VOICES & VOTES: Prestigious Smithsonian Exhibit at the library through Jan. 25
For inspiration and encouragement, HCDP folks may want to visit VOICES & VOTES: Democracy in America, a Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibit at the Henderson County Public Library through January 25.
VOICES & VOTES is based on an exhibition by the National Museum of American History in Washington and features interactive displays on topics including the right to protest, the diversity of the US electorate, women’s suffrage, information from the US citizenship test, and much more. This initiative is part of the Museum on Main Street program, a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, North Carolina Humanities, and local host institutions.
“I think it’s hopeful to see all the things our democracy has endured in the past,” noted Rachel Poller, who is serving as one of the League of Women Voters docents for the exhibit. “I’ve especially enjoyed learning more about women’s suffrage and how long that effort went on before women finally got the right to vote. It’s really a wonderful exhibit.”
VOICES & VOTES is free and open to the public in the Kaplan Auditorium during the main library’s regular hours: 9 am – 7 pm Monday through Thursday and 9 am – 5 pm Friday and Saturday.
In addition to the Smithsonian exhibit, the library is featuring related displays and activities at all branches during this time, including voting-related photos from the Baker-Barber Photograph Collection of historic Henderson County photos. Events include a screening of The Vote, a film telling the story of women’s suffrage in the United States, and a talk about the history of voting rights in North Carolina by the authors of Fragile Democracy: The Struggle Over Race and Voting Rights in North Carolina.
VOICES & VOTES is a perfect activity for a cold winter day and offers a hopeful reminder that free speech, protest and perseverance are effective tools for defending and expanding democracy in our community, state and nation.
DETAILS:
WHAT: Voices & Votes: Democracy in America, a Museum on Main Street Exhibition organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service.
WHERE: Kaplan Auditorium of the Henderson County Public Library, 301 N. Washington Street, Hendersonville
WHEN: Now through January 25, 9 am to 7 pm Monday through Thursday and 9 am to 5 pm Friday and Saturday
ADDITIONAL EVENTS
The Vote film screening—Monday January 6 at 2 pm (part one) and Tuesday January 7 at 2 pm (part two) at Edneyville Library, 2 Firehouse Road, Hendersonville. Attendees must make reservations. Reserve your seat on the library website (Public Library | Henderson County North Carolina ) or call 828-685-0110.
History of Voting Rights in North Carolina Talk—Wednesday January 8 at 6 pm in the Hedrick-Rhodes Veterans Center, 900 N. Main St., Hendersonville. Learn about the history of voting rights in North Carolina in a talk by professors Jim Leloudis and Robert Korstad. Attendees must make reservations. Reserve your seat on the library website ( Public Library | Henderson County North Carolina ) or call 828-697-4725.