#MoreUARKMuseum

Want to see more of the University of Arkansas Museum? So do we! Learn about us, our goals, and how your contributions can make a difference.

The Museum’s presence has grown in the community over the last several years, and we hope to keep that momentum going. To deepen our impact in the community, we must increase access and engagement with the Museum’s collections, as well as enhance existing initiatives. The Museum has immeasurable potential, but we cannot meet our goals without you!

We are seeking to raise $5,000 by August 25th for improved displays, educational resources, and virtual tours. Our goal is to make it easier for everyone to interact with the Museum’s collections and benefit from what it has to offer. Together, we hope to see #MoreUARKMuseum.

Established in the 1870s, the University of Arkansas Museum has a highly varied collection of over 7.5 million artifacts representing the fields of archeology, art, geology, history, and zoology. 

In 2002, the Museum was moved into a collection storage facility at 2471 N Hatch Ave. Although we no longer have a traditional public exhibit space, the Museum continues its long tradition of preserving and sharing cultural and natural history through active research, education, and outreach.
 

The Museum sparks wonder, curiosity, and has the potential to lead to new scientific discoveries. 

From archeologists investigating ancient plant domestication in the region to a UARK alumna publishing and describing a brand-new dinosaur species, Arkansaurus fridayi, to an Honors College senior building an ancient Roman timeline of artifacts, the research possibilities are endless! Specimens and artifacts are available for research and exhibition purposes by faculty, students, and scholars around the world. 

The Museum also benefits K-12 and university students by providing class visits, summer programs, and learning materials to local schools. Engaging with artifacts promotes a life-long love of learning! 

Staff also partner with local educators to engage their students with the collections. This includes class field trips to the University Collections Facility and special activities utilizing collection materials both on-site and in the classroom. Throughout the year, UARK students also gain valuable hands-on experience through internships, work-study positions, the Veterans Curation Program (VCP) and volunteering. 

The Museum hosts programs throughout the year for everyone in the NWA community. 

These include pop-up experiences featuring the collections, class-produced exhibitions on campus and at local libraries, fun activities for U of A students to channel their creativity, summer camps, and collections tours. 

Open House

One of the Museum’s most popular programs is our collections open house. Held each March, the public can stop by without an appointment and explore behind the scenes.

For those interested in attending, you don’t have to wait until next March! During our #MoreUARKMuseum campaign, there will be two additional open house experiences on July 29^th and August 19^th!

Countless visitors, educators, and researchers have benefitted from these collections for the last 150 years. Help us jumpstart the next 150! 

Goal #1: Tablet and Tablet Stand, $350

With your help, there are a variety of resources we could use to enhance experiences for our researchers and students. Something as simple as a tablet and tablet stand would enable quality virtual collection tours and activities. Eliminating the barrier of planning a physical field trip, more classes could engage with the collections. 

Goal #2: Hands-on Learning Materials, as little as $25 for kits like this one

We not only want to increase engagement but make engagement more tangible. One way is by expanding hands-on learning materials that can be loaned to educators and utilized at public programs. Seeing and holding physical objects inspires curiosity and discovery but requires building up a collection of objects safe for handling over and over again. 

Finding replicas or duplicates of museum objects is one method, but obtaining a 3D printer would also help with this. We’re only at the beginning of this initiative, so your support in building up these educational resources would be helpful. 

Goal #3: Display Cases, $4,000 for set of 5

We would love to expand and enhance program offerings! There are many ways your support could help with this. For instance, it’s critical for staff to balance public access to the collections with the preservation needs of the collections. New and more display cases to replace our well-used and well-loved existing ones would keep collection materials safe and increase community exhibits opportunities, plus enhance on-site programming, like collections tours and open house experiences.

Make your gift today to experience #MoreUARKMuseum! Donations of all sizes will strengthen our research, education, and outreach activities within the community.

Should we exceed our goal for this project, any additional gifts received will be put towards other funding priorities, such as mobile stations to enhance pop-up experiences, a 3D printer, and the objectives of the 5-year strategic plan to bring more of the UARK Museum to NWA.

You can help us even further by sharing our project with your family and friends via email, social media and word of mouth! Please share the campaign hashtag #MoreUARKMuseum, the graphic image below, and this project link: https://fundrazor.uark.edu/moreuarkmuseum