EXHIBIT FROM
JUNE 4 - JULY 16, 2022
The Laurens County Museum has been selected by South Carolina Humanities to be one of the host sites for an exhibit from the Smithsonian Institution during the summer of 2022. This is an honor, as only six were chosen as part of the Museum on Main Street Program. The name of the exhibit is "Voices and Votes: Democracy in America" and will be in our visiting exhibit room From June 4-July 16, 2022. Stay tuned for more as we move forward.
The Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street, in cooperation with South Carolina Humanities Council, presents “Voices and Votes: Democracy in America.” The exhibition examines the nearly 250-year-old American experiment of a government “of, by and for the people,” and how each generation since then continues to question how to form “a more perfect union.” Opening at the Laurens County Museum June 4, 2022, “Voices and Votes” will be on view through July 16, 2022.
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Laurens County Museum and the surrounding community has been chosen by the South Carolina Humanities Council, to host “Voices and Votes” as part of the Museum on Main Street program—a national/state/local partnership to bring exhibitions and programs to rural cultural organizations.
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“Voices and Votes” explores the action, reaction, vision and revision that democracy demands as Americans continue to question how to shape the country. From the revolution and suffrage to civil rights and casting ballots, everyone in every community is part of this ever-evolving story—the story of democracy in America. Exhibition sections explore the origins of American democracy, the struggles to obtain and keep the vote, the machinery of democracy, the right to petition and protest beyond the ballot and the rights and responsibilities of citizens. “Voices and Votes” features historical and contemporary photos; educational and archival video; engaging multimedia interactives with short games; and historical objects like campaign souvenirs, voter memorabilia, and protest material.
Designed for small-town museums, libraries and cultural organizations, “Voices and Votes” will serve as a community meeting place for conversations about democracy, the freedoms and responsibilities of citizens, participating in government, and more.
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“Voices and Votes” is based on an exhibition currently on display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History called American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith.
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The exhibition is part of Museum on Main Street, a unique collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), state humanities councils across the nation, and local host institutions. To learn more about “Voices” and other Museum on Main Street exhibitions, visit museumonmainstreet.org.
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Support for MoMS has been provided by the U.S. Congress.
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SITES has been sharing the wealth of Smithsonian collections and research programs with millions of people outside Washington, D.C., for more than 65 years. SITES connects Americans to their shared cultural heritage through a wide range of exhibitions about art, science and history, which are shown wherever people live, work and play. For exhibition description and tour schedules, visit sites.si.edu.
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