The exhibition will be on view at the Munson (left) from November 1 to December 13 and will coincide with Munson serving as a polling site. The Oneida History Center (right) will host a companion exhibit, “An Essential Feature of Democracy: Lucy Carlile Watson.”
The Museum Association of New York (MANY) announced the next stop for the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service Museum on Main Street exhibition Voices and Votes: Democracy in America will be Munson Museum of Art in Utica, N.Y.
The exhibition coincides with Munson serving as a polling site for Utica’s Ward 5, District 7 and Ward 2, Districts 6 and 8. The museum anticipates hundreds of voters and visitors on Election Day.
“Voices and Votes stresses the personal experience of democracy,” said April Oswald, Munson Museum Education Director. “For example, at each venue, community members record their individual observations about what democracy means to them, animating real life events such as becoming a citizen and gaining the right to vote.”
“The Voices and Votes exhibition examines how voting rights have changed dramatically over our history as we confronted issues of race, class, wealth, and politics,” said MANY Deputy Director Megan Eves. “As Utica residents visit the Munson to exercise their right to vote, we hope they will explore this timely exhibition to learn and understand more about the democratic process and their role within it.”
Munson is partnering with Oneida County History Center to celebrate this exhibition in Utica. The History Center was founded in 1876 amid the excitement and anticipation for the U.S. Centennial and is dedicated to preserving and sharing Oneida County's history. The History Center has organized a companion exhibit, “An Essential Feature of Democracy: Lucy Carlile Watson.” Watson played an active role in bringing the women’s suffrage campaign to central New York. This exhibition showcases her life and the contributions of local women in achieving equality and enhancing the lives of those in their community.
For additional programming as part of the “A New Agora for New York: Museums as Spaces for Democracy” series, the History Center will host a scholar lecture, “Women Voted on this Land Before Columbus,” with Sally Roesch Wagner, Ph.D., a Syracuse University professor and major scholar on the suffrage movement who has taught women’s studies for over five decades. Roesch Wagner’s lecture will discuss how sovereign women of the Haudenosaunee Peoples in upstate New York may have shown early settlers how societies with empowered women could succeed.
“The History Center is excited to collaborate with Munson and Dr. Roesch Wagner to showcase local contributions and influences on the women’s suffrage movement and civic engagement,” said History Center Executive Director Rebecca McLain. “It is an honor to work across disciplines with these talented individuals. We encourage the public to visit both sites and hope they are inspired to learn more about their local and national history.”
MANY is the statewide organizer for the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service’s Museum on Main Street Program, which previously brought the “Water/Ways” exhibition to six New York museums in 2019. The Museum on Main Street program offers traveling exhibitions, educational resources, and programming across America to communities through local museums, historical societies, and other cultural venues.
This project is supported through a Market New York grant awarded by Empire State Development and I LOVE NY, New York State’s Division of Tourism.
Learn more about the New York State tour of the Voices and Votes exhibition: https://agoranewyork.org/ and preview the full schedule of programming and events happening at the Munson Museum of Art and the Oneida County History Center.
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Voices and Votes is a Museum on Main Street (MoMS) exhibition developed by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. It’s based on an exhibition by the National Museum of American History. It has been made possible in New York State by the Museum Association of New York. Support for MoMS in New York State has been provided by the United States Congress.
“A New Agora for New York: Museums as Spaces for Democracy” humanities discussion programs are made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Additional funding from the William G. Pomeroy Foundation supports public events, community exhibitions, free public lectures, workshops for teachers, and community discussion programs.
About the Museum Association of New York
The Museum Association of New York is the only statewide museum service organization with more than 780 member museums, historical societies, zoos, botanical gardens, and aquariums. MANY helps shape a better future for museums and museum professionals by uplifting best practices and building organizational capacity through advocacy, training, and networking opportunities. Visitwww.nysmuseums.organd follow MANY on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn @nysmuseums
About Munson
Munson is an internationally recognized fine arts organization in Utica, serving diverse audiences through the renowned Munson Museum of Art, live performances and events, community arts classes, and Pratt Munson College of Art and Design, the upstate extension campus of the prestigious Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Munson Museum of Art is at 310 Genesee St. in Utica. For more information, visitmunson.art.
About Oneida County History Center
Oneida County History Center (OCHC) is fueled by a passion for history, education, and community. Founded in 1876, its mission is to protect, preserve, and share the past of Oneida County and central New York. Free public programs, rotating exhibits, educational opportunities for all ages, and preservation of a vast archival and artifact collection are at the core of its mission. Oneida County History Center is at 1608 Genesee St. in Utica. Visitoneidcountyhistory.org for more information.
