(Editor’s note: The application deadline to host “Voices and Votes: Democracy in America” has been extended to Feb. 21. Indiana Humanities is inviting Hoosier communities with up to 15,000 residents to apply to showcase this exhibition, which takes an in-depth look at American democracy.)
By Dwight Adams
The Indiana Citizen
January 19, 2025
The state of America’s democracy was a key talking point in the recent presidential election.
Reflections on democracy also will likely be top of mind as the nation nears the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 2026.
People living in a handful of lucky Indiana communities will be able to get a closer look at our form of government, and share their thoughts about it, next year if selected to host the Smithsonian’s “Voices and Votes: Democracy in America.” The traveling exhibition will appear in small towns in Indiana during the semiquincentennial, which will celebrate the anniversary of the signing of the historic document which launched the American Revolution on July 4, 1776.
Although “Voices and Votes” was not specifically developed for the upcoming 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence’s signing, the exhibition “is an opportunity for people to explore what it means to be a citizen in a democratic nation,” Jennifer Schommer, assistant director for public affairs for the Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street, said in an emailed response to questions from The Indiana Citizen. “When American revolutionaries waged a war for independence, they embraced a radical idea of establishing a government that entrusted the power of the nation not in a monarchy, but in its citizens.”
As part of the partnership between the Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street program and Indiana Humanities, “Voices and Votes” will appear in six Indiana communities selected to host the exhibit for six weeks apiece at scheduled times in 2026.
To host the exhibit, interested communities must file an application deadline by Jan. 31 of this year.
Indiana Humanities is looking for applicants who are tax-exempt, nonprofit organizations located in Hoosier communities of 10,000 people or less. That could include libraries, museums, and governmental entities as well as other groups. Those who are chosen will receive a $2,000 grant and free training, equipment rentals and services related to the exhibition.
The exhibit will feature historical and contemporary photos, educational and archival video, interactive multimedia displays which will include short computer games, and displays of historical objects, such as campaign souvenirs, voter memorabilia and protest materials.
The “Voices and Votes: exhibition began traveling in March 2020 and will have visited 150 communities in 25 states when its journey ends in 2026, Schommer said. The Museum on Main Street and “Voices and Votes” exhibition are supported through federal government appropriations and private funds, such as gifts, grants, and business operations revenue, she said.
Indiana Humanities will be bringing the “Voices and Votes” exhibit to small towns and communities in rural areas, where some residents may not have had a chance to travel to Washington, D.C., where the Smithsonian Institution and its many permanent museums are based.
“We will also get to have conversations such as what does civic education look like in your community, what does democracy look like in your community,” said Sam Opsahl, program associate at Indiana Humanities, who is coordinating the project along with Megan Telligman, director of programs at Indiana Humanities. “Having the chance to have those conversations with Hoosiers is something we’re very excited about.”
Thousands visited exhibition sites in Florida
Indiana Humanities has collaborated with MoMS on other exhibitions in the past, including “Crossroads: Change in Rural America” in 2019 and “Water/Ways” in 2021. It will be one of the final four states, including Georgia, Utah and Wyoming, to participate in the “Voices and Votes” exhibition.
If Indiana has anywhere near the reception as the recently completed, second run of “Voices and Votes” in Florida, the exhibition could be quite a topic of discussion in the Hoosier State.
The exhibit is estimated to have attracted at least 30,000 people, as it opened to the public in the communities of Tampa, Okeechobee, Gainesville, Cape Coral and Leesburg from March 2024 to January 2025, according to Florida Humanities, which helped to arrange the tour. “Voices and Votes” had previously toured the Sunshine State in 2020-21.
“Voices and Votes” examines the origins of American democracy, the changing identity of eligible voters, the machinery of democracy, the right to petition and protest beyond the ballot, and the rights and responsibilities of citizens, Schommer said.
