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 The Atlanta Library/Museum was selected in 2018 as
one of just six organizations in Illinois to host this new Museums
on Main Street exhibit produced by the Smithsonian Institution. The
exhibit will be open on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from
10:00AM – 3:00PM, on Sundays from Noon – 3:00PM, and by appointment.
The exhibit will run from February 2 through March 16, 2019 at the
Atlanta Museum and the Loft at Union Hall. The Atlanta Museum will
also organize guided group outings upon request. More information is
available by calling the Atlanta Library 217-648-2112.
Gold Sponsors of the Crossroads exhibit in Atlanta include the
Smithsonian, Illinois Humanities, and the Illinois Prairie Community
Foundation. Lead sponsors are the Atlanta Betterment Fund, the
Atlanta National Bank, Gary Gemberling, and David Kindred. A number
of local donors have also provided funds for the project as well as
in-kind support for its development and creation.
In conjunction with the Crossroads exhibit—which is coordinated by
Illinois Humanities in partnership with the Smithsonian—the Atlanta
Museum will unveil a brand new companion exhibit entitled
Classrooms and Community: Changes in Rural America’s Sense of
Community. This exhibit will examine how the development from
one-room rural schools through the centralized town-based school and
the larger consolidated school district has affected how communities
view themselves. Based on a series of oral interviews conducted in
2018, this exhibit is rooted in an exploration of how a sense of
place, common memories, and shared values combine to enliven the
school experience and shape a community’s perception of itself.
Also, on February 2, the Library District will unveil
a new community mural in its Union Hall Visitor and Welcome Center
and mount an exhibit of art work by students of Olympia High School.
The mural, created by artist Regan King and painted by King and a
group of local volunteers, celebrates the rural community of
Atlanta—its history, dreams and visions for the future. The art show
is also designed to capture the themes of the Smithsonian exhibit.
Students have chosen from one of the following subjects: reflections
on rural life; reflections on community; or reflections on school
experience.
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Museums on Main Street is a program conducted cooperatively by
the Smithsonian Institution and state humanities councils nationwide that gives
rural Americans opportunities to experience world-class exhibitions in their own
communities and enables the organizations that host the exhibitions to enhance
their capacities in a variety of ways.
The Crossroads exhibit describes the views of various cultural
communities regarding the use and management of land and examines the role of
land in the formation of local economies. It also discusses the emergence of
rural communities and the evolution of their economic and social structures,
especially during the period of rapid change in the mid-20th century.
Importantly, it will explore ways in which rural communities are responding
effectively to challenges in the 21st century and invite communities to
contemplate their own potential paths into the future.
In addition to the Atlanta Museum, the Crossroads exhibit will travel to the
Chester Public Library, Chester Illinois; the Old School Museum, Winchester
Illinois; Lake Shelbyville Visitors Center, Shelbyville Illinois; the Marshall
Public Library, Marshall Illinois; and the Sycamore History Museum, Sycamore
Illinois.
For more information about Illinois Humanities, the Museum on Main Street
program, and/or the Atlanta Public Library & Museum contact Cathy Maciariello,
Atlanta Public Library and Museum.
[Cathy Maciariello
Atlanta Public Library and Museum] |
