The Sumter County Museum will feature the traveling exhibit Forest to Furniture: Exploring the History of South Carolina’s Wood Products from Thursday, January 23 – Saturday, April 26, 2025. The exhibit is part of the University of South Carolina’s ongoing Wood Basket project, which SC Humanities supported with a Major Grant.
Forest to Furniture: Exploring the History of South Carolina’s Wood Products examines the hidden-in-plain sight stories of furniture and other wood products manufactured in the Palmetto State. It presents a broad overview of the rich and complicated history of lumber, wood products, and forest conservation in South Carolina from the late nineteenth century to the current day. Aided by research undertaken by USC students, the exhibit was guest curated by Lynn Robertson, former longtime McKissick Museum director.
The exhibit is one facet of the University of South Carolina’s Wood Basket project, which includes a major conference that took place in April 2023 in Sumter, an anthology that will be published by USC Press in 2025, an oral history project, the creation of a permanent collection of Sumter-made wood products, as well as expanded archival collections. The goal is “that this work will both shift the narrative about South Carolina’s industrial history and launch important efforts in environmental humanities and other fields.” More information about Wood Basket can be found here: https://digital.library.sc.edu/woodbasket/.
Forest to Furniture: Exploring the History of South Carolina’s Wood Products will be on display at the Sumter County Museum from January 23 – April 26, 2025. The Sumter County Museum is located at 122 N. Washington Street, Sumter, SC 29150. The hours are Thursday – Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
There will be a special opening event on Thursday, January 23.
Thursday, January 23rd at 6:00pm
Exhibit Opening
Program featuring Dr. Jessica Elfenbein, USC Professor and History Department Chair in McKenzie Hall
Light Refreshments Provided
Opportunity to view Forest to Furniture: Exploring the History of South Carolina’s Wood Products
Through workshops, book signings, lectures, family programs, community involvement, and hands-on history events, the Sumter Museum provides an engaging educational experience to visitors of all ages. Learn more: https://www.sumtermuseum.org/.
The mission of SC Humanities is to enrich the cultural and intellectual lives of all South Carolinians. Established in 1973, this 501(c)3 organization is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors comprised of community leaders from throughout the state. It presents and supports literary initiatives, lectures, exhibits, festivals, publications, oral history projects, videos, and other humanities-based experiences that directly or indirectly reach more than 250,000 citizens annually. South Carolina Humanities receives funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities as well as corporate, foundation and individual donors. The National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom.
