Summer 2024 Exhibitions

The National Women’s Hall of Fame is excited to announce that the Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street traveling exhibition Voices and Votes: Democracy in America will be on view from July 12 to August 23. 

The exhibition is part of the Museum Association of New York’s humanities discussion series “A New Agora for New York: Museums as Spaces for Democracy.” The National Women’s Hall of Fame will use the Smithsonian exhibition as a launching point to explore, reflect on, and tell the story of the role of women in the evolution of American democracy.

As part of the “A New Agora for New York” project the Hall will host a response exhibition that includes: 

• The national fiber arts exhibition Co-Crafting Democracy: Fiber Arts and Activism, curated by Juilee Decker and Hinda Mandell (Rochester Institute of Technology)
• La Cicatrice, an art exhibition by Rebecca Aloisio (Rochester Institute of Technology)
• A mural design and installation by artists Victor Pultinas and Bernadette Bos
• The Rollercoaster for Women’s Rights, Equality, and Freedom, curated by Mia Tetrault, Greta Paasch and Betty Bayer (Hobart and William Smith Colleges), showcases the Hall’s archives and its inductees on the long history of the yet-to-be ratified Equal Rights Amendment (E.R.A.)

The exhibition also includes a humanities discussion series featuring: 

• A presentation by Senior Historian and Curator at the New York State Museum and Agora Project Scholar, Ashley Hopkins-Benton, on museums, archives, and stories told and untold
• A collection of oral histories from members of the public about how democracy takes shape in Seneca Falls
• Additional workshops, programs, and talks will take place throughout the summer

Scholar’s Talk
July 27, 2024 | 2 PM
Featuring Ashley Hopkins-Benton, Senior Historian and Curator of Social History at the New York State Museum, Museums, Democracy, and the Importance of Diverse Collections. Reservations are not required for this program. 

Museums can, and should, be a vital place to learn about democracy—why it is important, how it has failed, and all of the work that has taken place to make it better. Museums can be a place to be inspired by the tactics that have been used successfully to work for equal rights, as well as a place to confront the inequalities that persist. To truly serve this purpose, it is vital that museums focus on building diverse collections, develop ties with diverse communities, and work to share these resources in diverse ways. This talk will highlight some of these efforts at the New York State Museum, especially focused on collections related to women’s rights, civil rights, LGBTQ+ history, and immigrant history.

Community Conversation
July 31, 2024 | Time TBA (Evening)
Check back for details!

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Co-Crafting Democracy: Fiber Arts and Activism

The curatorial team consists of Betty Bayer, Tamar Carroll, Juilee Decker, Hinda Mandell, and Samaya Nasr and colleagues at the Hall.  Juilee Decker and Hinda Mandell are grateful for the support of the curatorial team, in particular Samaya Nasr, and would also like to thank the following colleagues from the RIT community: Liz Call, Landyn Hatch (RIT ‘20), Scott Nost (RIT ‘22), Jan Adil (RIT ‘22), and current students Lucia Bazdresch, Claire Gallucci, Renee Guerin, and Bella Herendeen. The installation was enriched by the assistance of Mia Tetrault, Greta Paasch and Betty Bayer from Hobart and William Smith Colleges. In addition, Juilee and Hinda would like to thank SewGreen Rochester for their donation of materials for the Little, Free Craft Depot. They would also like to thank RIT’s College of Liberal Arts and the Museum Studies Program in particular, and Dr. James Hall and RIT’s School of Individualized Study. Special thanks are due to Genesee Country Village & Museum, in particular curator Brandon Brooks and Peter Wisbey, for the loan of mannequins to display fiber art, and museum staff Jill Johnson and Izzy Moyer, who assisted with the installation of Voices and Votes (a crated show is never as easy to install as it appears to be!).

La Cicatrice, curated by Rebecca Aloisio

Central New York-based artist, Rebecca Aloisio, has been exploring the medium of  collage and mixed media for the past decade. Originally earning her BFA in sculpture  from the Cleveland Institute of Art, Aloisio uses her knowledge of 3-Dimensional  space and photographic material to inform her imagery.  Aloisio received her MFA from Syracuse University and is Senior Lecturer in the College of Art and Design at Rochester Institute of Technology. She is a recipient of the Pollock-Krasner Grant and has had solo exhibitions at the University of Rochester, the Schweinfurth Art Center in Auburn, NY, Hallwalls Contemporary Art Center in Buffalo, NY, and The Firehouse Art Center in Longmont, CO. This October she has been awarded an artist residency at the Visual Studies Workshop in Rochester, NY. More examples of her work and exhibition history can be found at  www.rebeccaaloisio.com.

Artist statement: Cicatrice is a French term meaning a mark or scar left by a healed wound. It may also refer to a mark on a stem that is left when a leaf or other part becomes detached (Oxford Dictionary). Like the transformative journey of Frankenstein’s creation, this new work aims to depict the constant evolution and mutation of our collective experiences, as well as the profound influence of technology on the human condition. How do we document ourselves? What moments do we choose to monument? How do these moments change us? Do these images help connect us to the world or are there so many, we have no choice but to disassociate? Ultimately, I seek to make images that hold viewers accountable, forced to question and challenge the authenticity of images that “lie” before them.

About Voices & Votes
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 and the William G. Pomeroy Foundation.

“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.

About Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service
SITES has been sharing the wealth of Smithsonian collections and research programs with millions of people outside Washington, D.C., for more than 65 years. SITES connects Americans to their shared cultural heritage through a wide range of exhibitions about art, science and history, which are shown wherever people live, work and play. For exhibition description and tour schedules, visit sites.si.edu.

About the National Women’s Hall of Fame
The National Women’s Hall of Fame was founded to bring the contributions and achievements of American women fully into our national narrative. We believe that an equitable and healthy nation is possible when all people are empowered to achieve their dreams. The Hall serves as a home for women’s stories, informed discussion, and collaborative partnerships. As a hybrid (virtual and physical) institution, the Hall aspires to be a national leader in conversations about women, their history, and the future.

About the Museum Association of New York
The Museum Association of New York is New York’s representative of the MoMS program, an outreach program of the Smithsonian Traveling Exhibition Service, and is the only statewide museum service organization with more than 750 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. Visit www.nysmuseums.org and follow MANY on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn @nysmuseums

About the National Endowment for the Humanities
Created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities supports research and learning in history, literature, philosophy, and other areas of the humanities by funding selected, peer-reviewed proposals from around the nation. Additional information about the National Endowment for the Humanities and its grant programs is available at: www.neh.gov.

About the William G. Pomeroy Foundation
The William G. Pomeroy Foundation® is committed to supporting the celebration and preservation of community history; and working to improve the probability of finding appropriate donor matches or other life-saving treatments for blood cancer patients. Established by Trustee Bill Pomeroy in 2005 to bring together his two greatest passions, the Pomeroy Foundation is a private, philanthropic organization located in Syracuse, N.Y. As the nation’s leading funder of historic roadside markers, the Pomeroy Foundation has awarded more than 2,100 grants for markers and bronze plaques in 48 states and Washington, D.C. To learn more about the Pomeroy Foundation, visit wgpfoundation.org.

About Humanities New York
Using dialogue, reflection, and critical thinking, Humanities New York applies the humanities to strengthen democratic society. Established in 1975 as the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, Humanities New York is a private 501(c)(3) organization that may receive federal, state, and private funding. To learn more about Humanities New York, visit humanitiesny.org.