SC Humanities, in cooperation with the Smithsonian Institute’s Museum on Main Street program, is pleased to present Crossroads: Change in Rural America. The exhibition examining the evolving landscape of rural America will open at the Dillon County Court House through the efforts of the Dillon County Theatre Association on Saturday, May 18, 2019. Dillon is the LAST stop on the 10-month tour of the exhibit around the state.
Since 1900, the percentage of Americans living in rural areas dropped from 60 percent to 17 percent. Yet, Americans still rely on rural communities for the food and other resources that power the nation. Crossroads: Change in Rural America looks at that remarkable 20th-century societal change and how rural Americans responded. Learn more about the exhibit!
Dr. Randy Akers, Executive Director of SC Humanities, is pleased to be bringing Crossroads to South Carolina: “SC Humanities is one of the first three states to host this new Smithsonian exhibit, joining Illinois and Florida. I grew up in a farming village of 600 people in rural Illinois and have seen the devastating changes as small farms collapse, industry moves out, young people move to the city, and schools close. South Carolina is such a rural state, and its numerous small communities have suffered the past decades. Yet there are people, values, and cultural and historical assets that offer hope. The exhibit and programs which accompany it will challenge us to think about the future. What can we do to bring new life to some of the most beautiful natural landscapes in our state? This is a timely and extremely important exhibit addressing one of the most pressing social issues of this century.”
Crossroads: Change in Rural America will be on display at the Dillon County Court House through the efforts of the Dillon County Theatre Association from May 18 – June 29, 2019. While the exhibit is on display, the Dillon County Theatre Association will present a variety of events and special opportunities correlated to the theme of the exhibit.
Tuesday, May 7, 2019 | 6:30 p.m.
Look & See: A Portrait of Wendell Berry
Look & See is a cinematic portrait of the changing landscapes and shifting values of rural America in the era of industrial agriculture, as seen through the mind’s eye of Wendell Berry. Wendell Berry, one of America’s most significant living writers, captures the rolling hills and close-knit community of Henry County, Kentucky – where Berry has lived and farmed since the mid-1960s. Through Wendell’s eyes, we see both the changing landscapes of rural America in an era of industrial agriculture and the redemptive beauty in taking the unworn path.
Location: Ellis Performing Arts Center, 618 N. Richardson Street, Latta, SC
Free and open to the public
Info: 843-845-2875
View the flier
Thursday, June 13, 2019 | 6:30 p.m.
An Evening with Judge Lockemy: All Roads Lead Home
Location: Dillon County Theatre, 114 N. McArthur Avenue, Dillon
Free and open to the public
Info: 843-845-2875
Saturday, June 8, 2019 | 10:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Communal Pen: A Writing Workshop Celebrating Memories, Stories, and Traditions of Place
In the Communal Pen workshop, facilitators EboniRamm and Michelle Ross will help participants write to celebrate and explore connections to place and community.
No previous experience necessary!
Location: Dillon County Library (600 E. Main Street, Dillon)
FREE and open to the public, but registration is encouraged. Register by calling SC Humanities at 803-771-2477.
View the flier!
After Crossroads closes in Dillon, it will travel back to the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC. The exhibit also visited the Union County Library, Voorhees College in Denmark, the Newberry Opera House, the historic Harriet Barber House in Hopkins, and the Barnwell County Museum in 2018 and 2019.
For more information about Crossroads: Change in Rural America, please contact T.J. Wallace at 803-771-2477.
Crossroads: Change in Rural America was made possible in South Carolina by SC Humanities. Crossroads: Change in Rural America 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. Local support for Crossroads in South Carolina has been provided by Samsung, City of Union, and Wells Fargo.
