LITTLE ROCK – A temporary exhibit on the Cold War opens Friday, Sept. 13, at the City of Little Rock's MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History.

The traveling exhibition, Two Minutes to Midnight and the Architecture of Armageddon, features photographic essays from photographers Jeanine Michna-Bales and Adam Reynolds that provide a calculated look at the “Architecture of Armageddon,” both the offensive and defensive implications of nuclear war. These quiet architectural spaces, devoid of people, allow viewers to come face to face with present nuclear realities while also examining the collective psyche of the American people during the Cold War.

In 2018, the Doomsday Clock was set to two minutes to midnight, the closest it has ever been to striking midnight since the height of the Cold War in 1953. Today, while the Cold War’s lessons and fears have largely faded from our collective memory, the exhibit portrays an uncertain present through the lens of the past.

This exhibition is aimed to spark curiosity and encourage discourse among audiences of all backgrounds as the works seek out places that are often hidden in plain sight. Two Minutes to Midnight and the Architecture of Armageddon is organized by Exhibits USA, a program of Mid-America Arts Alliance.

The MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History is located at 503 E. 9^th St. in historic MacArthur Park. Housed in the historic Arsenal Building – one of central Arkansas's oldest surviving structures and the birthplace of famed Gen. Douglas MacArthur – the museum collects, preserves, and interprets our state's rich military past. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 pm. 

For more information on exhibits and programming, visit the museum website at littlerock.gov/macarthur.

The temporary exhibition runs through Sunday, January 5, 2025.