‘Journey Stories’ opens Dec. 12 for six week stay in Hazlehurst

The Smithsonian “Journey Stories” Exhibition opens at 7:00 pm on December 12, 2009 and remains on display until January 19, 2009 at the Hazlehurst Depot Museum.  The Opening event provides the first opportunity for the community to experience the impressive display of images, text, and artifacts that tell the changing stories of how travel has influenced American lives. The six-week exhibit promises to be one of the highlights of the Copiah County holiday season.

Months of work and effort have gone into this event with several organizations participating to insure a successful outcome. The Hazlehurst Chamber of Commerce is providing the museum space and their Executive Director, Randall Day, is serving as Co-Director of the Project.  The Copiah Chapter DAR and the Copiah County Historical and Genealogical Society are providing lecture series support.  Numerous facilities are participating in the lecture series including the Depot Museum, Hazlehurst; Heritage House, Hazlehurst;  J. T. Biggs Memorial Library, Crystal Springs; Chautauqua Park Visitors Center, Crystal Springs;  Mt. Zion Church, Hazlehurst;  First Baptist Church, Crystal Springs, and Porches Restaurant, Wesson.  

Two grant awards from the MS Humanities Council to the Copiah County Office of Cultural Affairs have provided access to the exhibit, transportation, funds for supplies, on-site docent training, guest lecturer funding, and follow-up support.   Dr. Janet Schriver is the Project Director for this Copiah County Smithsonian Exhibition.

Trained docents are provided through the Co-Lin Senior Aids Program with two seniors placed on loan from the Copiah County Office of Cultural Affairs, Laura Taylor and Agnes Smith. Volunteer trained docents include Tricia Nelson-Easley, Billie Jane Davis, Alberta Nelson, Randall Day, and Melody Worrell.

“We’re looking forward to providing more cultural opportunities to this area,” said David Morgan, Director of the “Journey Stories” Exhibition, MS Humanities Council.

Through a partnership with the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., the Mississippi Humanities Council is bringing this portable six-kiosk exhibit to Mississippi. “Journey Stories” will appear in six communities from May 2009 through March 2010, including Clinton, Southaven, Natchez, McComb, Hazlehurst, and Long Beach.

“Journey Stories” is an interactive exhibit addressing migration and immigration as they relate to the American experience. Using engaging images, audio and artifacts, it tells stories that illustrate the critical roles travel and movement have played in building our diverse American society.

“Journey Stories” is part of the Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street (MOMS) program. MOMS serves small- to medium-sized communities by bringing Smithsonian-quality exhibitions to local museums, historical societies, libraries and community centers that traditionally have limited access to traveling exhibitions due to space and cost limitations. Each exhibition consists of free-standing structures that contain interactive components and artifacts. In addition to the MOMS structures, each host community will add elements to their installation of the exhibit and produce a series of local programs related to the “Journey Stories” themes.

For information about “Journey Stories,” contact David Morgan at 601-432-6752 or by email at  david@mhc.state.ms.us. Information about the traveling exhibit may also be obtained by visiting www.mshumanities.org or www.museumonmainstreet.org.

The Mississippi Humanities Council is funded by Congress through the National Endowment for the Humanities to provide public programs in traditional liberal arts disciplines to serve nonprofit groups in Mississippi.

“Journey Stories” has been organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibitions Service (SITES) in association with the Mississippi Humanities Council.