Road Reports

New Mexico, Here We Come!

Yesterday the MoMS team worked at Office of Exhibit Central to get the latest copy of New Harmonies on the road! As I type this, the exhibit is traveling to its first stop in New Mexico.

We are looking forward to another exciting year for the New Harmonies exhibit, and can't wait to see what creative programming ideas, events, and local exhibitions will blossom out of this tour!

 

  
 
 Many thanks go out to our counterparts at OEC who helped us with some excellent exhibit refurb!

 -- Roxanne Berschler, SITES -- Washington, D.C.

Success at Fergus Falls

We have been lucky to receive the inside scoop on the Fergus Falls opening of Between Fences from former MoMS team member, Krista Schmidt. Our industrious starlet helped the Otter Tail County Historical Society generate press surrounding the exhibit by writing press releases, answering questions about the MoMS experience, and speaking to local service groups about Between Fences. Krista even appeared on a local TV spot! Below is Krista’s first-hand account of Fergus Falls’ successful exhibit opening -- Read on to learn opening-day details, from attendance numbers to provoking discussions that emerged from the exhibit topic:

“The opening for Between Fences in Fergus Falls took place last Friday evening, February 5th, and it went really well!  Over 90 guests enjoyed an evening that featured catered food, a program about property disputes in Otter Tail County, and the first showing of the exhibit.  Between Fences looked beautiful in a special program wing of the museum, and the local exhibit was absolutely stunning. 

 

It was really fun overhearing visitors' comments as they looked through the exhibit.  One gentleman remarked, "You know, fences are all over the place, but I've never really noticed their impact until now."  Another lady started a discussion with me based on her observation of more and more fences going up in Fergus Falls.  We wondered if a sudden increase in new fences stems from a general feeling of uncertainty about the world.  Are people building fences as a subconscious way of establishing their own security on a planet that continues to witness natural disasters, terrorism, and political instability?  Will building these boundaries ultimately make us more or less secure?”

What do you think MoMSers? We would love to hear your take on these issues – feel free to respond to this blog post so that we can keep this discussion going!

Lastly, we would of course like to commend Krista and the Otter Tail County Historical Society. Fergus Falls’ local exhibit was extremely well-done. We have enjoyed looking at pictures of the historical society’s professional-looking displays and thoroughly-researched panels – Krista, your description of the exhibit fits best: “stunning.”

 

Fergus Falls has some intriguing Between Fences programming lined up for the future, including a discussion entitled  “Military Fences: From the Maginot Line to the Vietnam Wall,” and a lecture on local government arbitration of fence disputes – we anticipate some more impressive reports from the Otter Tail County Historical Society.

 -- Roxanne Berschler, SITES -- Washington, D.C.

Lakota Night at the Museum

The MoMS experience often highlights the ways in which stories from all towns, organizations and nations within America strengthen the story of the country as a whole. This past March, Lonnie Little Hoop of Alliance, Nebraska discussed the unique facets of  Lakota culture during a New Harmonies program.

Lakota language, stories and culture were celebrated during Knight Museum and Sandhills Center’s “Lakota Night at the Museum.” Lonnie Little Hoop opened the Lakota presentation with a victory song, while his daughters danced in elaborate regalia. During the celebration Little Hoop also shared his experience growing up as a young Lakota in Alliance, NE, highlighting the prejudice he faced due to his cultural heritage. The Nebraska Times-Herald reports; “For him, growing up as a minority in the schools and township of Alliance was tough…when he was a boy, the schools didn’t teach Native American history.” While Little Hoop admitted that he and other Lakotas “got by by surviving,” he made sure to acknowledge the progress of acceptance and equality that has developed throughout his lifetime.

    

We are enthralled by these powerful images, and are always thrilled when such meaningful narratives arise from innovative programming.

Thank you to The Knight Museum and Sandhills Center, and to Alliance Nebraska’s Times-Herald for the detailed report and photographs from this event.

 

-          Roxanne Berschler, SITES, Washington, D.C.

Georgia Wins Award

The Georgia Association of Museums and Galleries has honored the Georgia Humanities Council & Center for Public History and The University of West Georgia with an award for their work with the state's Key Ingredients tour!

 Arden Williams, Program Coordinator for Key Ingredients in Georgia, accepted the award  for “special projects” last week at the GAMG conference in Thomasville, GA.  The award was granted “for making a significant impact by generating new discussions about Georgia’s history, culture, and food traditions, attracting new audiences, and improving the quality of museum services to its host communities.”

                     
The MoMS team is proud of this accomplishment, and would like to extend our congratulations to all those involved in making Georgia’s run with Key Ingredients a triumph!

 -- Roxanne Berschler, SITES -- Washington, D.C.