BECCA MARTIN-BROWN
bmartin@nwaonline.com
The gifts have been opened, the turkey, ham, sweet potatoes and pecan pie consumed — and it’s a long time until school starts again. What now?
Northwest Arkansas is fortunate to have museums that encompass almost every kind of art and history — there’s even a woolly mammoth at the Museum of Native American History in Bentonville! Here are some family-friendly ideas for the holiday week ahead.
‘We the People: The Radical Notion of Democracy’
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
This exhibit, on show through Jan. 2, includes documents you’d ordinarily only see in Washington, D.C., or a specialized library — an original print of the U.S. Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, the proposed Bill of Rights and the Emancipation Proclamation with President Abraham Lincoln’s signature still very clear. All are displayed among both historical and contemporary artworks to give context to the most important moments in our country’s history.
“This opportunity is deeply connected to the art we show here,” says Austen Bailly, chief curator at the Bentonville museum. “Visual arts can so emphatically demonstrate the relevance between the documents and the art and give a new perspective.”
In the galleries are the sort of traditional portraits that you might on some level expect: a larger-than-life Alexander Hamilton by John Trumbull; a Thomas Jefferson by Matthew Harris Jouett; James Madison by Chester Harding; and of course, George Washington by Gilbert Stuart.
But alongside the faces of these founding fathers are some influential members of Indigenous communities, such as the Portrait of Thayendanegea (Joseph Brant) by Charles Willson Peale and Portrait of Red Jacket by John Lee Douglas Mathies.
Before guests exit the exhibition, they are faced with a gigantic two-paneled charcoal work “The United States Supreme Court (Split)” by Robert Longo that stands 10 feet by 12 feet. At first glance, it’s as detailed and clear as a photograph. Only if you move in closer does it become apparent that it’s a drawing. Having two panels depicts the reality of split decisions and the meaning behind a court’s vote, and taking a photo and then enlarging it through hand transcription depicts the monumental scale of the Supreme Court’s decisions, Bailly says.
“This show presenting art and history for all to engage with on their own terms is really not to be missed,” Bailly says. “It’s very rare for a hometown museum to marshal these resources right in their own back yard at a moment when it’s in the news on a daily basis — and that’s a really exciting opportunity.”
FAQ
‘We the People: The Radical Notion of Democracy’
WHEN — Through Jan. 2; hours are Mondays and Wednesdays 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Thursdays and Fridays 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Saturdays and Sundays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; closed Christmas Day and Tuesdays
WHERE — Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville
COST — Free; no ticket required
INFO — crystalbridges.org
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‘A Dash of Apple Vinegar’
& ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas’
Rogers Historical Museum
But national history isn’t the only offering in Northwest Arkansas this holiday season. The Rogers Historical Museum has two exhibits about local history, both open through Dec. 31.
‘A Dash of Apple Vinegar’
Apples were once the backbone of the Northwest Arkansas economy, and while trainload after trainload of apples were shipped out of the region, a second industry also rose in prominence to take care of the “bad apples” — those more suitable for making apple cider vinegar.
“The impact of the apple industry and the apple cider vinegar industry on Rogers and Northwest Arkansas was enormous,” says Rachel Smith, the museum’s assistant director and curator of collections, who is also curator of the exhibit.
Across the street, in the museum’s 1895 Hawkins House, it’s Christmas as it might have been at the turn of the 20th century. The Hawkins family is celebrating around the theme of Clement C. Moore’s beloved 1823 poem, “Twas the Night Before Christmas,” with a Christmas tree “decorated with homemade decorations, including popcorn garlands, paper cornucopias filled with treats, and scrap ornaments trimmed with tinsel, cotton-wool batting and shiny foil,” Smith says.
And, in the kitchen, last-minute work is in progress while Christmas songs are playing softly.
“The kitchen is probably my favorite room on this tour because it looks as if the family were just here, stringing popcorn garlands, making ornaments, polishing the silver, and preparing evergreen garlands,” Smith says. “Most of the Victorian Christmas traditions are really quite similar to ours today. We decorate a Christmas tree, give each other store-bought or homemade gifts, and enjoy an elaborate Christmas dinner with our family and loved ones.”
FAQ
Rogers Historical Museum
WHEN — 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, including Dec. 31
WHERE — 313 S. Second St. in Rogers
COST — Free
INFO — rogershistoricalmuseum.org or 621-1154
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‘Digi Know?’
Shiloh Museum of Ozark History
You can have all sorts of interactive fun with a few offerings at Shiloh Museum of Ozark History in Springdale, starting with its free museum trivia game sent straight to your phone. According to the museum’s Twitter page, visitors can answer questions on their electronic device while perusing exhibits.
“We have a sign at the front desk and users can scan the QR code to enter the game,” says Angie Albright, Shiloh Museum director. There is no app to download. “Twenty questions populate the game, and it works like a scavenger hunt. Several questions have been developed for each section of the exhibit hall, and the questions change each time you play. When you finish playing, you can ask for a prize at the front desk.
“You don’t have to get a certain score or anything. You accumulate points, so people can compete against each other or against themselves if they do it more than once.”
Once you’ve completed the game, don’t forget to collect your gift (and maybe rub it in your uncle’s face while you’re at it). To start playing, go to https://www.eksplor.app/start?game=shiloh1 or scan the QR code on their Twitter post from Dec. 8.
‘Digi Know?’
The photo collection at the Shiloh Museum is massive, one that both locals and people around the country make use of for all manner of things.
With more than half a million images, it is also the largest historical photo collection in Arkansas.
Now the museum staff and volunteers are digitally archiving everything to properly preserve the entire collection and more easily share it with the public with help from a grant from the Institute for Museum Library Services.
The current exhibit “Digi Know?” shows a small cross-section of that enormous and still-growing collection, as well as how to begin digitizing images yourself.
The collection has photos, negatives and daguerreotypes, all in various states of preservation, some in disrepair. It takes up the hallway space of the museum. Roughly 10 of the photos were blown up and printed on vinyl to cover the walls, bringing life to elements that would be difficult to catch in their original, miniature condition.
A touch screen display in “Digi Know?” allows visitors to view several images from a collection gifted by the Washington County Historical Society in an interactive photo album.
FAQ
‘Digi Know?’
WHEN — On exhibit through Feb. 28
WHERE — Shiloh Museum of Ozark History, 118 W. Johnson Ave. in Springdale
COST — Free
INFO — shilohmuseum.org/project/digi-know/
BONUS — All elements are presented in both English and Spanish.
