WaterWays Smithsonian Exhibit
WaterWays Smithsonian Exhibit
at The Sun Valley Museum of History through August 28
KETCHUM, IDAHO – The Community Library announces the presentation of a Smithsonian traveling exhibit on water at the Sun Valley Museum of History. WaterWays is an interactive exhibit that explores water as a critical scientific and cultural resource. The exhibit will be on display until August 28. Admission is free.
In addition to the multimedia exhibit designed by the Smithsonian, the Library has created several unique complementary aspects to the exhibit, including a large-scale map of the local watershed, a video oral history project, a display of fine art by local artist Deborra Marshall Bohrer, and locally-created set of word puzzles pertaining to water.
“Water is a defining feature in the arid American West, and here in central Idaho, our local waterways include the wild Salmon River, the renowned spring-fed Silver Creek, the freestone Big Wood River, as well as irrigation ditches and the massive Magic Reservoir,” said Jenny Emery Davidson, the Library’s executive director. “This excellent exhibit prompts us to pay attention to these waterways in new and deliberate ways. It’s perfect for here and perfect for this summer.”
The Library’s video oral history project, created especially for this exhibit, includes 25 short local video interviews with various locals who have different kinds of relationships with water, such as Kevin Lakey, District 37 Watermaster, and Nick Purdy, Double R rancher. There is a wall-sized satellite image of the Malad river system. And there is a water-inspired artwork by Deborra Marshall Bohrer. There is a water-related locally created word puzzle and a raffle prize drawing.
Additional programming in the Lecture Hall of The Community Library will enhance the water- themed exhibit:
A Screening of The Milagro Beanfield War, Thursday, July 28, 6:00 p.m.
“Slipping Through the Cracks: The Snake River, Its Aquifer, and Idaho’s Water Conflicts” by Kevin Marsh, Professor, ISU, Tuesday, August 2, 6:00 p.m.
“How Water Works,” A Panel Discussion on Local Water Issues Wednesday, August 3, 6:00 p.m.
A Screening of Chinatown, Tuesday, August 9, 5:30 p.m.
LitWalk Video Project, Friday, August 19, 5:00-8:00 p.m. Individuals will be invited to record their own water stories in a video booth at the museum during the Library’s LitWalk festival.
The Library’s Sun Valley Museum of History is the second exhibit site in the state, following the Idaho Falls Public Library. Next it will travel to the Idaho Museum of Natural History (Pocatello), Nampa Public Library, The Third Street Gallery in collaboration with the Latah County Historical Society (Moscow) and the Burley Public Library.
The Smithsonian “Museum on Main Street” exhibition program was developed to bring exhibitions primarily to smaller communities in America which would not ordinarily have the opportunity to host such an exhibit. In the past fifteen years The Idaho Humanities Council has brought to Idaho Smithsonian exhibitions on American roots music, food and culture, the history of American labor, yesterday’s visions of the future, sports history, barn architecture, the meaning of fences and borders, and more. For more information on Museum on Main Street, see http://museumonmainstreet.org/water/index.html.
The Sun Valley Museum of History, located in the Ketchum Forest Service Park on the corner of First and Washington Avenues, is open Tuesday through Saturday, from 1 – 5 pm. Admission is free. For more information, please call (208) 726-3493 ext. 112 or email Mary Tyson mtyson@comlib.org.