The Ozark Folk Center (OFC) opened its doors on May 5, 1973 in Mountain View, Arkansas as a living history state park committed to preserving and demonstrating traditional crafts, folkways and music of the Ozarks. The center was born out of the Arkansas Folk Festival, which began in April 1963 through the efforts of the Ozark Foothills Handicraft Guild and the Rackensack Folklore Society.

Many helped in making the Ozark Folk Center project a realty, such as musician Jimmy Driftwood, who lobbied for the OFC as well as educator Dr. Bessie Moore and Arkansas official U.S. Representative Wilbur D. Mills, who both helped to secure governmental funding for the OFC. In December 1968, Representative Mills announced that through combined grant and loans the OFC had over $2.5 million for its construction.

The OFC project broke ground in September 1971, was completed by April 1973, and officially dedicated in May 1973. By the completion of its construction, the OFC was a $3.4 million dollar facility which included, but was not limited to, an over 1000 seat music auditorium, a restaurant, a lodge, a conference center, and numerous craft shops located on 80 acres of land in Stone County, Arkansas. The OFC has since grown to 640 acres, located north of Mountain View.

This collection is comprised of photographs, photographic prints, and negatives depicting various artists, crafters, Arkansas politicians, and events at the Ozark Folk Center. These images include, but are not limited to, live performances, annual festivals, musical artists’ and/or groups’ publicity photographs, folkways cultural demonstrations, and anniversary events at the Ozark Folk Center.

This collection was managed by the Ozark Cultural Resource Center (OCRC) facility, within the OFC, prior to being transferred to the Arkansas State Archives. Collection information such as the identifier, collection title, and citation still use the Ozark Cultural Resource Center (OCRC) name.