The Old State House Museum is opening a powerful new exhibit, “Disfarmer: Portraits of Rural Arkansas,” on Friday, January 9, 2026, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. The opening reception is free to attend, and the exhibition will remain on display through June 2026.
The collection showcases black-and-white portraits capturing daily life in rural Arkansas from the 1920s through the 1950s. Created by photographer Mike Disfarmer, the images document the people of Heber Springs with stark honesty, offering a striking look into communities shaped by the Great Depression, World War II, and the evolving culture of the rural South.
Born Mike Meyer, the photographer later adopted the name “Disfarmer” to distance himself from his farming heritage—an identity central to the region he spent decades documenting. His portraits, though simple in composition, reveal deep stories about small-town Arkansas during a time of immense change.
The Old State House Museum, Arkansas’ first state capitol building constructed in 1833, now serves as a nationally accredited institution preserving the state’s history from statehood to modern day. Located at 300 W. Markham in Little Rock, the museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. For more information, call 501-324-9685.
Arkansas Heritage, a division of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism, oversees eight agencies dedicated to preserving and promoting the state’s cultural, historical, and natural resources, including the Old State House Museum.
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