An exhibit of work by the first female professional photographer to own and operate a studio in Arkansas is available for viewing at the Arkansas Tech University Museum.
Lillian Mickel’s work is on display weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. through Friday, May 8, at 1502 N. El Paso Ave. in Russellville. Admission to the ATU Museum is free and open to the public.
“Photography gave Mickel the economic stability to become an entrepreneur and a leader in Johnson County,” said Dr. James Peck, director of the ATU Museum and assistant professor of art history at ATU. “Mickel, however, went far beyond the photo studio in her eventful life. In time, she founded a care facility for the elderly and sick children, worked as a self-taught painter and, as Johnson County Historian, wrote the preeminent history of Clarksville.”
With almost 60,000 photographic prints and negatives on file, the ATU Museum is the primary repository of Mickel’s work.
The display opened on March 4 as part of the 2020 Women’s History Month celebration at ATU.
Learn more at www.arkansastechnews.com/atu-plans-2020-womens-history-month-events.
