The Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts offers an inspiring array of visual, performing arts, and educational experiences. The Museum is committed to creating an inclusive cultural space for the community to engage with diverse artistic perspectives through the AMFA Foundation’s 14,000 object permanent collection, compelling temporary exhibitions, lively theatre, and enriching courses.
The Museum’s holds a permanent collection of two- and three-dimensional art. This international collection boasts over 14,000 works and spans eight centuries, with strengths in works on paper and contemporary craft, and includes notable holdings by artists from Arkansas, the American South region, and across the United States.
The Museum’s history dates back more than 100 years. The Fine Arts Club planted the seeds that were realized when the Museum of Fine Arts opened in downtown Little Rock’s MacArthur Park in 1937. Built by the Works Progress Administration – and featuring a stunning Art Deco façade – the Museum of Fine Arts was the first museum dedicated to the fine arts in the state of Arkansas.
Through revitalizing existing structures and uniting them with a “blossoming” central addition, Studio Gang’s design creates a 133,000-square-foot building that embraces the surrounding city and park and establishes a bold new architectural identity. With the 1937 Museum of Fine Arts façade once again revealed as the Museum’s entrance, the new Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts continues the legacy born of the Fine Arts Club and Governor Rockefeller to serve the state of Arkansas through unexpected and inspiring encounters with the arts.
Credit: Overview from museum website