Rogers museum recognized for technology use in exhibit

ROGERS — The Rogers Historical Museum has been recognized for its use of technology in an exhibit on festivals held in the region during the 1920s.

Luke Brewer, outreach specialist at the museum, said in a news release the museum received the 2023 Southeastern Museums Conference Gold Award for Gallery Installations in the Under $1,000 Budget Category. The award was for an interactive music element that is part of the temporary exhibit “A Parade of Apple Blossoms.” The exhibit highlights the Apple Blossom festivals of the 1920s that were a celebration of the apple industry in Northwest Arkansas.

While developing the exhibit, the museum team discovered sheet music in its permanent collection of four songs written in the 1920s relating to the region’s apple industry and Apple Blossom festivals, Museum Director Serena Barnett said.

“We knew then that we needed to find a way to share this historic music in the exhibit,” she said. “These songs have not been played or heard by anyone in nearly a century and we wanted to celebrate these musical contributions from our region’s apple heritage.”

The museum collaborated with Arkansas Arts Academy music instructor Patrick Sallings and student vocalists Tess Ferrigni and Shayla Mac to create a recording of each song.

“By pairing their musical talents with modern audio recording technology, we were able to bring these songs from the past back to life and allow them to be shared with our museum visitors,” Barnett said.

The Southeastern Museums Conference Technology Competition recognizes excellence in the use of technology within museums and celebrates the accomplishments of innovative work, according to the release.