Call for Community Contributions: Play in Arkansas
Did you have a toy that you were obsessed with as a kid? Is there a childhood memory of play that you still hold dear? What experiences of childhood play do you consider formative to who you have become as an adult? UA Little Rock Downtown invites you to share your childhood play memories for inclusion in the upcoming exhibit, Play in Arkansas.
Play in Arkansas explores how the history of play and leisure activities can help us understand the past. Through artifacts and memories documenting the history of toys, childhood games, and family leisure activities, Play in Arkansas chronicles how the ideas of play changed over time. The exhibit highlights the moments of joy and relaxation. It also asks how we respond to life’s challenges by seeking refuge in play.
We invite the following community contributions:
- Toys and other 3D objects documenting childhood play. The objects will be displayed in the exhibit and returned to the owner after the exhibit is closed.
- Personal photos documenting play, originals or scans. The originals will be returned to the owner after the exhibit is closed.
- Written memories documenting the most formative moments/experiences of childhood play. A text, up to 150 words, reflecting on the significance of a childhood memory of play will be displayed in the exhibit section “Our Memories.”
- Home movies documenting play and family leisure activities (VHS, DVD, Mini-DV, or digital).
- Alternatively, if you own a toy or another 3D object that you played with as a child but do not wish to loan it for the exhibit, we’d love to take a photo of the toy or you with the toy and include the photo, alongside your memory, in the exhibit.
Our goal is to create a historical record of what the social sciences have long known: that childhood play has a significant impact on our well-being and on who we become as adults.
We invite current adult (at least 18 years of age) residents of Arkansas, regardless of where they grew up, and those who grew up in Arkansas and now live elsewhere to apply. Deadline for submissions: May 15, 2026.
To submit contributions and for further questions, email Marta Cieslak at [email protected].
Play in Arkansas will be a free exhibit, open to all, scheduled to be on display at UA Little Rock Downtown (333 President Clinton Ave., Little Rock) in the summer and fall of 2026.