For over twenty years, the Council has sponsored the the Smithsonian Museum on Main Street program (MoMS) in West Virginia, which brings topical exhibits to rural towns across the state. In 2021-2022, the Council is proud to present Crossroads: Change in Rural America, which focuses on key themes of identity, land, community, persistence, and managing change.

From August 2021 to June 2022, Crossroads will visit seven sites in West Virginia. In each town, the host sites and their surrounding communities will also contribute their own programming and events to bring the exhibit's themes to life in a unique, locally grounded context. The Council contributes financial assistance and logistical coordination, but in every West Virginia place Crossroads visits, the exhibit will come to represent something different.

See below for a list of tour locations, dates, and contacts at each site. For the most up-to-date information on Crossroads events and programming in each community, please use the provided contact information to get in touch with the host organization in your community.

Moorefield – Moorefield High School – August 30 through September 30, 2021
Contact: Michele Moure-Reeves, Hardy County CVB
www.VisitHardyWV.com, visithardy@gmail.com, 304.897.8700

Weston – Museum of American Glass – October 6 through December 4, 2021
Contact: Anna Cardelli, Historic Landmark Commission, City of Weston
www.facebook.com/historicbuildingsmatter, annakmitchell@gmail.com, 304.594.6607 or City of Weston 304.269.6141

Arthurdale – Arthurdale Heritage, Inc. - December 11, 2021 through January 22, 2022
Contact: Darlene Bolyard, Executive Director, Arthurdale Heritage Inc.
www.ArthurdaleHeritage.org, ahi@arthurdaleheritage.org, 304.864.3959

Weirton – Weirton Area Museum and Cultural Center – January 31 through March 7, 2022
Contact: Savannah Schroll Guz, Executive Director, WAMCC
www.WeirtonAreaMuseum.com, weirtonareamuseum@gmail.com, 304.224.1909

New Martinsville – Wetzel County Museum – March 11 through April 20, 2022
Contact: Holly Morgan, President, Wetzel County
www.VisitWetzelCounty.com, holly@backhomefestival.com, 304.398.4910

Mt. Hope – Coal Heritage Discovery Center – April 22 through May 30, 2022
Contact: Scott Worley, AmeriCorps Member, Harmony For Hope
www.facebook.com/HarmonyForHope, harmoni4hope@gmail.com, 304.228.1851

Welch – Jack Caffrey Arts and Cultural Center – June 4 through July 6, 2022
Contact: City of Welch
www.facebook.com/jackcaffreyartsandculturalcenter, 304.436.3113

Changes have transformed rural America—and West Virginia—throughout the last century. What are some of these changes, and what have they meant for rural life? Why and how do people work to preserve and support their rural communities? What is rural life like today, and how are rural West Virginians shaping their future?

The West Virginia Humanities Council (WVHC), the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, is sponsoring a special West Virginia tour of Crossroads, an exhibit from the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Services (SITES) as part of their Museums on Main Street program (MoMS). WVHC has sponsored several MoMS exhibits over the last two decades, connecting twenty West Virginia counties with Smithsonian resources.

Crossroads will travel to seven West Virginia communities from August 2021 to June 2022 and is available only through WVHC. Sites are selected on the strength of their submitted applications including the narrative, appropriate display space, proposed ideas for local programs and exhibit(s), and geographic location.

Host institutions are expected to develop a variety of public humanities programs that expand on the themes presented in the exhibit.  These might include: lectures, films, and discussions about change within their town or region; interaction with the land; the evolving landscape as the populations of rural towns have grown smaller; the collective identities that motivate them to seek positive transformation of their communities; and more.

The West Virginia Humanities Council invited small museums, historical societies, historic properties, cultural organizations, and communities to apply to host Crossroads and provide public programs around the exhibit. Organizations in rural areas received priority, as the Museum on Main Street program targets rural communities.

CROSSROADS brings to your community:

• A top-notch traveling exhibit designed by the Smithsonian team.
• Up to $3,000 in WVHC funding for exhibit-related programming (additional funds can be applied for through WVHC’s regular competitive grant process).
• Direct access to the project’s designated state scholar.
• Capacity-building and professional development opportunities from WVHC and the Smithsonian.

CROSSROADS requires:

• Minimum 800 square feet of open exhibit space; 1000 square feet recommended.
• Commitment from your organization to create additional programming and content to augment the Smithsonian exhibit.
• Dedicated staff or volunteers at your organization who can attend two planning meetings prior to hosting the exhibit, and spearhead coordination with other contributing organizations in your area.