Maryland Humanities Council Seeks Host Sites for Smithsonian Traveling Exhibit, The Way We Worked
Five Communities Will Be Chosen to Host National Exhibition and Develop Their Own Companion Programming Highlighting Local History
Are you a small cultural or community organization serving your local community and looking to enhance partnerships, build your organization’s programming, and tell your local “work” story and history? The Maryland Humanities Council (MHC) invites small museums, public libraries, historic sites, community centers, parks, and other cultural and civic organizations to apply to host the The Way We Worked exhibition.
The Maryland Humanities Council will bring The Way We Worked, part of the Smithsonian Institution’s “Museum on Main Street” traveling exhibition program, to Maryland for a five-stop statewide tour from February to November 2017.
What Interested Organizations Need to Know
Each site of the five sites chosen will host the exhibit for six weeks and will develop related humanities-based programming including a complementary exhibit highlighting their community’s own “work” stories and history. Host sites should serve small communities (those with populations of 500 to 20,000). Local exhibits and programs should involve community partnerships and incorporate the stories of people in the community whom are often overlooked. Host institutions will plan, implement, and publicize at least two public humanities programs and a companion exhibit that celebrates local work history. Applicants will be judged on their ability to plan and carry out humanities-based public programs, utilize new partnerships, and provide dedicated leadership.
The deadline to submit proposals is March 31st, 2016. Applications, instructions, and RFP information can be found on the MHC website. Selected sites will be announced in April 2016. Organizations with questions can also contact program coordinator Theresa Worden at 410.685.0303 or via email at tworden@mdhc.org.
About The Way We Worked
With their hands and minds hard at work and sweat on their brows, American workers perform a diverse array of jobs to power our society. Whether we work for professional satisfaction and personal growth or to ensure the well-being of ourselves and our families, work is a part of nearly every American’s life. Office workers, factory workers, homemakers, truckers and the millions more who keep the nation going through their work make great contributions not only to industry, but also to American culture. The diversity of the American workforce is one of its strengths, providing an opportunity to explore how people of all races and ethnicities identified commonalities and worked to knock down barriers in the professional world. And, finally, the exhibition shows how we identify with work – as individuals and as communities.
About Museum on Main Street
Museum on Main Street (MoMS) is a Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service program that teams up with state humanities councils to bring high-quality traveling exhibits to small communities through their own museums, historical societies, and other cultural venues. Residents enthusiastically engage with exhibition content, as diverse community members come together to share and celebrate their heritage.