Made possible by the California Humanities for All Grant from California Humanities, MVC is looking to the community for memories, artifacts, and photographs to create this exhibit.
Marking the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, the Museum of Ventura County has begun developing a new exhibit, The 19th: Votes for Women, featuring stories of Ventura County suffragists and the suffrage movement. The Museum has received a $5,000 California Humanities for All Grant from California Humanities to create the exhibit and will design the exhibit to travel to schools and other community spaces. The exhibit will feature a history of the suffrage movement in the United States and how the movement developed locally. The museum is currently issuing a “Call for Submissions” for items from the public to be included in the exhibit.
“Exhibits that are rooted in our community, that include community submitted items, are deeper and richer than any we could create with our collections alone,” says Research Library and Archives Director Deya Terrafranca. “We’re asking for recollections as well as photographs and photos of artifacts or posters. What is your first or most vivid memory of voting? Why do you vote? Do you think voting is important? We hope you’ll share your stories, thoughts, “I voted” stickers, or family voting recollections with the museum.”
The public can submit their photographs or stories between now and Wednesday July 15th through the Museum’s online Suffrage Movement Material Collecting form or by emailing [email protected].
The exhibit is being created in conjunction with Vision 2020 Ventura County, a local group of the national Vision 2020, a national coalition of organizations and individuals working to achieve economic, political and social equality for women. Vision 2020 is a nonpartisan convener, catalyst and rallying point for both women and men who are committed to gender equality. A local chapter of Vision 2020 is organizing events throughout Ventura County during 2020. More information can be found on their Facebook page.
The exhibit will be made possible by California Humanities and their Humanities for All Quick Grant program. Humanities for All is a grant program that supports locally-initiated public humanities projects. This program responds to the needs and interests of Californians, encourages greater public participation in humanities programming, particularly by new and/or underserved audiences. It aims to promote understanding and empathy among all our state’s peoples in order to cultivate a thriving democracy.
The Museum of Ventura County celebrates, preserves and interprets the art, history and culture of Ventura County, the California Channel Islands and the surrounding region through its collections, exhibitions, events, educational programs, publications and its research library, and serves as a gathering place for the community. The Museum has two locations. The main museum is located at 100 East Main Street, Ventura, CA 93001 and is open Tuesday – Sunday 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., 805-653-0323. The Agriculture Museum is located at 926 Railroad Avenue, Santa Paula, CA 93060 and is open Wednesday – Sunday 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., 805-525-3100. For more information,visit venturamuseum.org .
