A New Gem But Not a Diamond ...

Despite advertising for gifting jewelry for Valentines's Day, not all gems come in jewelry boxes although this new gem of a Little Rock discovery was in a nondescript boxlike building within a strip mall... 

J.W.Wiggins's Native American collection spans 40 years

40 years of a Native American art collection by Dr. J.W. Wiggins along with extensive archives, manuscripts and special collections are housed in the Sequoyah National Research Center under the auspices of UALR.

This documentation of native communities encompasses not only literary and artistic works but political as well. The diversity of acquisitions is extensive to say the least with many art pieces awaiting display upon its already full walls.

While Natureman perused the archives for late 80's early 90's issues of News from Indian Country re: fishing rights of northern Wisconsin, my brother, Marc and I were given a personal tour through the recently opened Inuit Art Exhibit by Dr.  J.W. Wiggins who now is Curator and Director of the Gallery and Co-Director for the Visual Arts.  The diverse soap stone sculptures, some carved from bones/ tusks were exquisite examples of Inuit artisanship.

Dr. Wiggins also shared personal insights regarding numerous paintings and their artists as we toured the facility. One visit does not do the collections justice as there are over 2700 pieces in paintings, prints, sculpture, basketry, pottery, textiles and jewelry. 

                               Eye candy beyond belief.

A favorite especially with such spectacular moonscapes lately...

What an endeavor to catalogue all the art in addition to the manuscripts and special collections as well in the American Native Press Archives with over 2300 titles, many now on microfilm.  Over 4500 Native writers work have been archived, many specifically concentrating on years before 1925. 

The SNRC not only provides a research setting with its library of books, videos and archives but also opportunities for 3 summer internships for Indian students. If interested, contact the Center for qualification and application requirements. Internship applications for this summer are due by March 15th.(University housing and a stipend accompany these positions) What a terrific place to study and learn how to preserve one's tribal culture and history!  

BTW if you are interested in helping frame a piece of art, a $200 donation will achieve that purpose... I sure wish I lived in town to attend the SNRC's lectures. This place is definitely one of Arkansas's brightest gems and I will return to enjoy its brilliance. 

Here's the Center's FB link:Sequoyah National Research Center

Trail of Tears through Arkansas