The Maryland Humanities Council (MHC) has announced the five sites chosen to host Journey Stories, a national Smithsonian exhibit which will travel throughout Maryland from May 2012 to January 2013, through a partnership between the MHC and the Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street (MOMs) Program.
Curated by William Withuhn, curator of transportation for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, Journey Stories explores tales of how we and our ancestors came to America – a narrative which is a central element of our personal heritage. Maryland partners will add their local stories and programs exploring travel and migration in our State.
MHC Executive Director Phoebe Stein Davis says “We are so proud of Between Fences, our most recent Museum on Main Street exhibit, and happy to continue to partner with communities across the state to bring such high‐quality programs into local venues. Maryland’s Journey Stories are vast and deserve closer exploration.”
American history is filled with stories of people leaving behind everything – families and possessions – to reach a new life in another state, across the continent, or even across an ocean. Transportation history is more than trains, boats, buses, cars, wagons, and trucks. Journey Stories examines the intersection between modes of travel and Americans’ desire to feel free to move. The story is diverse and focused on immigration, migration, innovation, and freedom. It is accounts of immigrants coming in search of promise in a new country; stories of individuals and families relocating in search of fortune, their own homestead, or employment. The exhibit is also dedicated to addressing harrowing journeys of Africans and Native Americans forced to move.
Journey Stories uses engaging images, audio, and artifacts, to tell the individual stories that illustrate the critical roles travel and movement have played in building our diverse American society.
Journey Stories Sites and Schedule
MAY 26, 2012 – JULY 6, 2012
Harford County Public Library, Abingdon
Partner: Harford County Department of Community Services
JULY 13, 2012 – AUGUST 24, 2012
Cecil County Arts Council, Elkton
Partners: Cecil County Public Library, Historical Society of Cecil County
AUGUST 31, 2012 – OCTOBER 12, 2012
Brunswick Railroad Museum, Brunswick
Partner: Frederick County Public Library
OCTOBER 18, 2012 – NOVEMBER 30, 2012
Mosely Gallery UMES, Princess Anne, MD
Partners: Frederick Douglass Library at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and Princess Anne Main Street
DECEMBER 7, 2012 – JANUARY 18, 2013
Prince Georges Arts and Humanities Council, Oxon Hill, MD
Partner: Prince Georges County Memorial Library System
At www.journeystories.org users can view exhibitions created by host states and communities and browse through their collections. Visitors are encouraged to share their journey stories with the Smithsonian, their state humanities councils, local communities, and the world through the “Share Your Story” link. Stories will be added to the site’s archive.
About the Maryland Humanities Council
The Maryland Humanities Council (MHC) is a statewide, educational 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that utilizes the humanities to encourage informed dialogue and increased civic engagement. MHC encourages Marylanders with different backgrounds and viewpoints to see, hear, and learn more about others and themselves because only informed engaged citizens can build healthy, democratic societies. Since 1973, the Maryland Humanities Council has brought humanities programs to communities across the state and provided grant funding for nonprofit organizations to create their own humanities programs. To learn more, visit www.mdhc.org.
Journey Stories: Press Release Quotes from Participating Sites
“The city of Brunswick is defined by its history as a Chesapeake and Ohio Canal town and a Baltimore and Ohio Railroad company town, providing the city with a vibrant population of adventurers, immigrants and entrepreneurs. We are delighted that the exhibit will be housed in the historic Kaplon Building in downtown Brunswick, which was built by one of the first Jewish settlers to the region, and served as the area’s main department store for decades. Brunswick’s roots as a transportation hub are still visible in the C&O Canal’s towpath, the Potomac River, and MARC rail commuter services. We can’t wait for the arrival of ‘Journey Stories’ to help us celebrate Brunswick’s past, present, and future!”
‐‐‐Rebecca O’Leary, Curator, Brunswick Railroad Museum
“With the Smithsonian Institution’s ‘Journey Stories’ exhibition, the Maryland Humanities Council offers us an opportunity to expand our efforts at enhancing ‘town and gown’ relations. It enables us to bring together a diverse group of people with many journey stories to tell and highlights the positive aspects of the historical community that is Princess Anne, Maryland.”
‐‐‐ Anke Van Wagenberg, Mosely Gallery Director, University of Maryland Eastern Shore
“Cecil County Arts Council is thrilled to have been chosen as a host site for the upcoming Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition, ‘Journey Stories.’ Our gallery space, partnered with the Historical Society’s knowledge of local traditions and the Cecil County Library’s vast, theme‐supportive programming creates a unique, first‐time collaboration opportunity for us all.”
‐‐‐ Heather Morrissey, Executive Director, Cecil County Arts Council
“We are honored and thrilled to be selected as one of the sites for ‘Journey Stories’. The opportunity to host a Smithsonian exhibit and collaborate with the Harford County Department of Community Services and other local organizations, in bringing the story of immigration, transportation and migration to our community, is very exciting.”
‐‐‐ Mary Hastler, Director, Harford County Public Library
“The Prince George’s Arts and Humanities Council is honored to join the Prince George’s County Memorial Library System to bring heightened focus to the rich cultural history of our county through the ‘Journey Stories’ traveling exhibition. Our stories are what make us a welcoming place to live, work and play for residents and visitors alike.”
‐‐‐ Lionell Thomas, Executive Director, Prince George’s Arts and Humanities Council