Current and Upcoming Special Exhibits

The Civil War: A Nation Divided
June 1 through 30, 2010
Admission charge of $2 for adults 19 and over.

A spectacular collection of prints from the Civil War is coming to the Rogers Historical Museum. “The Civil War: A Nation Divided,” a traveling exhibition from Blair-Murrah Exhibitions, will be on view June 1 through 30. The prints that make up the traveling exhibition will be accompanied by Civil War artifacts from our own and other collections. A number of in-house and outreach programs will be offered in conjunction with the exhibition.

The Civil War was a dramatic and devastating time in the history of the United States. Photography was only in its infancy during that war. So much of what the public saw of the conflict came in the form of sketches transformed into prints which were published in the leading periodicals of the time. These prints bring the battles and the hardships to life through drawings by artists who put their own lives on the line by joining the soldiers on the battlefields and in the camps.

Several artists, including Winslow Homer and Currier & Ives, captured the drama of the war through their art. The seven prints by Winslow Homer in this exhibit show the very human side of war, from breaking a wishbone at Thanksgiving to playing "football" to relieve stress. The Currier & Ives portrait of General Ulysses S. Grant follows in their tradition of fine art.

Of particular interest in this collection are the works which were published by Frank Leslie, who commissioned twenty skilled artists to spare no expense to obtain sketches of "every battle, skirmish and military movement, to give to the anxious ones at home a vivid and realistic picture of the real war." Artists represented in this collection are Edwin Forbes, William Waud, James E. Taylor, Joseph Becker, Henry Lovie, Francis B. Schell, A. Berghaus, Wm. T. Crane, C.E.H. Bonwill, J.E. Hillen, E.F. Mullen, and F.B. Wilkie. as well as sketches by officers of both sides of the conflict.

This unique exhibit is one of the finest collections of original Civil War prints available. While general admission to the Museum is free, there will be an admission charge of $2 for adults 19 and over to the special exhibition. This charge will be waived for members of the Friends of the Museum and for students and active duty military personnel with the presentation of an ID. The charge will also be waived for the general public during the Third Friday Twilight Walk and a Civil War Family Day scheduled for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 19.

Day at the Museum: How History Comes to Life
(January 12, 2010 through April 24, 2010)
This special exhibit is free to the public.

Discover how history REALLY comes to life in a new exhibit opening January 12 at the Rogers Historical Museum. "Day at the Museum: How History Comes to Life" will be on view through April 24. The exhibit will give visitors a behind-the-scenes look at how the Museum preserves collections, produces exhibits, and educates people of all ages. Visitors will also learn about plans for the Museum's future.

On any given day the Museum staff can be found cataloguing new acquisitions, developing a new exhibition, and providing educational programs. The impact of this effort is significant. The collection grows by an average of 1,600 items each year. Over 21,000 people view the Museum's in-house and community exhibits annually. And over 28,000 people are served annually by in-house and outreach programs and loan materials.

As this look behind the scenes will reveal, space is at a premium in the Museum. The collections, for example, have doubled in number since 1987, but exhibit space remains unchanged. So plans for an expansion are in the works, and this exhibit lets visitors in on the excitement of envisioning a new facility.

The exhibit panels are accompanied by vignettes illustrating the three main functions of the Museum: collections, exhibits, and education. These vignettes allow visitors to view what goes on behind the scenes in the Museum's education offices, exhibit workshop, and collections storage areas. And of course some interesting artifacts from the Museum's teaching and permanent collections are on view as a part of the scenes illustrating a "Day at the Museum."

The Rogers Historical Museum is located at 322 South Second Street in historic downtown Rogers. Beginning January 1, new extended hours are 10 to 5 Monday through Saturday, and admission is free. For more information on this and other exhibits and programs, call 621-1154 or visit www.rogersarkansas.com/museum

Click here for exhibit poster