FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 15, 2006
CONTACT: Andrew Graham
andy@maaa.org
800-473-3872

Two New Exhibitions Selected for Prestigious NEH Program

After months of reviewing exhibitions at museums across the country, Mid-America Arts Alliance has selected two new NEH on the Road exhibitions, Going Places and Carnaval!

These two shows will travel to small and mid-sized museums and historical societies through NEH on the Road, a program that offers affordable traveling versions of exhibitions supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities. The NEH on the Road traveling exhibitions contain artifacts and images from the original shows and retain their intellectual context.

The newest exhibitions explore American transportation and international festivals, respectively. Going Places originates from the Long Island Museum of American Art, History, and Carriages located in Stony Brook, New York. Going Places will include an intriguing mix of artifacts related to the history of carriages. Objects may range from a full-sized racing carriage to 3D artifacts such as carriage parts, riding instruments, riding hats, costumes, and assorted harnesses and tack. The exhibition will also showcase archival pieces, including photographs and advertisements.

Carnaval! reaches across international borders to explore festivals in diverse parts of the world, including Louisiana, Italy, Trinidad, Brazil, and Switzerland. Barbara Mauldin, curator at the International Museum of Folk Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico, has constructed an exhibition that celebrates and elucidates traditional celebrations through colorful photography, masks, costumes, and video installations.

According to Dee Harris, Director of Visual Arts and Humanities for Mid-America, “We were wowed by both exhibitions, and we are confident that they will be a strong part of the NEH on the Road program.”

NEH on the Road was originally launched in 2001 with a $1 million grant to Mid-America Arts Alliance, a regional arts organization based in Kansas City, Missouri. Mid-America subsequently organized four exhibitions with leading cultural institutions, including the Asia Society in New York and The Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan.

Those original four successful NEH on the Road exhibitions are currently crisscrossing the nation. Host institutions are selected in communities with populations of 300,000 or fewer, and the rental fee is only $1,000.

“Museum exhibitions supported by the NEH enliven the cultural life of our nation’s cities and communities,” said Bruce Cole, Chairman of the NEH. “NEH on the Road assists us in extending the reach and the life of these exhibits, bringing the best of the humanities to more Americans.”

Mary Kennedy McCabe, Executive Director of Mid-America Arts Alliance, says that she has high hopes for the future of the program. “We’ve been very happy with the success of NEH on the Road. Basically, this partnership with the NEH and outstanding museums around the country provides Mid-America with the resources to continue what we do best: bring cultural opportunities to underserved communities of all sizes.”

Based on the initial popularity of the project, the National Endowment for the Humanities renewed its partnership with Mid-America Arts Alliance in April 2006. The three-year renewal for NEH on the Road included a $1.5 million grant for Mid-America to continue touring selected exhibitions to small and midsize museums throughout the United States and develop two new exhibitions. That’s where Going Places and Carnaval! come in.

Current NEH on the Road exhibitions include Asian Games: The Art of Contest, which examines the Asian origins of board games such as backgammon and chess; Farm Life: A Century of Change for Farm Families and Their Neighbors, which explores the political, economic, and cultural changes that have occurred in rural, agricultural communities; Wrapped in Pride: Ghanian Kente and African American Identity, which includes vibrant and highly symbolic examples of kente cloth; and Heroes of the Sky: Adventures in Early Flight, 1903-1939, an exhibition featuring the first men and women to see the potential of flight.

Mid-America Arts Alliance’s mission is to enrich communities through cultural experiences. Founded in 1972, the organization is governed by a board of directors drawn from its partner states of Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas. Additional major support is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, participant state arts agencies, and leading foundations and corporations. For further information, visit the Web site at www.maaa.org.

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