The Smithsonian is Here!
For the past six months, Old Independence Regional Museum has been working arduously to present our patrons with an outstanding exhibit from the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum on Main Street we are calling “A Taste of Community”. This exhibit’s focus is on food and how it defines us, shows our individuality, but, in the grand scheme of things, works to bring us together.
In April Cathy Shonk was notified the application she had submitted had been chosen as one of only six small museums in the United States to showcase the Smithsonian’s FOOD exhibit. This exhibit is currently on display in Washington, D. C., and Cathy had the privilege of viewing the exhibit in late 2022.
With the scheme of the Smithsonian’s exhibit and the guidance of their staff, OIRM has developed an outstanding exhibit that brings not only Washington, D. C. to Arkansas, but showers their exhibit with our local “flavor”. We have been blessed with an outpouring of exhibit pieces, stories, and ideas from our community, and working with many local individuals and businesses will be able to share information on Independence County’s past as well as inviting in different stories from around the state.
Along with the long-running exhibit, OIRM plans on monthly food classes focusing on a specific culture. For instance, OIRM is working with First Community Bank for the month of February to bring you “A Taste of Home”, a Black Heritage celebration with mouth-watering dishes for you to try. Stay tuned for more details on February’s event as well as many, many more.
For our members, a soft opening, members-only premiere is available at 6:00 pm on Thursday, January 18, 2024.
We will host our grand opening and Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday, January 23, 2024, at 10:30 am. Please join us for festivities, free snacks courtesy Outlaw Snax (it is a food exhibit, after all), fantastic camaraderie, and the beginning of a stellar 18-month exhibit, “A Taste of Community”!
