Neenah’s historical Hometown exhibit earns award
If you enjoy seeing stories and images from the past come to life, check out the Neenah Historical Society‘s award-winning exhibit, “Making a Hometown – Life in Neenah’s Progressive Era.”
The exhibit has been awarded the Wisconsin Historical Society’s Museum Exhibit Award for 2018, and tells the story of life in Neenah in the early part of the 20th Century. It focuses on the relationship between early local industries and local community building organizations and the “hometown” that they together developed during that time in history.
Christian Overland, Wisconsin Historical Society Director, presenting the award to Steve Sheehan, professor from UW-Fox Valley who worked on this exhibit, and Jane Lang, Executive Director of the Neenah Historical Society.
“The years between 1890 and 1920 were a time of great social and technological change. Making a Hometown examines what life was like in Neenah during the Progressive Era, and how our city made its mark on the world,” said Dr. Christian Overland, director of the Wisconsin Historical Society.
Overland presented the award at the October 3rd Neenah City Council meeting. Accepting the award on behalf of the Neenah Historical Society was Jane Lang, the organization’s executive director. Lang also serves as an Alderman for the City of Neenah.
An $8,000 Arts & Culture grant from the Foundation’s Bright Idea Fund helped support this exhibit’s creation.
Visit the Current Exhibition page to learn about Making a Hometown.
Last year, a $3,500 Bright Idea Fund grant from the Community Foundation helped the Neenah Historical Society create three age-appropriate local history books for third graders, along with a teacher’s guide, to enhance students’ understanding and appreciation of the history of their local community. Read more, and listen to an interview on Wisconsin Public Radio about this project.
You can make the Bright Ideas burn even brighter by adding your support. See a list of all grants awarded from the Bright Idea Fund.
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