SC Humanities is pleased to announce a special South Carolina tour of Water/Ways, 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 June 2020 – April 2021. 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 Tuesday, April 2, 2019. Host sites receive free exhibit rental, a grant to support local community programming, opportunities for professional development, and more.
The Smithsonian’s Water/Ways exhibition dives into water-an essential component of life on our planet, environmentally, culturally, and historically. In societies across the globe, water serves as a source of peace and contemplation. Many faiths revere water as a sacred symbol. Authors and artists are inspired by the complex character of water – a substance that is seemingly soft and graceful that is yet a powerful and nearly unstoppable force.
Water also plays a practical role in American society. The availability of water affected settlement and migration patterns. Access to water and control of water resources have long been a central part of political and economic planning. Human creativity and resourcefulness provide new ways of protecting water resources and renewing respect for the natural environment.
Dr. Randy Akers, Executive Director of SC Humanities, is pleased to be bringing Water/Ways to South Carolina: “SCH is delighted to be sponsoring the Smithsonian traveling exhibit Water/Ways throughout the state. It would be hard to find a topic more central to South Carolina. Beyond the obvious fact that water is crucial for human existence, water plays a dominant role in the environmental, cultural, economic and historical fabric of South Carolina.”
SC Humanities hopes that the communities that host Water/Ways will be able to further develop their cultural assets, engage in new collaborations, and grow their community identities in new and inspiring ways.
Water/Ways has been made possible in South Carolina by SC Humanities. Water/Waysis 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 Water/Ways in South Carolina, contact T.J. Wallace at 803-771-2477 or tjwallace@schumanities.org.
Download the Guidelines and Application | PDF file
