Smithsonian exhibition explores importance of journeys in U.S. history.
CHICAGO – The Illinois Humanities Council announces the opening of "Journey Stories," a traveling exhibition of the world-renowned Smithsonian Institution, at the Sycamore History Museum at Engh Farm (1730 N. Main St., Sycamore). The exhibition will run from May 31, 2009 through July 11, 2009. Viewing hours are 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Tuesdays through Saturdays and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Sundays.
The grand opening festivities will be on Sunday, May 31st from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and will include presentations by city officials and community leaders. Guided tours, family activities, and group demonstrations will be held throughout the afternoon. Admission to the opening is $5 per person, with children 14 and under admitted free.
On Saturday, June 6th at 1:00 p.m., Dr. Dennis Cremin, Assistant Professor and Director of the History Center at Lewis University, will give the presentation, "Journey Stories: From Our Backyard to the Nation." This program will be free and open to the public. For more information on the exhibit and other public programs, contact the Sycamore History Museum at (815) 895-5762.
ABOUT "JOURNEY STORIES"
"Journey Stories" tells how we and our ancestors came to America. From Native Americans to new American citizens and regardless of our ethnic or racial background, everyone has a story to tell. Our 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. Many chose to move, searching for something better in a new land. Others had no choice, like enslaved Africans captured and relocated to a strange land and bravely asserting their own cultures, or like Native Americans already here, who were often violently removed by newcomers.
"Journey Stories" is part of the Illinois Humanities Council’s Museum on Main Street (MoMS) program, a partnership between the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and state humanities councils nationwide. MoMS serves museums, libraries, and historical societies in towns of fewer than 30,000 residents by bringing them Smithsonian-quality exhibitions. For more information about MoMS, call Ryan Lewis at 312.422.5585 x231 or visit www.prairie.org/moms.
The Illinois Humanities Council is a nonprofit educational organization [501 (c) 3] dedicated to fostering a culture in which the humanities are a vital part of the lives of individuals and communities. Organized in 1973 as the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, the IHC creates programs and funds organizations that promote greater understanding of, appreciation for, and involvement in the humanities by all Illinoisans, regardless of their economic resources, cultural background, or geographic location. The IHC is supported by state, federal, and private funds.
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