This collection contains legal papers, board minutes, financial reports, fundraising correspondence and research on fundraising, grant proposals, financial records, board and officer correspondence, biographical information, press releases and news articles of the Board of the Arkansas Women's History Institute. It also contains correspondence and research papers related to the AWHI Susie Pryor Award and copies of award entries, and various materials related to the planning and production of the exhibit and handbook (both entitled), "Behold, Our Works Were Good."

 

The Arkansas Women's History Institute originated from the interest of Betsey Wright, then chief of staff for Governor Bill Clinton.  Wright hoped an exhibit, similar to the Texas Women's History exhibit, could be created on Arkansas women.  At the same time, an invitation was sent to Hillary Clinton, wife of Governor Clinton, to send a display on Arkansas women to the Women's Pavilion of the 1984 New Orleans (Louisiana) World's Fair. According to Francis Ross, the group's first president, "Hillary discovered how inadequate present resources were and approached a group of us to discuss the problem.  Realizing that in order to accurately present the history of women in Arkansas some basic research had to be done, we formed the institute."  The AWHI was founded in 1983 and incorporated in January 1984.  The board composed of 18-25 women from around the state, meets quarterly.

 

The first major project was the creation of a traveling exhibit, "Behold, Our Works Were Good," which was circulated throughout the state in 1984 (and is still available for display through the Arkansas Humanities Council Resource Center).  The exhibit was expanded as part of the state's sesquicentennial celebration in 1986.  The Susie Pryor Award, in honor of U. S. Senator David Pryor's mother, was established in 1985.  The $1000 award, bestowed annually, recognizes the best unpublished article on women history.   The Institute then began work on a history of Arkansas women, which was published with August House in 1988 under the title Behold, Our Works Were Good, The handbook includes the traveling exhibit materials, a history of women in the state, and a bibliography.

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