“Many visitors thought the exhibition and complementary programming was an educational, enriching and engaging experience,” said Patricia Putman, associate director of Florida Humanities, who oversees the Smithsonian Institution programs for her organization. Topics that inspired the most conversations and dialogue among visitors in Florida included the history of voting rights, promotion efforts for voter registration, the importance of exercising the right to vote, and the involvement of women in politics as well as the representation of people of color in the voting process. In her emailed response to The Citizen, Putman also said exhibit visitors were interested in learning about how to work collaboratively to fix polarization in politics.
Considerations for applicants
When deciding whether to host the exhibit, applicants should consider several things, Opsahl said. In particular, do they have 650 to 700 square feet of space to stage the exhibition, ceilings at least 8 feet tall, multiple electrical outlets (for interactive exhibits) and a program director to work closely with Indiana Humanities? Organizations that may lack the space requirements can stage the exhibition elsewhere in their communities, he said.
Opsahl also emphasized the roughly two-year commitment required, since 2025 will be taken up mostly by training in the areas of fundraising, programming and exhibition development. Host communities also will work with Indiana Humanities and a state scholar to curate a unique section of the exhibit that tells the story of their community as it relates to the overall themes.
The exhibits will be staged in the Indiana host communities in six-week periods from March 2026 through early 2027.
“Voices and Votes” is based on an exhibition at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C., called “American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith.” The content for the exhibit was led by Harry Rubenstein, curator emeritus in the division of political history at the National Museum of American History.
The “Voices and Votes” exhibit will prompt visitors to consider questions such as “Who has the right to vote?”, “What are the freedoms and responsibilities of citizens?”, “Whose voices will be heard?,” “How do you participate as a citizen?”, and “How do we encourage more people to participate in our democracy?”, said Indiana Humanities, and will serve as a starting point for more discussions about how those questions are reflected in each host community’s own stories.
Lasting impacts in other states
Recent surveys, such as the Indiana Civic Health Index, show many Hoosiers care less and less about participating in politics and their local governments. That apathy is borne out by Indiana residents’ low participation rates in recent elections in both voter registration and voter turnout.
“Those results (of the Civic Health Index) are something I’ve been thinking about a lot,” Opsahl said. “Hoosiers are really, really smart about their politics. They read a lot about it, but they don’t always talk about it.
“I do think, with the excitement of this exhibit, we can reverse that trend of people not talking about their democracy. Getting people to talk about their civic community, not just the present, but also about how their community was in the past, is something that we hope this exhibit can help with.”
The exhibition has spurred new programming in other states where it has appeared, Schommer said. That includes a children’s program in Vivian, Louisiana, in which an actor portraying Abraham Lincoln talked with youths about his life and time as president; a protest fashion show created by a museum in Utica, Mississippi; and a Maryland Humanities program that engaged with young adults aged 18-24 statewide to learn their views on participating in American democracy and hopes for the future.
Opsahl, of Indiana Humanities, said bringing the “Voices and Votes” exhibit from a nationally recognized organization like the Smithsonian to Indiana may also attract more attention to the state.
“Having these important conversations, especially as the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence approaches, is really impactful,” he said. “Down the road, what those conversations will mean to those folks and towns will also be important.
“I hope and I want to see this be a big moment for our state.”
To access an application form to be a host community for the “Voices and Votes: Democracy in America” exhibition, visit this link: https://www.grantinterface.com/Home/Logon?urlkey=indianah
You can also learn more about the program here: https://indianahumanities.org/program/voicesandvotes
Dwight Adams, a freelance editor and writer based in Indianapolis, wrote this article. He is a former content editor, copy editor and digital producer at The Indianapolis Star and IndyStar.com, and worked as a planner for other newspapers, including the Louisville Courier Journal.
The Indiana Citizen is a nonpartisan, nonprofit platform dedicated to increasing the number of informed and engaged Hoosier citizens. We are operated by the Indiana Citizen Education Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) public charity. For questions about the story, contact Marilyn Odendahl at marilyn.odendahl@indianacitizen.org.
