Take the Survey
For more information contact:
Carol Harsh, Director, Museum on Main Street
Museum on Main Street (MoMS) Exhibition Survey
Help MoMS Select Our Next Exhibition!
As a MoMS humanities council partner or other state partner, we value your opinion and request your help in selecting the next Museum on Main Street exhibition that will begin traveling in 2023.
Some of you may have provided input on a selection of these proposals at the humanities conference in Hawaii last year. Those responses have guided us up to this point. However, the world has significantly changed, and in conversations with Smithsonian colleagues at the various museums, we have finetuned some of the proposals, and expanded the topics.
As you review the seven proposals, please consider how collections of local historical organizations in your state compliment the subject matter, and what the potential for educational outreach and related humanities programming in the host communities would be.
All of the responses will be tallied and factored into the final decision that will be made by SITES and the MoMS team by the end of the year. Like previous MoMS exhibitions, the chosen exhibition will be between 600 and 800 square feet, free-standing, and include objects in cases, interactive components, and audio and video presentations. To learn more about other MoMS exhibitions, please visit our website, www.museumonmainstreet.org.
Please download and review all seven exhibition proposals using the links below before submitting your survey response.
We are accepting responses through October 23, 2020.
American Health: Crisis or Complexity?
American Health: Crisis or Complexity? looks at where Americans stand in terms of overall health by looking at trends in illnesses, public health, and nutrition during the 20th and 21st centuries. Then, by examining various areas in American health attitudes and care, the exhibition sets a stage for local exhibitions and conversations that look at local issues and impacts.
Download Full Exhibition Proposal
Come Rain or Shine: Weather Shapes our Daily Lives
Come Rain or Shine: Weather Shapes our Daily Lives encourages exploration of Earth’s climate and can start important conversations about how human beings interact with the natural world. Each small prairie town, coastal village, or large city offers up different, personal, and transformative stories about our relationship with weather, climate and the environment.
Download Full Exhibition Proposal
Entertaining America
Entertaining America is inspired by a major exhibition under development at the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution. The exhibition will feature objects, music, multimedia, and engaging imagery capturing a myriad of moments throughout American history and revealing how entertainment has provided an avenue for many voices and causes to be represented. Host venues and council partners will find rich opportunities for connections to the humanities and community conversations.
Download Full Exhibition Proposal
Girlhood (It's Complicated)
Based on an exhibition by the National Museum of American History, Girlhood looks to engage audiences in relevant conversations about youth movements and women’s history. What does it mean to be a girl or a young woman in America today? The answers to such questions can be highly debated, but open to rich interpretation and opportunities for expression. Even the design of the original exhibition is based on “zines” – self-published magazines that have been powerful tools for young women to let their voices and concerns be heard. Visitors will be encouraged to leave their own reflections for others through storytelling and exhibition interactives.
Download Full Exhibition Proposal
Many Voices, One Nation: Becoming US
Many Voices, One Nation: Becoming US explores the central concept that provides a foundation for the nation: E pluribus unum, out of many, one. The Latin motto is emblazoned on the country’s Great Seal and proclaims a core ideal of the United States of America. Together we ask: “How did we become US?” Throughout our shared history, how we became US can be found in asking more questions rather than in seeking simple answers. Together we chronicle “Who is free? Who is included? Who belongs?” Because in the answers to these three queries can be found rich local and national efforts for unity. These stories of conflict and compromise illustrate how we became US and how we continue to strive for a shared future.
Download Full Exhibition Proposal
Sounds of Faith
Sounds of Faith is an exhibit featuring a mix of audio, images, and contextual materials telling the stories of many religious communities’ American journeys. At ten stations, audio projection will allow visitors to experience sounds of spiritual practice associated with each community it represents. The exhibit uses the emotional power of soundscapes to transport visitors into community spaces that they may not otherwise be able to access. Visitors will realize the exhibition’s main message of religious diversity as essential to American life not by being told about it, but by experiencing it themselves through multiple senses.
Download Full Exhibition Proposal
Spark! American Invention and Innovation
Spark! will celebrate curiosity, uncover the incredible past behind the ‘ordinary’ inventions of today, and spark the energy and creativity of today’s youth. The exhibition will focus on making these stories personal, revealing the genius behind the inventions, and highlight that EVERYONE can be an innovator!
Download Full Exhibition Proposal