title
RESOLUTION TO SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE DELTA STUDIES CENTER
body
WHEREAS, the Lower Mississippi River Delta Development Commission was created to focus the attention of the nation on the major issues in the region; and
WHEREAS, the City of Jonesboro, Craighead County, Arkansas, is a major regional center in the Arkansas portion of the Mississippi River Delta region and has located within its borders, Arkansas State University, the only comprehensive public university serving the Arkansas Delta Region; and
WHEREAS, to effectively address the needs of the citizens of Jonesboro, and our fellow citizens of the Mississippi River Delta, it is necessary and appropriate for the City of Jonesboro to actively participate in efforts to improve the cultural, social, economic, and health environments; and
WHEREAS, the Arkansas State University has been entrusted with the artistic assets of the renown artist Carroll Cloar, a native of Earle, Arkansas, whose drawings, paintings and writings chronicled the Mississippi River Delta region; and
WHEREAS, the Arkansas State University Board of Trustees declared the intent of the university to establish the Delta Studies Center on the campus of Arkansas State University, and building on the foundation of The Carroll Cloar Delta Art Collection, focus the Center on the study of the Lower Mississippi research, teaching and extension activities directed toward exploring the people, the institutions, the economy, the culture, the arts, and the biological and physical environments and characteristics of the Delta; and
WHEREAS, it is anticipated that the knowledge developed through the Center's activities will be used for the purposes of continuing development of the Delta Region and its people, while retaining its unique culture and rich heritage, thereby improving the quality of life of all residents of the Mississippi River Delta.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Jonesboro, Craighead County, Arkansas, supports and encourages the development of the Delta Studies Center, and its Carroll Cloar Delta Art Gallery, as a Center which can improve the quality of life in the Delta Region, and as a Gallery which can display the art works of the Delta, and through such display provide insight into the joys and challenges of living in the Delta region.
PASSED AND ADOPTED the 20th day of February, 1995.