The following article was originally published in the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center Newsletter, December 2010.
The Department of Arkansas Heritage (DAH) announced that H. L. McGill will be director of the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center (MTCC), the department’s museum for African American culture. The museum offers exhibits and programming about African Americans in Arkansas from 1870 to the present, especially concerning their contributions to business, politics and the arts. His position is effective Dec. 13.
“H. L. will be a top-notch addition to the great staff we already have at MTCC,” said Trey Berry, Ph. D., deputy director of museums for DAH. “The work he has done in the areas of non-profit organization, grant-writing and assisting city, county, state and federal government programs will help him lead MTCC to a new level of community leadership.”
McGill comes to MTCC from the Arkansas Arts Council, another agency of DAH, where he had been community development program manager since 2002. His duties included assisting non-profit groups that apply for state and federal arts grants and providing technical assistance to arts organizations around the state.
“I look forward to helping present the very important story of African American culture throughout Arkansas,” said McGill. “The Center stands on 9th Street in Little Rock, a neighborhood that was very important to African Americans as they established their influence in Arkansas business and culture. My hope is that the museum and cultural center will continue to be an important place to all Arkansans and a place for the state and community to come together.”
The other agencies of the Department of Arkansas Heritage are the Delta Cultural Center, Historic Arkansas Museum, Old State House Museum, the Arkansas Arts Council, Arkansas Historic Preservation Program and the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission.
