Smithsonian exhibit needs local input

Published 3:57 pm Friday, May 9, 2014

Love to talk about what you do for a living?

Then your help and input is needed for a traveling Smithsonian exhibit that will be coming to Demopolis in 2015.

“The Way We Worked” will be at the Marengo County History and Archives Museum (MCHAM) from April 6-May 6, 2015.

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The interactive exhibit explores how work has become a central element in American culture. It traces the many changes that have affected the workforce during the past 150 years, including the growth of manufacturing and increasing use of technology.

MCHAM will add local exhibits to complement the Smithsonian’s piece.

Part of that local flair will include a documentary produced by the University of Alabama’s Center for Public Television.

The museum needs local workers to come and talk for 15 minutes about their jobs. The interviews will be recorded and used in the documentary.

Questions include everything from “What was your first job?” to “What lessons about life has your work taught you?” and “What is the great pleasure or satisfaction you get from your work?”.

“Everyone has a story. We hope you will share your story with us,” said Kirk Brooker with the Marengo County Historical Society.

The interviews will be done May 20 and 21 at the museum on Walnut Avenue. Call (334) 341-3439 or email marengomuseum@yahoo.com to schedule a time or get a full list of questions.

Demopolis was chosen by the Alabama Humanities Foundation to host “The Way We Worked” as part of the Museum on Main Street project.

The exhibition will tour six communities in Alabama from July 2014 to June 2015: Pell City, Athens, Valley, Cullman, Demopolis and Dothan.

“We are very pleased to be able to bring ‘The Way We Worked’ to our area,” said Mary Jones-Fitts, president of the Marengo County History and Archives Museum. “It allows us the opportunity to explore this fascinating aspect of our own region’s history, and we hope that it will inspire many to become even more involved in the cultural life of our community.”

The Alabama tour of “The Way We Worked” has been made possible by the Alabama Humanities Foundation, the Alabama Power Company and Norfolk Southern Railroad.

Museum on Main Street is a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), state humanities councils across the nation and local host institutions.

To learn more about “The Way We Worked,” visit museumonmainstreet.org.