Swannee Bennett retired as director of Historic Arkansas Museum in 2020 after a career at the museum spanning thirty-eight years. William B. Worthen retired as director of Historic Arkansas Museum in 2016 after a fortyfour- year career at the museum.
""Arkansas Made is clearly organized, a necessity for tackling the extensive subject matter. This substantial effort requires two volumes; these are like handsome fraternal twins who are identical in origin but differ in appearance and interests. ... Arkansas Made is ... an exceptional publication, an absorbing reference book in the guise of coffee-table volumes, distinguished by relevant technical, cultural, and historical information. ... In presenting objects, rather than depending on narratives, Arkansas Made provides a less familiar lens to view Arkansas history. It delivers convincing support of the authors' argument about the underrecognized richness of the state's history. The impressive number and variety of objects presented, from Elsie Bates Freund's inventive modern jewelry to humble stoneware crocks, belie a simple narrative about Arkansas's past, and create a compelling portrayal of the more varied lives of the many individuals who created and lived amongst these objects."" --Catherine Wallack, Arkansas Historical Quarterly, Spring 2022