Dardanelle Post Office Mural and Arkansas Post Office Mural Project

In conducting some preliminary research about Post Office Murals in Arkansas, I came across this helpful resource:

Arkansas Post Office Mural Project

The webpage is currently under construction, but still contains helpful information. I discovered that the Dardanelle post office mural was created by an artist who was originally from Armenia.

This mural plays important role in my life. I can remember my mother pointing out the artwork to me when I was a small child and telling me about my grandparents (her parents) who, just like the people in the mural, had picked cotton in the Cardon Bottoms.

I am currently beginning preparatory work for a radio piece about Dardanelle’s mural and what it means to those who live here. I am in search of personal stories and any deep background information that might be related. If you have any ideas, comments, suggestions, please let me know!

I will be updating this entry as the research continues.

See also:
“Off the Wall: New Deal Post Office Murals” by Patricia Raynorhttp://www.postalmuseum.si.edu/resources/6a2q_postalmurals.html

• The Seed and the Story: ARVAC and VISTA, Folk arts and the War on Poverty in Arkansas.
• “The Many Variations of the Arkansas Tattoo” in the Arkansas Times
• The Seed and the Story for March 7: Sulphur Springs
• Arkansas Tattoo Project Update: Visiting the Parlor in Rose City/North Little Rock.
• The Seed and the Story for January 25, 2012: Visiting with Bud Rector