Last week, Missourians from all over the state gathered in Kirksville to participate in the Missouri premiere of the Smithsonian Institution’s New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music exhibit. The excitement in the air was palpable at the opening. A year of planning and community efforts were realized as the Kirksville Arts Association unveiled their complementary exhibit showcasing their connections to roots music, enhancing the national exhibit from the Smithsonian. (Below, Kirksville Mayor Martha Rowe plays a frottoir, also known as a Zydeco rub-board.)
Over the next few months, there will be a variety of programs and events taking place in Kirksville and throughout the state exploring the relationship to “roots music” in Missouri. From Kirksville, New Harmonies will visit five additional communities in 2009. To find out what each has planned in connection to the exhibit, be sure to visit the New Harmonies wiki page.
This week we notified a dozen Missouri towns that they can start planning for their own Smithsonian touring exhibits in 2010. They are:
New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music
Cassville - hosted by the Barry County Museum
Hannibal - hosted by the Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum
Jefferson City - hosted by the Lincoln University Library in partnership with the Cole County Historical Society
Nevada - hosted by the Vernon County Historical Society
Trenton - hosted by the Grundy County Historical Society & Museum
Unionville - hosted by the Putnam County Historical Society, Inc.
Journey Stories
Kingston - hosted by the Caldwell County Area Business Association & Foundation
Marshall - hosted by the Missouri Valley College Murrell Memorial Library
Walnut Shade - hosted by the Bonniebrook Historical Society, Inc.
Waynesville - hosted by the The Old Stagecoach Stop Foundation
Webb City - hosted by the Webb City Historical Society, the Webb City Genealogy Society, and the Friends of the Webb City Public Library
West Plains - hosted by the Harlin Museum and West Plains Council on the Arts
As we’ve seen in our decade-long partnership with the Smithsonian, Missouri's towns are extremely interested in these "Museum on Main Street" exhibits. The 40 organizations that competed for 12 opportunities to host the exhibits in 2010 far exceed the numbers in any other state. As the Smithsonian's partner in Missouri, we work with local organizations to involve the community in program planning. Local people effectively create activities to add value to the exhibit from the Smithsonian Institution. Our central purpose is to support the development of local institutionswith programming that builds sustainable success. Our ongoing partnership with the Smithsonian through Museum on Main Street is one of the primary means for this accomplishment.
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