LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The grand reopening of the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center is on the horizon and it will show off a new permanent gallery filled with rich local history.
The center, located on the corner of Ninth and Broadway in Little Rock, will be unveiling the results of a $3.5 million dollar renovation this coming weekend.
According to Director Key Fletcher, the changes are bigger, better, and bolder.
“When you think about a grand reopening, you always want what's happening for the future to be better than what you did before. And it's not better in the sense that there was anything wrong with, what we had before, but because what we had was absolutely amazing. But we understand that things change in terms of technology and the things that we've discovered," Fletcher said.
The Mosaic Templars Cultural Center is the first publicly funded museum of African-American history and culture in Arkansas.
This year will mark the 15th anniversary, as well as 140 years of the Mosaic Templars of America, a Black organization founded in 1883 in Little Rock.
“Honoring our ancestors and remembering John Bush and Chester Keatts and the foundation of the black community here, there's no way that we could have done a grand reopening without making sure that we gave it our very best," Fletcher said. "The way that the exhibits come to life, you know, the way we're able to infuse color in or interactivity in there, the way that we're able to tell the stories but to tell them in a way that shifts and that no matter if you're zero to 99, you can really walk into the space and feel like you can understand and get a concept of what's going on.”
Fletcher, who has worked at the cultural center for 16 years now, said that the new gallery shows off a creative way to tell stories we’ve heard before and also introduces us to a few more using artificial intelligence.
“People will be able to come into the space to stand and to actually have a conversation with someone who is no longer living. Somebody who actually experienced it knew what it meant to really be involved in some of our nation's most prolific moments when it comes to African-American history," Fletcher explained.
She added that guests won't simply push a button and listen to a pre-recorded audio.
"But you'll get a chance to actually listen to someone ask them a specific question and have them respond to you in real-time," Fletcher said.
Walls have been moved, lights have been brightened, and sounds have been amplified all to show off Arkansas’s rich Black history and culture.
"The Mosaic Templars of America that happened over 140 years ago, to help empower and support the African American community is the same vision that we have here to preserve, interpret and celebrate Arkansas, African-American history. So we're walking in their foundation, it is that same mission, but with a new vision of what does that look like 140 years later," she said.
Fletcher added that this included making sure the museum has interactive exhibits, while still making sure they're taking care of the community "to make sure that it's a cultural center for all to experience what it truly means to be an Arkansan.”
Fletcher encouraged everyone to come out to see for themselves the work the cultural center has put in over the last five years.
“People definitely have to come in, they have to come for the grand reopening. They have to come back for the holidays. And make sure that their family and friends really experience the exhibit around every corner is something new and fascinating. So even though you think you've seen everything in this preview, I guarantee you it is only the tip of the iceberg," Fletcher said.
The Mosaic Templars will kick off the grand reopening on Friday with events lined up all weekend. There are two ticketed events, a Trailblazer’s Luncheon and Harlem Nights on Ninth Gala.
But, the big day is Sunday, when the official grand reopening will happen in conjunction with Mosaic Templars Cultural Center’s annual holiday open house at 1 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, click here.