Friendships: Past to Present
Behind the Curator:
Heyo! I’m Harrison, an anthropology major with a focus in archaeology and a minor in African and African American Studies. I love love love hikes, books, climbing trees, running barefoot, old things, waterfalls, sports, being with friends and family, and mario kart. My days are usually spent either hunkered down and writing the copious amount of papers I have due for my classes, escaping off to some adventure with friends before we go bonkers from schoolwork, or working (in which I work at the Dickson St. Bookshop, come stop by and say hi n talk about books!!). I think it’s pretty evident why I was initially drawn to the idea of a class centered around museums and their artifacts. I was incredibly excited when I learned that as a class we would co-curate an exhibit!
Historical Object:
The historical object that I have chosen is an image taken from the scrapbook of Julia English. English, who stands to the far left, attended the University of Arkansas from 1919-1920. During her time on campus, she was a member of the Chi Omega sorority. Her scrapbook in its entirety is for the most part filled with images of her and/or her friends, all taken within the year she spent at the University of Arkansas. A photograph of her creating the scrapbook is even included as well. Although her tenure at the university was short, it is evident in the photographs she scrapbook that she found a community here at UARK. Laughing, posing, and just having fun, one can look at English’s photographs and realize truly how special her time on the hill was. Per the donor records, English was from Little Rock, coming from an affluent family. She is the granddaughter of Elbert H. English, the longest serving Chief Justice of the Arkansas supreme court. Following her time at the University of Arkansas, English would go on to graduate from Columbia University. She would remain in New York City until the 1940s, where she met Dr. Frank Prentice Thomas. The two would eventually marry and retire to Hopkinsville, Kentucky, the hometown of Dr. Thomas. They would reside there until their deaths.
The scrapbook was donated by Julia English’s nephew, James H. Rice, on September 28, 1990. Some other images from the scrapbook include:
From left to right: Julia English scrapbooking with a friend, Julia English with sisters in her sorority, Chi Omega
Personal Item:
The personal item that I have chosen is a collection of polaroids I took of my friends, who are current students of the University of Arkansas. The ones on the right were taken in the gardens behind the agriculture building, and the one on the far left was taken at artists point in Mountainburg. The five of us met in the winter of 2020 and grew closer throughout 2021.
Although we’ve known each other for a relatively short amount of time, our friend group has become very close. Much like English’s, our photographs highlight the joy and beauty in college friendships. While we don’t know what the future holds for us, these friendships are ones I hope to never lose. I sincerely do not know where I would be without this group of friends pictured here. I feel as though all of these pictures do an excellent job at conveying the dynamics of our friendship.
The photo on the far left is really blurry and dark, and a little out of focus; really, it’s a good metaphor for all of our imperfections and how, when put together, a good, cohesive picture results. The polaroids following that first picture are some of my favorite photos. It is the sunlight in them that really stands out to me and makes me feel so deeply for them. It’s demonstrative of the light we shine on each other’s lives. You can see we’re all smiling. The photos in that way are really just direct reflections of who we are as people, especially when we’re together: happy. But I think my favorite photo, though, is the one on the far right of my friends Jon and Andrew. Jon is an environmental science major and Andrew is a philosophy major. In that photo Jon is explaining his soil science class to Andrew. The reason I like it so much is just because one of them is a STEM major and one is a humanities major and it just makes me laugh and smile when I think about the words Jon is saying going in one of Andrew’s ears and out the other. And all of my friends make me laugh and smile in just the same way. I love my friends, and these pictures are amazing reflections of who they are to me and how I feel about them.
Why I Chose these Objects:
When we decided to make our exhibit revolve around the University and the students/people behind it, I initially thought of what is most important to me here, as well as what is the greatest thing I’ve received from the U of A. Both questions had the same answer, the friends it had given me. Additionally, I knew I most definitely wouldn’t be the only one to answer in the same manner. Walking around campus, community is the most prevalent thing I see. I had some polaroids laying around of my friends and I, and when I showed interest in looking for a historical record of friendships, Laurel, the University of Arkansas museum director and instructor for the Honors College forum behind this exhibit, pointed me right towards Julia English’s incredibly interesting scrapbook. In placing me and my friends next to Julia and her’s, I wish to convey just how important the University is for all of us; not necessarily from the degree we receive at the end, but from the lifelong friendships that sprout during our time here.