The Mosaic Templars Cultural Center is celebrating five years of operation throughout the month of September.
The Center opened its doors September 19, 2008. It is the youngest museum of the Department of Arkansas Heritage. The public was invited to enjoy cake, refreshments, and door prizes during lunch today to celebrate. Mayor Mark Stodola also made an appearance and proclaimed today as Mosaic Templars Cultural Center Day.
Celebratory events have been taking place all month, but Community Relations Director Tameka Lee says the best is yet to come. “Saturday, the 21st, our ‘Friends’ group is hosting an event for us which is basically a jam session. There will be live music, refreshments, wine, and beer so it’s just really a party kind of event they’re having for it. I’ve been calling it the Mosaic Birthday Bash,” Lee said.
One of the culture center’s missions is to collect, preserve, and interpret African American history. It has focused on showcasing the race’s history and culture in business, politics, and the arts from 1870 to the present. Lee says she wants people to know that Mosaic Templars is more than a cultural center.
“We’re a museum first, cultural center second. We do host things like Juneteenth which certainly goes into the cultural part, but we are a museum first because we have exhibits here, we have artifacts, art collections and sculptures,” Lee said.
The “Mosaic Birthday Bash” is free and open to the public and everyone is encouraged to attend. For more information about any of the upcoming events or the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, call (501) 683-3593.
