Ozark Living

here," Collins said. "From 2020 to the present, a new vision of Historic Cane Hill as a site dedicated to telling a full history of all the past inhabitants of the area, promoting arts locally and around the state, and offering a natural and serene place to visit, meet and spend time in the unique natural landscape of the Ozarks." In addition to Collins, overseeing the efforts of Historic Cane Hill are Vanessa McKuin, executive director; Lawrence McElroy, director of arts and culture; and Carly Squyres, administrative assistant. In any given year, there is a lot going on and the organization provides many opportunities to learn about the area's engrossing history and see historical sites and artifacts. At Cane Hill Museum, you'll find permanent exhibits about the art and history of the Cane Hill community that the public can view during museum hours. e gallery hosts temporary exhibitions with different focuses. Last year, the gallery served as the visitor center and exhibit area for the Smithsonian Institution's "Habitat" exhibition. "We recently closed our annual exhibition of artwork from our Arkansas High School Student Art Competition, which is a partnership with the University of Arkansas School of Art," Collins said. "We are now preparing an exhibition of the Arkansas Quail and Turkey Stamp Art Contest, for which we partner with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. at will be from March 18 to April 22 this year." e largest exhibition of the year will be their pottery exhibition "Niloak and Beyond," which will be on display May 7 to July 8. It is a collection of swirl-type pottery from around the nation, with a focus on the famous Arkansas- produced Swirled Missionware Niloak Pottery. It will also feature some human stories that exist in the history of the pottery itself and a connection to Cane Hill. "We will also have a Local Art Invitational Exhibition later in the year, from Sept. 16 to Oct. 28," Collins added. "We'll finish out the year with the 2023 Arkansas Student Art Exhibition, which will go up in late November." Trail of Tears Memorial Last year was the inauguration of the Trail of Tears Memorial, an interpretive panel at Historic Cane Hill that was dedicated in April 2022. It is set underneath a large bur oak tree and tells the story of Alsey Timberlake and the Cherokee people who camped at Cane Hill en route to Oklahoma from Tennessee in 1837. e detachment was comprised of 365 Cherokee people who traveled for months. Cane Hill was their last encampment before reaching Oklahoma in December 1837. During the one-night encampment, a girl named Alsey Timberlake, whose brother had died days before, succumbed to illness and was buried somewhere on the settlement. e memorial was created in her memory, as well as the Cherokee people in that detachment. Education Part of Historical Cane Hill's mission is to offer educational opportunities about nature and history, particularly for students. "We have begun a partnership with Dr. Austin Jones of the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology at the University of Arkansas to offer what we call the Ozarks Bug Crawl," Collins said. "It is a team-based bug collecting competition where families learn how to identify insects and their habitats." Last year, they partnered with Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission's aquatic ecologist Dustin Lynch to offer an event called "Creek Creatures of Cane Hill," where families learned about aquatic life in Ozarks streams and had the chance to catch and observe species in Jordan Creek. ey also partnered with Arkansas Archeological Survey to host an Archeology Day for kids where they were able to simulate archeology techniques in a series of game stations. "We have been in talks with Amazeum about opportunities for collaboration," Collins said. "ey plan on helping us with the Ozarks Bug Crawl this year and possibly some other site programs, although that remains to be determined." As mentioned above, every year they also host an art competition for high school students across the state. Grand prize winners receive a one-year scholarship to the University of Arkansas School of Art, valued at around $10,000. "We also hold a two-month exhibit featuring outstanding work from students who enter the competition," Collins said. "is grows every year. Last year, we had 95 entrants, up from around 65 the year before. We host an exhibition opening and awards ceremony for them in the third week of November as well." Historic Cane Hill is a rare opportunity where people can view historic architecture from a prosperous 19th century Ozarks community and learn about that community. ey can visit well-curated museum, book a wedding or event in a historic structure, attend a lecture or an educational event, see an art or nature exhibition with national significance, or simply take a hike on a pleasant nature trail while also seeing 400 million-year-old fossils. "It is a place where plenty of opportunities exist to learn about so many different things that make Northwest Arkansas and the Ozarks as a whole so unique," Collins said. "We also are intent on developing partnerships with other organizations that allow us more opportunities to reach out to all of Washington County and Northwest Arkansas." e museum and gallery (when showing exhibitions) are open ursday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 14389 State Hwy. 45, Canehill; 479-824- 4455; www.historiccanehillar.org. Photo courtesy NWA Democrat-Gazette Trent Harmon, Debbie Harmon and their 4-year-old daugh- ter Olivia and 8-year-old son Asher walk a trail in Cane Hill. CANE HILL continued from page 29 32 • April 2023 • OZArK liViNG

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