A Must-Visit Museum! The Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts

A museum that will delight! Art! Architecture! Hospitality! And stories to tell!

A bit like being surprised that Detroit has a world-class art museum, one might be surprised that Little Rock has a museum worthy of trip to visit it!

In Little Rock! I grew up in Arkansas... I can't even imagine that! –a North Carolina resident

The Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts (AMFA) opened in April 2023 after a four-year renovation. The campus, including outdoor park space, is 133,000 square feet. The collection is comprised of 14,000 objects with a focus on drawings, and has an on-going schedule of temporary exhibits. The architectural highlight (although all of it is awe-worthy) is the Community Living Room with art books to browse and comfortable seating to sink into, all while surrounded by floor to ceiling windows and gorgeous wood. They also have a glass-walled cafe serving a beautiful and mouth-watering menu, an auditorium, a gift shop, and an art school. All of the spaces, exhibits, and programs are wrapped in warm hospitality! An excellent visitor experience! You must go visit!

A Must-Visit Museum

Architecture to Stop You in Your Tracks

Every corner, every gallery, every space is beautiful, calming, and an excellent backdrop for all of the museum's activities.

Integrated Design Elements

Gardens and sculpture surround the museum. Galleries feel open and spacious due to the windows. The 1930s facade of the building was incorporated into the newly-renovated museum.

Art to Admire!

Inside a Passage Structure, 1986, by Robert Stackhouse. Spring Song, 2022-2023, by Natasha Bowdoin. Jan Lutma, 1656, by Rembrandt.

Even More!

Bright Nights, one of the museum's evening events. Part of the museum's art school. The gift shop.

Key Info

Hospitality:

Everyone I spoke to at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts was excited about their newly-renovated museum and proud to talk about it. I talked to guards, front-desk staff, restaurant wait staff, gift shop staff, a tour guide, and more. Everyone smiled and delightedly answered questions. Excellent Southern hospitality!

Wellness and Accessibility:

The AMFA is ahead of many museums when it comes to wellness opportunities and accessibility awareness and provisions. Overall, the museum feels calm and restful. The Community Living Room provides a place for museum visitors as well as community members to sit and relax, drink coffee, work on their laptop, or chat with friends. Such a welcoming space! In addition, the museum has sensory friendly hours and tours with ASL (American Sign Language) interpretation. They also have EnChroma glasses (for individuals with color blindness), portable stools, wheelchairs, weighted blankets, and sensory bags. Wow!

Surprises:

That this museum is in Little Rock! That this museum is so architecturally stunning! That the museum does everything so well!

How to visit:

The Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts can be visited in a few hours, but that would detract from the opportunity to sit and have coffee and a cookie in the Community Living Room, take a guided tour, have lunch, and walk on the grounds. This is a museum that deserves savoring. And because it's free, you might see part of it one day and return the next.

Website: Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts