Graduating Public History Student Immortalizes President Bill Clinton’s Legacy by Creating Virtual 3D Artifacts
In an innovative thesis project that melds technology with historical preservation, Jackelyn Cordova Romano, a graduating public history student at UA Little Rock, has brought President Bill Clinton’s legacy to life through the creation of immersive virtual 3D artifacts.
Through meticulous research and cutting-edge technology, Cordova Romano has meticulously recreated iconic items from President Clinton’s tenure, offering audiences an unprecedented glimpse into his presidential legacy.
“My thesis is about digitizing really cool objects for the Clinton Presidential Museum,” Cordova Romano said. “The museum houses one-third of the ashes of Socks the Cat, the presidential cat who belonged to the Clintons. The urn that houses the ashes is small and intricate. It’s not a candidate to be put on permanent exhibit so it’s a good candidate for a virtual artifact. I also created a virtual artifact of the sunglasses that Bill Clinton wore during a 1992 performance on the Arsenio Hall Show during the presidential campaign.”
Museum officials and Cordova Romano spent a lot of time discussing the objects that would be chosen for her thesis project.
“Objects on permanent collection aren’t candidates because they are out and being seen by the public,” she said. “Did we want to do high-value objects like the first lady’s jewelry collection, or did we want to do objects that represent what people think of when they think of Bill Clinton. These were selected as being high-value items that the public doesn’t get to see that are clear identifiers to President Clinton’s presidency.”
Once she completes the virtual artifacts, they will be given to the Clinton Presidential Library and Museum for future use on their website. This endeavor not only showcases her scholarly acumen but also underscores the power of digital innovation in preserving and sharing our nation’s history.
Cordova Romano has a Master of Science degree in Visualization from Texas A&M University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Painting from the University of Houston. Once she moved to Little Rock with her husband in 2022, she decided to pursue a career where she could combine her love of history with her skills in visualization.
“At the end of my last master’s degree, a lot of the people I knew went into the entertainment industry, but I really saw myself as interested in artifacts and potentially developing 3D and interactive artifacts,” she said. “I decided to curate my degrees to give me a unique skill set so I could do what I want. I asked myself what degree I needed to work in a museum and handle objects, and I saw that UA Little Rock had a great public history program.”
Cordova Romano works as a graduate assistant at the William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum. One of the exhibits she recently curated was “Governing Space,” a special space-related, pop-up exhibition created for the total solar eclipse. It included artifacts given to President Clinton from NASA.
“I feel like I got the best GA I could have gotten,” she said. “I’ve learned so much, and the museum staff have been exceptional. I’ve gotten to meet President Bill Clinton, and that was really cool. They’ve taught me so much that I now feel well equipped to work in a museum.”
After graduation, Cordova Romano will continue in her position as assistant curator of collections at Historic Arkansas Museum. She is currently working on the museum’s newest exhibit, “Collecting Arkansas Made,” which will debut during Second Friday Art Night on May 10. The exhibit features a wide variety of Arkansas-made furniture, pottery, portraits, firearms, and other artifacts collected by Historic Arkansas Museum between 2018–2023.
