Art, history and landscape give Jonesboro several thematic perspectives. The Bradbury Art Museum focuses on contemporary artists from the region and across the country; the Arkansas State University Museum explores the natural history and cultural heritage of Northeast Arkansas and the Mississippi River Delta. The Craighead County-Jonesboro African American Cultural Center presents the history of Craighead County's African American community, while Craighead Forest Park is located in the scenic Crowley's Ridge. For your planning, it helps to first distinguish between the art program, regional history and connection to the landscape.
Art and programming at the Bradbury Art Museum
The Bradbury Art Museum presents rotating exhibitions by contemporary artists from the region and across the country. It also hosts the annual Delta National Small Prints Exhibition (DNSPE). This gives you both changing contemporary perspectives and a recurring focus on small prints. If the DNSPE is a deciding factor for your trip, check the dates of the exhibition.
The educational program includes workshops, lectures, artist visits, community events and guided tours. These formats complement the exhibitions in different ways: a lecture or guided tour offers a different focus than a workshop, artist visit or community event. When making your choice, you can therefore consider both the rotating exhibitions and the educational program.
Natural history and regional heritage
The Arkansas State University Museum in Jonesboro is dedicated to the natural history and cultural heritage of Northeast Arkansas and the Mississippi River Delta. Its thematic scope thus covers two areas and extends beyond the history of a single community. The museum offers innovative guided tours and hands-on activities. The ways these subjects are presented also vary: guided explanations and hands-on activities complement the focus on natural history and cultural heritage. This distinguishes the museum's focus from the rotating art exhibitions at the Bradbury Art Museum.
African American history in Craighead County
The Craighead County-Jonesboro African American Cultural Center is located in the E. Boone Watson Center. It presents the spirit and history of Craighead County's African American community, including its struggles and achievements. The focus is therefore on the experiences of a particular community, distinguishing it geographically from the broader subject area of the Arkansas State University Museum.
The history of the present site is also part of this local connection: the E. Boone Watson Center overlooks the grounds of the former Industrial High School. The school was built in 1924 by the community under the leadership of principal D. W. Hughes. This brings together, at one location, the history of Craighead County's African American community and the memory of a school built by the community. The two perspectives are connected, but remain distinct: one describes the cultural center's mission, the other the former school and its origins.
Landscape at Craighead Forest Park
Craighead Forest Park is an urban park in the scenic Crowley's Ridge. Its connection to the landscape adds a different kind of place to the cultural and historical themes. In Jonesboro, you can choose from a range of interests: contemporary art and educational programming, the natural history and cultural heritage of a wider region, African American history in Craighead County, or an urban park in the landscape of Crowley's Ridge. These distinctions help you organize the themes according to what interests you most on your trip.
Discover more destinations: Brookland.
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