HISTORICAL MUSEUM NEWS
New exhibit
Bella Vista resident and artist Barb Templin has loaned to the museum her work of art featuring the Bella Vista Country Club, created in the medium of quilling. It took her over 450 hours to complete this piece. Quilling is an art form that involves the use of strips of paper that are rolled, shaped and glued together to create decorative designs. According to Wikipedia, during the Renaissance, French and Italian nuns and monks used quilling to decorate book covers and religious items. The paper most commonly used was strips from the gilded edges of books. These gilded strips were then rolled to create the quilled shapes. In the 18th century, quilling became popular in Europe where ladies of leisure practiced the art. Quilling also spread to the Americas and there are a few examples in existence from Colonial times. Barb’s creation will be on display through the rest of the year to accompany our Fay Jones exhibit, since he is the one who designed the Country Club building.
Fay Jones exhibit
The Fay Jones exhibit, loaned from the Old Statehouse Museum in Little Rock, continues to draw visitors. Jones, a native of Arkansas and resident of Fayetteville at the time of his death in 2004, was a student of Frank Lloyd Wright. The exhibit consists of three panels which provide information and numerous pictures of Jones’ work, including the Cooper Chapel in Bella Vista. Volunteer Jack Kellogg has downloaded several videos about Jones and compiled them on one DVD which is now available for viewing at the museum, including an interview in which Jones talks about his career.
Log Cabin project
Our next step with the log cabin, donated earlier this year, is to get the foundation built on the museum grounds, which we expect to have done this fall. Then comes the actual move. Donations for this project are still very much welcome, either through the gofundme/cabin fever account online or through payments left at or mailed to the museum. The mailing address is 1885 Bella Vista Way, Bella Vista AR 72714. All donors of $100 or more will be recognized with a plaque inside the cabin.
Gift shop merchandise
We continue to stock items in the museum gift shop that you won’t find anywhere else in Bella Vista, including jigsaw puzzles of Bella Vista scenes, magnets, Christmas tree ornaments, vintage post cards and more. We even have bottle caps for sale from the old Cunningham Dairy that stood where Cunningham Corner is now. Coming soon will be baseball caps with the city logo embroidered on them. Please stop in and browse at your leisure.
Private tours available
Private tours of the museum are available outside of normal open hours for church groups, students, civic clubs, businesses, etc. To arrange for a tour, leave a message at the museum, 479-855-2335, or contact Xyta Lucas at 479-8766118.
Hours of operation
The Historical Museum is located at the corner of U.S. Highway 71 and Kingsland Road, next door to the American Legion, and is open from 1 to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays. The phone number is 479855-2335, and the website is www. bellavista.museum.org.