Smithsonian Exhibition: Voices and Votes: Democracy in America

Eligible applicants will:

• Either be located in a community with a population of around 20,000 or the have ability to demonstrate limited access to nationally recognized exhibitions
• Provide:
  •  a minimum of 700 square feet of display space for the Smithsonian exhibition
  • a ceiling height of at least 9 feet
  • functional electrical outlets in the display space
  • shipping crate storage of 220 square feet
  • minimum standards of security during the exhibition’s stay

• Have convenient hours that are open to the public
• Tell a unique local story that ties in with the theme of Voices and Votes that will be the basis for a locally produced companion exhibition
• Demonstrate ideas for strong public humanities programming
• Develop partnerships among organizations in the community or region

Sites selected to host the Voices and Votes exhibition will:

• Assign a project director for the exhibition who will attend planning meetings and coordinate the project from beginning to end
• Implement publicity in your local community and region in cooperation with Arizona Humanities
• Produce a local companion exhibition and host public humanities programs
• Host a grand opening/ribbon cutting and invite public officials, media, legislators, congressional representatives, and others
• Provide a cost share report at the project’s conclusion tracking all staff and volunteer time, facility expenses, and other donated resources
• Provide a secure, dry space to store empty exhibition crates for the duration of the exhibition.
• Engage in cooperative publicity
• Contribute hard work and some out-of-pocket expenses

When will Voices and Votes be in Arizona?

• The exhibition will tour Arizona from March 28, 2020 to January 10, 2021.
• Mark your top three choices for exhibition dates. If your host site is selected Arizona Humanities will use this information to create the final exhibit tour schedule. AH staff will strive to match host sites with their preferred dates. However, we cannot guarantee organizations will be assigned their top choices. 
• Exhibition schedule:

             March 28, 2020 – May 9, 2020 
             May 16, 2020 – June 27, 2020 
             July 4, 2020 – August 15, 2020 
             August 22, 2020 – October 3, 2020 
             October 10, 2020 – November 21, 2020 
             November 28, 2020 – January 9, 2021 

The exhibition will explore historic events and pose questions for today in the following content areas:

• The Great Leap: Examine the context and main controversies behind America’s democratic system. Learn the stories of our famous founders and those who remain mostly unknown. What were the principles and events that inspired the writers of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution? Just how revolutionary was our new democracy led by the people? And who were “the people?”
• A Vote, A Voice: We have a diverse body of voters today, but not every American has always had the right to vote. The fight for fair representation, suffrage, and a voice at the polls has meant struggle and changes to law ever since our founding. Learn about these struggles, how voting was expanded, and continued challenges to getting the vote.
• The Machinery of Democracy: We participate in the political system through state and national parties, nomination conventions, and stomping for our candidate of choice. Learn about this machinery of democracy, how it calls us to be involved, but can also control how we get information about candidates and issues.
• Beyond the Ballot: Americans fight against injustice. Men and women of every ethnicity, class, and state have shared in the revolutionary spirit of rising up and speaking out. The First Amendment to the Constitution guarantees this right to peaceably assembly and petition the government. See the different places and different motivations of diverse Americans to petition for their interests and concerns.
• Creating Citizens: Who are “We the People?” What is the meaning of citizenship? Ever since the creation of the Constitution, Americans continue to interpret, expand, and shape the rights and responsibilities of being a citizen. Explore how those views of rights and responsibilities have shaped our national identity and our complex national story.