Queen Anne’s County to host Voices & Votes: Democracy in America Exhibit
Maryland Humanities Press Release on brining the traveling Smithsonian exhibition to Queen Anne’s County:
Voices and Votes: Democracy in America, a traveling Smithsonian Institution exhibition, opens at the Kennard African America Cultural Heritage Center, 410 Little Kidwell Ave., Centreville, on Saturday, June 12th. Hosted by the Queen Anne’s County Historical Society, opening day exhibition hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and will coincide with the Juneteenth Festival, presented by the Kennard African America Cultural Heritage Center. The exhibit is free and open to the public.
Voices and Votes: Democracy in America will continue its run in Centreville through July 24th. Exhibit hours are 3 to 7 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
Each Voices and Votes host site creates its own local companion exhibit to complement the Smithsonian’s exhibition. Queen Anne’s County companion exhibit, titled “Action, Reaction, Vision,” will showcase local people and organizations and their participation in the democratic process.
Companion exhibit subject matter includes the Kennard Juneteenth Celebration, Kent Island’s history as a potential site as a Proving Ground, women’s impact on democracy and advocacy efforts to get out the vote and much more. “Hosting the Voices and Votes exhibit provides the Queen Anne’s County Historical Society with the opportunity to involve the community in telling the story of our active role in activities that raise awareness, change policy, give a voice to injustices, advocate for productive and protective policies and teach a younger generation how to use their voice to have an impact on the community around them,” says Jennifer Moore, President of the Board of Directors for the Queen Anne’s County Historical Society.
At press time, 21 organizations signed on as companion exhibit participants. Included are Centreville Middle School, Chesapeake Republican Women, Eastern Shore Land Conservancy, Sassafras, Kennard African American Heritage Center, The Historical Society of Kent County, Kent Island Heritage Society, Minary’s Dream Alliance, NAACP, Queen Anne’s County Chapter, New United Methodist Church/Alpha Phi Alpha, Inc., Queen Anne’s County Board of Elections, Queen Anne’s County Democratic Club, Queen Anne’s County Centre for the Arts, Queen Anne’s County Character Counts, Queen Anne’s County Drug Free Coalition, Queen Anne’s County Garden Club, Queen Anne’s County Historical Society, Queen Anne’s County League of Women Voters, Queen Anne’s County Office of the Sheriff, Queen Anne’s Railroad Society, Sumner Hall, and Worthmore Equestrian Center.
The Queen Anne’s County stop on the Voices and Votes traveling tour is the second venue of a five-stop tour of the state, presented through Maryland Humanities’ Museum on Main Street program. Voices and Votes is the seventh Museum on Main Street project brought to small communities throughout the state by Maryland Humanities. The Centreville exhibition is presented in partnership with Kennard African American Heritage Center. Corporate sponsors at press time, include Queenstown Bank, Shore United Bank, Queen Anne’s County Historical Society, Queen Anne’s County League of Women Voters, Earle’s Cove Trading Company, Shirley Middleton Tax Service, Purple Cat PR, and Preservation Hall PRS.
Voices and Votes programming is supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the State of Maryland, and Maryland Public Television is the tour’s Media Sponsor. The Queen Anne’s County Historical Society is partnering with Kennard African American Cultural Heritage Center as the host location and will be working with QAC-TV, WBOC-TV and radio as media outlets.
Voices and Votes is free and open to the public. Registration through EventBrite is encouraged, but not required. Walk-ins are welcome.
For more information, visit qachistoricalsociety.org, or contact Jennifer Moore at [email protected] or (410) 708-0151.
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About Voices and Votes: Voices & Votes is based on a major exhibition currently on display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. This Museum on Main Street adaptation has many of the same dynamic features: historical and contemporary photos; educational and archival video; engaging multimedia interactives with short games and additional footage, photos, and information; and historical objects like campaign souvenirs, voter memorabilia, and protest material. Our democracy demands action, reaction, vision, and revision as we continue to question how to form “a more perfect union.” How do you participate as a citizen? 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.
About Museum on Main Street: Museum on Main Street is a Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service program that teams up with state humanities councils to bring high-quality Smithsonian traveling exhibitions to museums, historical societies, and other small-town cultural venues across the country. These exhibits boost civic pride, as residents young and old, from diverse backgrounds come together to share and celebrate their heritage.
About Maryland Humanities: Maryland Humanities is a statewide nonprofit organization that creates and supports educational experiences in the humanities that inspire all Marylanders to embrace lifelong learning, exchange ideas openly, and enrich their communities. For more information, visit www.mdhumanities.org. Maryland Humanities is generously supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities; the State of Maryland; the Citizens of Baltimore County; private foundations; corporations; small businesses; and individual donors. Connect with Maryland Humanities on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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