About Us

Values

SYNERGY: We kindle synergy. The University of Arkansas Museum acknowledges the integral role of our collaborators in preserving and sharing the collection. We exist to uphold group effort and invite underrepresented voices to make the museum their own. In fostering interdisciplinary connections with the campus’s students, professors, classes, departments and community individuals, we provide an inclusive platform for all to research, learn, and grow.

EXCELLENCE: We prioritize excellence. When caring for our collections, we maintain professional museum standards and practices to ensure their preservation for generations to come. In both public and online spaces, we treat all visitors and collaborators with professionalism and respect.

ETHICS: We honor ethics. We acknowledge a difficult past fraught with influences of colonialism and racism and work toward a more inclusive, transparent future, establishing a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Planning Initiative. We are increasing our organization’s accessibility within our public and online spaces. 

DIALOGUE: We inspire meaningful dialogue. We recognize the importance of engaging with relevant societal trends and issues, so we aim to create spaces for conversations. Within these spaces, we encourage deeper insights and understanding among the university community and the state of Arkansas.

SERVICE: We demonstrate service. Through outreach and programming, we actively encourage our audience to engage with our events, exhibits, and collections. As we share resources with the public, we eagerly invite research endeavors and community contributions to our organization.

Approved April 2021

Vision

To be a dynamic, transparent, and integral partner to the diverse and multifaceted University of Arkansas community, both on campus and beyond. To foster an inclusive space that regularly provides impactful learning and research experiences to support all audience members. To endure as a trustworthy, sensitive platform for the collaborative exploration of challenging questions and the discovery of commonalities.

Approved October 2021

Fulbright College Land Acknowledgement Statement

The University of Arkansas Museum is an administrative unit of the Fulbright College of Arts & Sciences.

“The Indigenous history of the land the University of Arkansas campus sits on goes back to time immemorial, and across that expanse of time, many successive groups have lived here and created sacred legacies in this area. Fulbright College acknowledges Indigenous peoples were forced to leave their ancestral lands, including the Osage, Caddo and Quapaw Nations with ties to Northwest Arkansas. We further recognize that a portion of the Trail of Tears runs through our campus, and that the Cherokee, Choctaw, Muscogee (Creek), Chickasaw and Seminole Nations passed through what is now Arkansas during this forced removal. We acknowledge all Indigenous teachers, researchers and all other residents in our community and region today. We proudly offer Indigenous Studies in our college and seek continuity and connection to the past as we look to the future with increased collaboration with Indigenous governments and entities.”

Statement of Acknowledgement and Commitment to Indigenous Peoples

The University of Arkansas Museum acknowledges all Indigenous cultural materials held within the collections, which represent those with ancestral lands in Arkansas, over 70 other Native American groups across the United States, and multiple communities around the world. We recognize that our institution has contributed to a long and complex history of colonialism in museums through the collection of certain sensitive cultural materials and burial remains, sometimes acquired from unethical sources by today’s standards. Starting in 1990, in accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, we began efforts to repatriate these materials back to the tribal entities in which they truly belong. These efforts continue today. We are committed to ongoing transparency and acknowledgement of our past, as well as active work on an Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility Plan to reflect on our present and organize for our future to further progress in decolonizing the Museum and making it a space sincerely for all.

Approved March 2022

Pledge of Excellence

The Museum is working toward accreditation with the American Alliance of Museums. The process will take time. Part of the process involves taking the AAM Pledge of Excellence. It reads:

“University of Arkansas Museum pledges that, in fulfillment of our educational mission, we will strive to operate according to national standards and best practices to the best of our abilities and in accordance with our resources.”

Visit

The Museum does not have traditional public spaces like most museums. For that reason, access to the facility is limited to prearranged research inquiries, guided tours, and special events. Do not stop by the Museum without first contacting Museum staff. NEW: We are now offering limited virtual collection tours! For more information, please visit this page or contact us.

Contact Us