step Back Saturdays: Textiles
Every Saturday in July
See how they did it in pioneer days. Saturdays March through October bring pioneer life ways to the historic grounds, showing you the how and the why of 1800s living. Each month presents a different theme. The theme for July is "Textiles." The half-hour presentations are open to the public free of charge, or can be seen as part of a historic house tour at no additional cost. Times: 10:45, 11:45, 1:45, 2:45, 3:45.
Frontier Fourth of July
Saturday, July 4
2 pm - 4 pm
Celebrate Indepedence Day with an old-fashioned parade, pioneer games, crafts, living history performances, music and a reading of the Declaration of Independence. Cool off with ice cold lemonade and watermelon.
2nd Friday Art Night
Friday, July 10, 2009
5 pm - 8 pm
Enjoy a great night of art and history on the second Friday of each month. July Art Night serves as the opening reception for Robert Bean: Saftey in Numbers. There will be live music by Eclipse Glasses. Historic Arkansas Museum is one of several downtown locations that will keep its doors open to the public until 8 p.m. for an evening of culture, entertainment and shopping. Visitors can start at Historic Arkansas where there is plenty of free parking, and later catch the trolley to visit other participating venues. The Museum Store, featuring the best of Arkansas-made arts and crafts, will be open.
Robert Bean: Safety in Numbers
July 10 through September 6, 2009
Born and Raised in Little Rock, and a graduate of the Fine Arts program at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Robert Bean has spent the past several years investigating the people and places that surround him. Drawing on the energy and mysteries of the streets and people of his native region, Bean has continued to build upon his early fascination with visual storytelling, using new information as a focus. The paintings in this exhibit have a visually bold, graphic quality and serve as vignettes for the artists interest in visual narrative.
A Whimsy of Treasures: From the Collection of Jim Gatling
July 23, 2009 through February 14, 2010
Jim Gatling is a man with a passion for preserving and creating beauty, and teaching art appreciation to his students in the Morrilton schools. He sees art in every wooden spool, every button, every necktie, and every bit of lace and bauble bought for pennies at flea markets.
His main collection is needlepoint and petit point and includes framed pictures, bell pulls, benches, stools and about 100 purses.
