Smithsonian’s ‘Crossroads’ travels to Glasgow
GLASGOW, Ky. (April 1, 2021) – The South Central Kentucky Cultural Center in partnership with the Mary Wood Weldon Memorial Library, and Kentucky Humanities will examine how an attraction to, and interaction with, the land formed the basis of rural America. The Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibit Crossroads: Change in Rural America, which opens Saturday, April 10, focuses on how rural communities and small towns evolve.
The exhibit will be on display at the South Central Kentucky Cultural Center, 200 West Water Street in Glasgow, until May 15. The South Central Kentucky Cultural Center will be open Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Masks and social distancing are required.
Special programs related to the exhibit include:
- “My Rural Home” — This virtual art show can be viewed on theSouth Central Kentucky Cultural Center and Mary Wood Weldon Memorial Library Facebook and YouTube pages.
- “Basket Making History” — Beth Hester will lead this virtual discussion and demonstration. This can be viewed on theSouth Central Kentucky Cultural Center and Mary Wood Weldon Memorial Library Facebook and YouTube pages beginning April 15th.
- “Jelly Canning and Freezing” — Latoya Drake will lead this virtual discussion and demonstration on April 16that 2 p.m. Check theSouth Central Kentucky Cultural Center and Mary Wood Weldon Memorial Library Facebook pages for the link to join.
- “Changes in Rural South-Central Kentucky” — Sam Terry will lead this cemetery tour at the Glasgow Municipal Cemetery on April 24that 10 a.m. Reservations are required and can be made by calling the South Central Kentucky Cultural Center.
- Kentucky ReadsHannah Coulterbook discussion —April 27th at 6:30 p.m. This will be a virtual event. Contact the library for more information.
Updates and additional events can be found on the South Central Kentucky Cultural Center website, https://www.kyculturalcenter.org/ or the Mary Wood Weldon Memorial Library website http://www.weldonpubliclibrary.org/.
Crossroads explores how rural American communities changed in the 20th century. From sea to shining sea, the vast majority of the United States landscape remains rural with only 3.5 percent of the landmass considered urban. Since 1900, the percentage of Americans living in rural areas has dropped from 60 percent to 17 percent. The exhibit looks at this remarkable societal change and how rural Americans have responded.
Americans have relied on rural crossroads for generations. These places where people gather to exchange goods, services and culture and to engage in political and community discussions are an important part of our cultural fabric. Despite the massive economic and demographic impacts brought on by these changes, America’s small towns continue to creatively focus on new opportunities for growth and development.
“Crossroads allows us to reflect on Kentucky’s history, present and future and we are excited to explore what the future may hold for our rural communities,” said Bill Goodman, Executive Director of Kentucky Humanities. “We want to stimulate conversations about what makes our communities unique and how community members can work together to reach their full potential.”
Kentucky Humanities chose the South Central Kentucky Cultural Center and Mary Wood Weldon Memorial Library to host Crossroads as part of the Museum on Main Street project — a national/state/local partnership to bring exhibitions and programs to rural cultural organizations. Museum on Main Street is a partnership of the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, the Federation of State Humanities Councils and state humanities councils nationwide. The United States Congress and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet provide support to the Museum on Main Street project. The exhibition is touring seven communities in Kentucky from October 17, 2020 through July 31, 2021. You can find the exhibit’s tour schedule at https://www.kyhumanities.org/programs/smithsonian-exhibit-crossroads.
Kentucky Humanities is a non-profit Kentucky corporation affiliated with the National Endowment for the Humanities. For more information about Kentucky Humanities programs and services, visit kyhumanities.org. For information about Crossroads and other Museum on Main Street exhibitions, visit museumonmainstreet.org.
