Reynolds to direct museum
The Siloam Springs Museum recently hired a new director — Elaine Reynolds — with a background in museum management and anthropology.
Reynolds’ official first day as museum director was on Dec. 10, according to Katie Rennard, museum board president. Don Warden will continue to serve as museum historian, she said.
“The museum board of directors is pleased and excited to announce that we have hired an executive director with an excellent background in museum management and anthropology,” she said. “It is such an important time for our museum as our building renovation is being completed. Elaine brings leadership and collections knowledge and is a great addition to our existing staff. We want to reopen carrying out our vision and mission and bring a new energy that matches the spirit of Siloam Springs.”
Reynolds recently returned to Northwest Arkansas after spending the past 12 years running a small organic coffee farm in Ecuador. Before that, she had an adventurous career in anthroplogy, museum management and teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) that has taken her around the world.
Reynolds grew up in a small town in upstate New York, and earned her bachelor’s degree from University of Alaska-Southeast. During her time at the university, she fell in love with Native American basketry and focused her studies on North West Coast Native culture and art.
She earned her master’s degree from the University of Arkansas, where she focused on museum studies. While in Arkansas, Reynolds completed several internships in museum management and conservation, and also did field and lab work for the Arkansas Archeological Survey, according to her cover letter to the museum.
She went on to serve as the director of the Ticonderoga Historical Society Museum, in Ticonderoga, N.Y., where her tasks included working closely with teachers, opening exhibits, and doing publicity and advertising, organizing social events and fundraising activities, writing grants, and supervising volunteer staff. She also opened the Harmon Fine Arts Gallery in Ticonderoga.
Reynolds’ work in education through the museum interested
her in teaching English as a second language, and she transitioned into teaching ESL, giving workshops, writing curriculum and training teachers. She went on to spend several years teaching ESL all over the world in the Middle East, Asia and South America.
Reynolds said she was ready to return to the U.S. from Ecuador to be closer to her grandchildren and was delighted to find the museum position. Once she accepted the position, she moved from Fayetteville to Siloam Springs to become a part of the community.
Reynolds said she is excited about having a role in reopening the museum after the renovations are complete. The museum is expected to reopen in early 2019. She is also looking forward to working with community organizations, artists and schools to develop programming, she said.
“The museum is just a white canvas right now and anything is possible and it should be dynamic and new and bright and creative and with all these talented people, wow, it has the potential of being a spectacular regional museum not just something you go to once in your life but something you look for the program, you look for things to do there, you look for reasons to participate, a place to learn,” she said.
According to Reynolds, museums are about history, culture and community, and she is pleased with what she sees in Siloam Springs.
“What I see shows a real district history of community involvement, during the war, after the war, civic groups have a really long history, there is always different events to raise money for certain causes, it really is a very, very strong community spirit here,” she said. “I’ve seen it just here in the museum, the board is incredible and so supportive.”