Starting in March, 2011, the Ohio Humanities Council will sponsor a 10-month tour of New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music, an exhibit from the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum on Main Street.This exhibition was developed especially for small institutions and rural audiences that typically do not have access to traveling exhibits. OHC invites applications from historical societies and museums, libraries, or other institutions with the requisite resources for hosting New Harmonies.
New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music is the story of people in a New World, places they have left behind, and ideas they have brought with them. It is the story of people who were already here, but whose world is remade. The distinct cultural identities of all of these people are carried in song -- both sacred and secular. Their music tracks the unique history of many peoples reshaping each other into one incredibly diverse and complex people -- Americans. Their music is the roots of American music, whether we call it the blues, country & western, folk, or gospel.
EXHIBIT DESIGNThe New Harmonies exhibit consists of lightweight, modular sections, which require 800 square feet of space and 7 1/2 foot ceilings. The exhibit travels in easy-to-handle wheeled crates and requires no tools for assembly.
The exhibition space must be clean and well lighted, but no specific environmental controls are needed. Only limited security is required, but personnel must be near the exhibit at all times it is open.
Host institutions and community partners will be expected to develop associated programs that expand on the themes presented in New Harmonies. Activities could include any or all of the following:
- School design and essay contests
- Oral history projects
- Film and literary discussions
- Guest lectures
- Artifact collection and interpretation for an exhibit on the importance of roots music such as blues, country and western, ethnic, folk, and gospel music in the host community.
The Ohio Humanities Council partners with other institutions to create programs that will be available to most exhibit hosts.
EACH HOST INSTITUTION WILL RECEIVE:
- Exhibit rental for approximately 4-6 weeks
- An exhibition support manual wtih installation, public relations, and evaluation information
- Promotional materials such as posters, brochures, banners, and a press kit
- Workshops on program planning and exhibit installation
- Consultation with OHC staff for project planning and implementation
- Access to OHC’s mini-grant program
EACH HOST INSTITUTION WILL BE REQUIRED TO:
- Pay a $1,000 cash fee to the Ohio Humanities Council to off set exhibit rental and shipping costs
- Identify a staff member or volunteer who will attend all planning meetings and act as project director
- Maintain and publicize regular exhibition hours (no less than 25 hours per week)
- Conduct locally-based public programming during the exhibit’s stay
OHC will select host institutions based on factors such as geographic distribution, ability to provide public access to the exhibit, and interest in community programming. Luxurious facilities and previous experience with traveling exhibits or public humanities programming are NOT essential to a successful application.
Please contact Jack Shortlidge of the Ohio Humanities Council for an application. The application deadline is December 1, 2009. For more information , please contact Jack at 1-800-293-9774 or jacks@ohiohumanities.org.
To learn more about New Harmonies, go to
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