Folks- I like that the anniversaries of the Civil War and the Freedom Riders are not only overlapping but also - at least in numerical terms that seem to capture and hold imaginations - terribly significant: 150 and 50, respectively. I'm liking the idea that there might be some form of connecting piece - from Civil War to Civil Rights - that might somehow shift the focus away from Warapalooza - someone came up with that and it had me rolling - and towards the broader questions of equality, citizenship, service, civic and political engagement, and sacrifices made in the name of democracy. Seems to me there's no corner of our States that couldn't find some connection to both and, although it might look different than originally proposed, could capture those big themes that run through all MoMS exhibitions in real, emotive, and face-slapping, breath-taking kinds of ways. I'm not sure what that does for the "homefront" piece, how one is supposed to exhibit around that with a troubling, but timely, theme like this, but it seems like a good time to try and imagine it. All the Best, Ryan Ryan Lewis ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Program Officer - Outreach and Programs Illinois Humanities Council 17 North State Street, Suite 1400 Chicago, IL 60602.3296 312.422.5585 ext. 231 312.422.5588 Fax [log in to unmask] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Purchase items on Amazon and support the IHC! <blocked::http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http:/ /www.amazon.com/&tag=illinhumancou-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=93 25> Follow us on Twitter <blocked::http://twitter.com/ilhumanities> - @ILhumanities Become a fan on Facebook! <blocked::http://www.facebook.com/pages/Illinois-Humanities-Council/8018 2767813> ________________________________ From: Museum on Main Street [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Ann-Mary J. Lutzick Sent: Tuesday, March 02, 2010 1:15 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: New MoMS exhibition ideas Hi all, I want to piggy-back on Mary's comments because I'm such a fan of the application of recent MoMS topics to all rural communities. The Civil War would not be such a theme for most Arizona communities (though Dan's suggestion of the war's impact might have more traction). I'm not saying that the Civil War doesn't have a history or shouldn't be explored in Arizona, but it doesn't strike me as a topic that would work here for a MoMS tour. I don't know if this is the case in other Western states, but I do think it's been beneficial that recent MoMS exhibitions have had such broad, accessible topics. Just some thoughts, take care, Ann-Mary Ann-Mary J. Lutzick 120 W Second St Winslow, AZ 86047 (c) 480/250-4809 (h) 928/289-8201 --- On Tue, 3/2/10, Mary Yager <[log in to unmask]> wrote: From: Mary Yager <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Re: New MoMS exhibition ideas To: [log in to unmask] Date: Tuesday, March 2, 2010, 8:47 AM Hi, Carol! I don't know that an exhibition on the Civil War homefront would be a big draw for MoMS in Nebraska. It would depend on how the homefront is presented. My initial thought is that the Civil War homefront is a departure from what has been the hallmark of recent MoMS exhibitions--broad topics that allow for state, community and personal exploration of American culture. Civil War homefront seems much more rooted in place and time than the MoMS norm. Produce for Victory was an exception, but related more closely in time and place for Nebraskans. I don't think it would be crucial that it open in 2011 or that interest would end in 2015. Mary Yager Senior Program Officer Nebraska Humanities Council 215 Centennial Mall South, Ste 330 Lincoln, NE 68508 402-474-2131 ext 103 FAX 402-474-4852 www.nebraskahumanities.org <http://www.nebraskahumanities.org> "Cultivating an understanding of our history and culture" Become a fan! Nebraska Humanities Council on Facebook <http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nebraska-Humanities-Council/142359187333? ref=ts> --- On Mon, 3/1/10, Harsh, Carol <[log in to unmask]> wrote: From: Harsh, Carol <[log in to unmask]> Subject: New MoMS exhibition ideas To: [log in to unmask] Date: Monday, March 1, 2010, 3:44 PM Dear MoMS family and friends, We are exploring some ideas for the next MoMS exhibition and want to get some quick feedback in preparation for a meeting on March 17 with some curators at the National Museum of American History and the National Portrait Gallery. There was a lot of talk at the Federation Conference about the upcoming 150th anniversary of the Civil War. We are exploring the possibility of developing an exhibition on the Civil War Homefront. This is something that we discussed with quite a few folks at the conference and heard resounding support. Since you have hosted MoMS exhibitions in the past you have a good feel for potential interest among the host communities, so we are interested in knowing your reaction to this idea, too. So, I have three questions: (1) Are you interested in a MoMS exhibition centered on the homefront during the Civil War? (2) If we were to do such an exhibition is it crucial that it open in the anniversary year-2011; or could it open later, maybe Fall 2012 or Spring 2013? (3) Do you think programs about the Civil War would only be popular in the anniversary years from 2011 to 2015, or is there generally an interest in the topic? We have been hearing about a lot of programming planned around the anniversary year. Please let us know at your earliest convenience if you think your council would be interested in hosting a MoMS exhibition on the subject. All the best, Carol Carol G. Harsh Director, Museum on Main Street Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service P.O. Box 37012, MRC 941 Washington, DC 20013-7012 202-633-5333 202-465-5267 (cell)