Cromaine District Library to Host Smithsonian Exhibit

is proud to announce that The Michigan Humanities Council has selected Cromaine as one of the six host sites for The Way We Worked, a traveling Smithsonian exhibit, for its 2012-13 statewide tour.

The Way We Worked is a Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibit that explores the importance of work in American culture by tracing the many changes that affected the workforce and work environments over the past 150 years. Using large-format pictures, objects and interactive components, the exhibit shows how we identify with work, as individuals and as communities

“Cromaine has all the elements of a successful host site: recognition of Hartland’s unique labor tradition, a dedicated host institution and an enthusiastic community,” said Greg Parker, Michigan Humanities Council program officer.

The Way We Worked is part of the Museum on Main Street, a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution and state humanities councils across the country. Support for Museum on Main Street has been provided by the U.S. Congress.

Library Director Ceci Marlow says, “It is exciting to bring an exhibit of this caliber to our community that allows us to highlight our community’s past and present. To be able to offer a Smithsonian exhibit to our schools and our community, free of charge, is an opportunity that should not be missed! We want everyone to be able to enjoy this exhibit and the events that we will host during the exhibition.”

Cromaine will host the exhibit from late December 2012 through early February 2013. There will be events hosted throughout the entire exhibition period that relate to the Hartland Area Project, our local work history and work as we know it today. Event details will be released closer to the exhibits unveiling. 

About the Exhibit

The Way We Worked, adapted from an original exhibition developed by the National Archives, draws from the Archives' rich photographic collections to tell the story of work in American culture. Why, where and how we work? What value does work have to individuals and communities? What does our work tell others about us?

The Way We Worked is organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and is adapted from the original exhibition developed by the National Archives and Records Administration.

In Michigan, John Beck will serve as exhibition scholar, acting as the lead academic consultant for host communities and the Council. Beck is Associate Professor in the School of Human Resources and Labor Relations at Michigan State University, and co-directs the "Our Daily Work, Our Daily Lives" program, which explores and presents the culture of workers in the workplace. He has taught courses on labor studies, history, and education.

Michigan Exhibition locations:

Presque Isle County Historical Museum, Rogers City

Museum at Southwestern Michigan College, Dowagiac

Cromaine District Library, Hartland

Escanaba Public Library, Escanaba

Pere Marquette District Library, Clare

Hart Area Public Library, Hart

This press release was submitted by the Cromaine District Library.