Old Independence Regional Museum Chosen for
Hands-On Experiential Learning Project (HELP)
Mid-America Arts Alliance, a regional arts organization serving cultural organizations in its member states of Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas, has selected Old Independence Regional Museum of Batesville as one of twenty museums to participate in the Hands-On Experiential Learning Project (HELP). Mid-America Arts Alliance is implementing HELP in Arkansas in partnership with the Arkansas Arts Council and with generous support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the Arkansas Museums Association through a grant from the Department of Arkansas Heritage. HELP provides museums with on-site, affordable learning opportunities that further skills in areas critical to successful museums today.
HELP is a program of Mid-America Arts Alliance’s (Mid-America) Professional Development division that provides institutional advancement, capacity building and professional development opportunities for Mid-America’s constituents. Other Arkansas communities selected for participation include: Ashdown, Burdette, Camden, Forrest City, Fort Smith, Little Rock, Harrison, Hope, Marked Tree, Paris, Pine Bluff, Pocahontas, Pottsville, Prescott, and Wynne. Participating museums will concentrate on improvements related to nonprofit governance. Training will be directed to museum trustees as well as museum staff, paid or unpaid, and will focus on essential components of good governance.
HELP combines workshops, on-site consultant visits, and online tutorials to assist museums in goal-setting and evaluation. Mid-America subsidizes all workshop travel and a portion of each museum’s attendance at a state or regional museum conference, which will allow them to connect with peers in the field and other state-wide organizations. Mid-America wants to strengthen existing in-state networks and help participant museums build a community to share challenges and solutions.
Old Independence Regional Museum, located at 380 South Ninth Street in Batesville, is a private, non-profit institution. It serves 12-counties in north central Arkansas. The Museum is open Tuesday-Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and from 1:30 to 4 p.m. on Sundays. Admission is $3.00 for adults, $2.00 for seniors and $1.00 for children. The museum is located at 380 South 9th street, between Boswell and Vine Streets in Batesville. Call 870-793-2121 for more information
