Maryland Humanities Tour of Smithsonian Exhibition Travels to Montgomery County

October 8, 2021

Voices and Votes travels the state through Maryland Humanities’ Museum on Main Street Program

(Baltimore) – Voices and Votes: Democracy in America, a traveling Smithsonian Institution exhibition, opens at Sandy Spring Museum on October 8.  The museum serves as the fourth venue of a five-stop tour of the state, presented through Maryland Humanities’ Museum on Main Street program.

Each Voices and Votes host creates a local exhibit to complement the Smithsonian Institution exhibition. Sandy Spring Museum presents Incarceration and Creation: Art as a Human Need, which features art from people  currently or previously incarcerated. Allison Weiss, Executive Director at Sandy Spring Museum, says, art  “serves as a mode of communication, a vehicle for connection, and a source of freedom.” The museum partners on the exhibit with Justice Arts Coalition (JAC), a  Maryland based non-profit that expresses the goal of working “to reimagine justice” by connecting currently and previously incarcerated artists with other artists, arts advocates, and allies. JAC focuses on sharing stories and says its goal is to have “the arts as a bridge between people inside and outside of prison.”

Voices and Votes is the seventh Museum on Main Street project brought to small communities throughout the state by Maryland Humanities. Each venue hosts the exhibition for six weeks and develops a complementary exhibit highlighting their community’s heritage and histories.

“In addition to learning more about our country’s voting history, we’re looking forward to exploring the voting rights history of five diverse Maryland regions where our host sites are located,” said Lindsey Baker, executive director of Maryland Humanities. “We see the impact the lack of voting access has on many Americans today and can better understand current civil rights movements by looking at our history.”

Voices and Votes programming is supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the State of Maryland, and Maryland Public Television is the tour’s Media Sponsor.

Sandy Spring Museum hosts Voices and Votes October 8–November 21, 2021. The museum is located at 17901 Bentley Road in Sandy Spring. The exhibition will be on view Mondays and Fridays, 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.; Wednesdays, 10:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m.;  and Sundays, 12:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.  Sandy Spring Museum will follow specific COVID safety protocols. Learn more at www.sandyspringmuseum.org or call (301) 774-0022.

Tour Schedule:

April 17, 2021 – May 30, 2021 Allegany Museum, Cumberland, Allegany County
June 12, 2021 – July 24, 2021 Queen Anne’s County Historical Society at Kennard African American Cultural Heritage Center, Centreville, Queen Anne’s County
August 14, 2021 – September 25, 2021 Edward H. Nabb Research Center for Delmarva History and Culture, Salisbury, Wicomico County
October 8, 2021 – November 21, 2021 Sandy Spring Museum, Sandy Spring, Montgomery County
December 4, 2021 – January 22, 2022 Baltimore County Historical Society at the Community College of Baltimore County Dundalk, Baltimore County

On a white background, words with all-capital letters read "Voices and Votes: Democracy in America." "Voices" is white font in a red speech bubbled. "Democracy in America" is in matching red font. "And Votes" is in navy blue font.About Voices and Votes
Voices and Votes is based on a major exhibition currently on display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. This Museum on Main Street adaptation has many of the same dynamic features: historical and contemporary photos; educational and archival video; engaging multimedia interactives with short games and additional footage, photos, and information; and historical objects like campaign souvenirs, voter memorabilia, and protest material. Our democracy demands action, reaction, vision, and revision as we continue to question how to form “a more perfect union.” How do you participate as a citizen? From the revolution and suffrage, to civil rights and casting ballots, everyone in every community is part of this ever-evolving story – the story of democracy in America.

About Museum on Main Street
Museum on Main Street is a Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service program that teams up with state humanities councils to bring high-quality Smithsonian traveling exhibitions to museums, historical societies, and other small-town cultural venues across the country. These exhibits boost civic pride, as residents young and old, from diverse backgrounds come together to share and celebrate their heritage. Learn more about the program here.

Press Release