[Michlib-l] Smithsonian Exhibit Press Release

[Amber Alexander]

Presque Isle County, Michigan 

 

Rogers City will be the host site for the Smithsonian's Crossroads: Change
in Rural America 

 

ROGERS CITY, Michigan The Michigan Humanities Council announced the selected
host sites for the 2019-2020 tour of the national Smithsonian Institution
exhibition, "Crossroads: Change in Rural America," which explores the past,
present, and future of rural American communities. On behalf of northeast
Michigan, Presque Isle District Library was selected as one of six sites in
Michigan to host the Smithsonian Exhibit from March 21 through May 3, 2020.
"It's an honor to host this prestigious exhibit and be able to partner with
local and regional organizations showcasing our rural communities in
northeast Michigan. The partnerships forged through this programming, nearly
a dozen partners, will be able to benefit through this outreach", stated
Amber Alexander, Library Director. 

 

The focus of the exhibit's main themes are: Identity, Land, Community, and
Persistence/Change 

Crossroads is a thought-provoking and engaging exhibit that fits the
northeast Michigan community. "For those of us who live and choose to live
in rural northeast Michigan, to survive and thrive, we have to work together
locally and regionally for our opportunities; and be creative and
resourceful", stated Anne Belanger, Project Director for the exhibit and
Grantwriter. The exhibit will serve as a community meeting place for
conversations about how rural America has changed. The Smithsonian
Institution and their Museum on Main Street program provides access to the
Smithsonian for small-town America. It engages audiences and brings
attention to underserved rural communities. 

 

"The library is coordinating six weeks of programming that ties-in with the
Crossroads exhibit and will enhance the visitors' experience. There's a lot
of planning and programming involved with this exhibit", said Belanger. One
of the events to kick off the exhibit and bring people together is through a
shared meal. The library plans to invite restaurant owners to participate in
SouP-r-STEW where the community comes together to sample some of the
favorite soup or stew recipes from our participating restaurants in the
county. Other programming includes a regional roundtable, a film series,
community conversations and civic engagement, arts projects for youth and
adults, and more. 

Key partners include the City of Rogers City and the Downtown Development
Authority, the Rogers City Area Senior and Community Center, Rogers City
Area Schools, Presque Isle County Historical Museum; and partnerships in
Alpena and Boyne City as part of the regional roundtable. 

 

"The Presque Isle District Library will be celebrating its 75th anniversary
in 2020 as well. So we're fortunate that this exhibit coincides with the
library's 75th anniversary. We're planning additional programming throughout
the area in which the library serves", Alexander added. 

 

The Michigan Humanities Council is a private, non-profit organization
created to foster a better understanding of each other and our state though
local cultural, historical and literary experiences for all. MHC was founded
in 1974 and is funded in part by grants from the National Endowment for the
Humanities, and support from individual and corporate donors. For more
information, please visit www.michiganhumanities.org. 

Presque Isle District Library at www.pidl.org 

 

Amber Alexander,MLIS

Library Director

Presque Isle District Library

181 E. Erie Street

Rogers City, MI  49779

989.734.2477, 222

www.pidl.org <http://www.pidl.org/> 

 

 

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