Statement of CALS’s Art Exhibition and Collection Management Policy

The Central Arkansas Library System (CALS) believes that the arts preserve and transmit our heritage, enrich our lives, and contribute significantly to the social, educational, and cultural well-being of all Arkansans.

Our mission is to provide a venue for the study, practice, and enjoyment of the arts of Arkansas. This includes artists who are Arkansas natives, who currently reside in Arkansas, or whose artwork deals with Arkansas-related themes.

The focus of our Exhibition Program is to display and interpret works by Arkansans or artworks related to Arkansas.

The focus of our Permanent Collection is to collect, exhibit, interpret, and preserve works by Arkansans or artworks related to Arkansas.

The CALS permanent collection holds more than 1,000 works of art and incorporates a wide range of media, including paintings, sculpture, works on paper, photographs, and decorative arts. Works are added to the collection regularly through purchases and donations.

More artwork from the CALS permanent collection can be seen on display at the Main Library, the Roberts Library of Arkansas History & Art, and any of our thirteen branch locations.