The Arkansas Committee of the National Museum of Women in the Arts has selected Emily Granderson to receive the organization’s 2024 Internship Award.

“The Internship Award provides a stipend to an Arkansas woman attending an Arkansas university or college that allows her to collaborate with a mentor working in an Arkansas arts institution,” said Ann Jennings Shackelford, who leads the ACNMWA internship committee. “We are proud that this program gives the student an opportunity to learn about and make contributions to the cultural life of Arkansas while enriching her program of study.”

A resident of Conway, Granderson is in her third year at the University of Central Arkansas (UCA) pursuing a degree in Art History and Spanish. In collaboration with UCA’s Jamie C. Brandon Center for Archaeological Research, Granderson will document, analyze and curate an exhibition of the Riddick Pre-Columbian collection in the fall semester of 2024.

“A variety of factors have made the collection inaccessible as the educational resource and gift that it is to the UCA and the Central Arkansas community,” Granderson stated in her application. Donated by UCA alumni Dr. Earl Riddick and Kathy Riddick in 2002, the collection has numerous works of art and artifacts, including vessels, bowls, masks, and effigy dogs and figures that represent Mesoamerican works from 500 BC to mid-20th century. Read more about the collection at uca.edu/artcollection/riddick/.

“My work will benefit the institution by providing much-needed inventory reports and research on this important collection,” Granderson said. “The UCA Art Collection web page will be updated with current information so that community members can learn about the collection. This is especially important since there is a lack of resources on the topic of Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican art and history." The institution will have the needed records and information to do future exhibits of the works to educate art history, anthropology, history and other students in related fields. Records of the work will also allow professors of future related courses to plan class activities with the pieces.

Granderson plans to become an archivist or registrar for an art gallery, museum or other organization, and possibly a curator. “My personal research and experience with the collection will extend my knowledge in my chosen field and prepare me for post-grad studies and my career path,” she said.

Learn more about the ACNMWA Internship here.

Founded in 1989 and celebrating its 35th year, ACNMWA is a nonprofit volunteer organization that highlights the accomplishments of Arkansas women artists and shares the groundbreaking work of the National Museum of Women in the Artis (NMWA) in Washington, D.C., with a statewide audience. For more information on NMWA, visit nmwa.org.