SC Humanities is pleased to announce a special South Carolina tour of Americans, an exhibition from the Smithsonian Institution. Developed as part of the Museum on Main Street (MOMS) program, this exhibit is designed especially for small cultural organizations and rural audiences that lack regular access to traveling exhibitions due to space and cost limitations.
The exhibit will tour six South Carolina communities from August 2026 – June 2027. Eligible host sites include small museums, libraries, historical societies, cultural centers and other community venues in towns of fewer than 20,000 residents. Applications are due by Wednesday, October 1, 2025. Host sites receive free exhibit rental, a grant to support local community programming, opportunities for professional development, and more.
The Smithsonian’s Americans exhibition explores how deeply intertwined American Indians are in the culture of the United States. American Indians are less than 1 percent of the population, yet images of Indians are everywhere. From imagery on commercial products and professional and high school sports mascots, to classic Westerns and episodes of Seinfeld and South Park, we are surrounded by American Indian imagery. Indian names are everywhere too, from state, city, and street names to the Tomahawk missile. The exhibit poses the question, “How is it that Indians can be so present and so absent in American life?”
Based on a major exhibition at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC, Americans surrounds visitors with images and objects from popular culture and delves into historical events like Thanksgiving, the Trail of Tears, and Little Bighorn. The exhibition invites visitors to explore this complicated history and to share local stories about Native American history and culture and identity.
Dr. Jennifer Gunter, Executive Director of SC Humanities, is excited to be bringing Americans to South Carolina: “We at South Carolina Humanities could not be more proud to be sponsoring the Smithsonian traveling exhibit Americans. Some of the earliest descriptions of our state and its people were made by Hernando De Soto in 1540 at the town of Cofitachequi, near present day Camden. He told of the riches and beauty of the people and the land, especially that of their female chief. South Carolina still is home to riches and beautiful people. This exhibit will offer ongoing opportunities for folks to discuss this history as well as the present day influence of Native Americans in South Carolina.”
SC Humanities hopes that the communities that host Americans will be able to further develop their cultural assets, engage in new collaborations, and grow their community identities in new and inspiring ways.
Americans has been made possible in South Carolina by SC Humanities. Americans is part of Museum on Main Street, a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution and state humanities councils nationwide. Support for Museum on Main Street has been provided by the United States Congress.
For more information about Americans in South Carolina, contact T.J. Wallace at 803-771-2477 or tjwallace@schumanities.org.
SC Humanities has now shifted to using an Online Grants Management System, managed by Foundant. You will need to create an account to access the Americans application. Please review the registration instructions below. If you have an questions or difficulties, please contact T.J. Wallace at tjwallace@schumanities.org. You can preview the application questions HERE.