LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — On Sunday afternoon the doors of a brand new gallery at The Mosaic Templars Cultural Center in Little Rock opened wide for those of all ages to witness the rich history of African Americans in Arkansas.
"Our new exhibits have five distinctive themes. It's an interactive space with bright, bold colors, it really welcomes everybody from [ages] zero to 99. One of the things we really wanted to make sure [is that] we were intentional about in this space, and making sure that we were connecting through interactive technology. Now, when people walk into the space, they can have a true authentic experience, and explore Arkansas and African-American history, from education to civil rights. New exhibits that explore music and food and even sports, there's something in the space for everybody," Mosaic Templars Director, Key Fletcher said.
It's a project that took five years to complete and cost $3.5 million. It was made possible by several generous donors but mainly the backbone Fletcher who explained how it was important to have spaces like this for everyone to access.
"As a Black woman in America, it's amazing to be able to have a hand in making sure that our history and culture is constantly preserved, no matter the challenges that we see elsewhere," Fletcher explained.
She said the gallery speaks for itself and goes beyond the human eye as its very presence exemplifies the words tenacity and perseverance.
"To think about Jim Crow, to think about the civil rights movement, to think about all the enacting legislation, so we're constantly moving forward, and then sometimes it feels like we have [taken] steps back. So today as we open the exhibits, I'm excited that I feel like this is another step in the right direction of continuing to move our history forward," she described.
Ebony Blevins, a photographer who captured several photographs for the gallery said the goal was for this history to be passed down from generation to generation.
"I have people as young as six, and people over you know, 70 and older in this. I only chose a few people so I'm just proud and surprised to walk in because I didn't know what it looked like before I came in here a few minutes ago," Blevins said.
She explained how the true prize was the honor of capturing a photograph of one of her heroes, which is her mother and being able to share her story as a Black woman was priceless.
"This picture right here, right behind me is my mom, Paulette Blevins, and I just feel fortunate to be able to include her in this exhibition. She used to teach at Little Rock Central High School and I'm just proud that I was able to include her in this exhibition, and my friends and other people that I felt were contributing, you know, a great quote for this section," Blevins described.
Fletcher said that none of this could've happened without the help of the community, her staff, volunteers, and donors.
"When you think about projects like this, we look at the people who work here at the museum and there were countless efforts from the state of Arkansas, from community leaders, from people sharing their stories for our exhibit and buying company, from our volunteers. We can't tell the stories in there without people donating their artifacts and willing to sit down and be honest and vulnerable, about their personal connections," Fletcher said.