NEWBERRY — In 1900, about 40 percent of Americans lived in rural areas. By 2010, that number had changed to less than 18 percent.
In just over a century, massive economic and social changes moved millions of Americans into towns and cities. Still, nearly 60 million Americans live in rural areas, and the United States needs vibrant and sustainable rural communities.
The Newberry Opera House, in cooperation with SC Humanities, will investigate the changes that have affected small towns over the past century as it hosts Crossroads: Change in Rural America, a traveling exhibition from the Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street program.
Crossroads will be on view in Newberry from Dec. 12, 2018 through Feb., 2019.
The Newberry Opera House and the surrounding community has been expressly chosen by SC Humanities in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution, through a competitive application process to host the program as part of “Museum on Main Street” — a national, state and local partnership to bring exhibitions and programs to rural cultural organizations.
The exhibition will tour six communities in South Carolina from Sept. 2018 through June 2019.
“Crossroads offers small towns a chance to envision their futures and engage in discussions about what happened when America’s rural population became a minority of the country’s population and the ripple effects that occurred,” read a release from the organization. “Despite the massive economic and demographic impacts brought on by these changes, America’s small towns creatively continue to find new opportunities for growth and development.”
“We are very excited to be able to bring Crossroads to the Newberry and Midlands communities,” said Molly Fortune, Executive Director of the Newberry Opera House. “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 Opera House in Newberry was a central meeting place for city business as well as world class entertainment for our county and region. Therefore it is a perfect fit to have the museum housed in the historical central gathering place of the Opera House. Home to conversation and enlightenment since 1881.”
“SC Humanities is one of the first three states to host this new Smithsonian exhibit, joining Illinois and Florida,” said Dr. Randy L. Akers, Executive Director of SC Humanities. “I grew up in a farming village of 600 people in rural Illinois and have seen the devastating changes as small farms collapse, industry moves out, young people move to the city and schools close. South Carolina is a rural state and its numerous small communities have experienced many changes over the past decades. Yet there are people, values and cultural and historical assets that offer hope. This exhibit and the programs which will accompany it will challenge us to think about the future. What can we do to bring new life to some of the most beautiful natural landscapes in our state? This is a timely and extremely important exhibit addressing one of the most pressing social issues of this century.”
Crossroads is a unique collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), state humanities councils across the nation and local host institutions.
To learn more about Crossroads and other Museum on Main Street exhibitions, visit www.museumonmainstreet.org.