Brookdale Reports Smithsonian “Voices and Votes” Exhibition A Resounding Success

Brookdale Reports Smithsonian “Voices and Votes” Exhibition A Resounding Success

Brookdale Community College reports that its six weeks showing of the Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibition “Voices and Votes: Democracy in America” was a resounding success.

Brookdale Community College was expressly chosen by the New Jersey Council for the Humanities to host the exhibition as part of the Museum on Main Street project—a national/state/local partnership to bring exhibitions and programs to rural cultural organizations. “Voices and Votes” just ended its tour at the Monmouth Museum in Lincroft, NJ. The exhibition will continue to tour New Jersey with two more stops between now and January 6; an itinerary is available online.

Through a selection of photographs, objects, film, audio and interactives, “Voices and Votes” takes a broad look at the nearly 250-year-old American experiment of a government “of, by and for the people.” From the revolution and suffrage to civil rights and casting ballots, everyone in every community is part of this ever-evolving story—the story of democracy in America. Exhibition sections explore the origins of American democracy, the struggles to obtain and keep the vote, the machinery of democracy, the right to petition and protest beyond the ballot and the rights and responsibilities of citizens.

“We’re thrilled with the community’s reaction to ‘Voices and Votes,” said Dinneen Jackson, MoMS Project Director/Director, Wellness Center, Brookdale Community College. “By hosting a Smithsonian exhibition at our institution, we were able to increase awareness to our students about Democracy and garner more exposure for the College and the Monmouth Museum. By working with the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, local cultural organizations and businesses we were able to offer a wide variety of educational programs for our students and the entire community. We hope to build on these experiences in future program plans.”

Brookdale Community College would like to extend special thanks to the Monmouth Museum, Monmouth County Historical Association, Monmouth University Polling Institute, American Association of University Women (AAUW) Northern Monmouth County Branch (NMCB), T. Thomas Fortune Cultural Center, Energizing Young Voters, contributions by Brookdale Community College Professors, Artists Gary Erbe and Dong Kyu Kim and The League of Women Voters.

“Voices and Votes: Democracy in America” is part of Museum on Main Street, a unique collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), state humanities councils across the nation, and local host institutions. To learn more visit museumonmainstreet.org, sites.si.edu, or https://njhumanities.org/.

Support for Museum on Main Street has been provided by the United States Congress. https://www.brookdalecc.edu/.