“Voices and Votes” will spark conversations in six rural communities.
The Smithsonian is returning to Massachusetts this spring in the form of “Voices and Votes: Democracy in America”, a world-class history exhibition about voting rights, democracy, and citizen responsibilities.
The towns of Buckland, Lee, Ashby, Douglas, Holbrook, and East Sandwich will take turns hosting “Voices and Votes” for six consecutive weeks. With the funding support of Mass Humanities, each host site will transform its town halls, libraries, museums, and even schools into interactive history hubs through a rich array of programs and events.
Mohawk Trail Regional School in Buckland (Shelburne Falls) will host its opening reception for the exhibit on April 17. Brian Boyles, executive director of Mass Humanities, Michael J. Bobbitt, executive director of Mass Cultural Council, and Natalie Blais, state representative for the 1st Franklin District, will share remarks at the opening night.
“It is an honor to partner with these communities to bring the Smithsonian to Massachusetts,” said Mass Humanities Executive Director Brian Boyles. “At this critical time for our democracy, we believe that libraries and museums in our small town are vital to the future of the commonwealth. We look forward to the events and conversations hosted by our partners.”
This one-of-a-kind exhibition will be on tour throughout the commonwealth until early 2026:
- Mohawk Trail Regional School: 4/17/2025 – 5/31/2025
- Town of Lee: 6/7/2025-7/19/2025
- Ashby Free Public Library: 7/26/2025 – 9/6/2025
- Douglas Historical Society: 9/13/2025 – 10/25/2025
- Holbrook Public Library: 11/1/2025 – 12/13/2025
- Nye Museum: 12/20/2025 – 2/1/2026
Launched in 1994, Museum on Main Street (MoMS) is a Smithsonian outreach program that engages small town audiences and brings revitalized attention to underserved rural communities. The program partners with state humanities councils like Mass Humanities to bring traveling exhibitions, educational resources and programming to small towns across America through their own local museums, historical societies and other cultural venues.
“Voices and Votes” is based on a major exhibition at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History called “American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith.” Content development was led by Harry Rubenstein, Curator Emeritus in the Division of Political History at the National Museum of American History. The exhibit first went on tour in 2020.
“Voices and Votes” provides a national perspective on voting rights and democracy. Our six host sites create events and programs to tell the local story. To tell the state-level story, we at Mass Humanities created “Building Blocks of Democracy.” This fun origami cube highlights nine incredible individuals from Massachusetts history. We encourage residents to pick up a cube at any of our six tour locations, and visit our companion web page for in-depth bios, additional images, and links to resources.
“Voices and Votes” explores the action and reaction, vision and revision, that democracy demands as Americans continue to question how to shape the country. 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. Rather than focusing on politics, “Voices and Votes” prompts viewers to think about four key questions:
- Who gets to participate in democracy?
- How do you get people to participate in democracy?
- Is there a way for citizens to participate beyond the ballot?
- What are the basic rights and responsibilities of citizens?
The exhibition features historical and contemporary photos; educational and archival video; engaging multimedia interactives with short games; and historical objects like campaign souvenirs, voter memorabilia, and protest material.
“A healthy democracy requires action, reflection, and engagement from every one of us. Voices and Votes invites us to explore the ongoing story of American democracy, and with powerful historical artifacts, multimedia, and thought-provoking questions, we are challenged to consider who gets to participate and what responsibilities we carry as citizens,” said Michael J. Bobbitt, executive director at Mass Cultural Council. “At Mass Cultural Council, we believe the arts and humanities play a vital role in civic life, sparking dialogue and inspiring individuals to shape the future of our communities. This exhibition is a call to action—urging us all to reflect, respond, and reaffirm our role in democracy.”
Each host site receives extensive training from the staff of the Smithsonian along with a $10,000 grant from Mass Humanities to develop public events during the exhibition. Organizations located in towns with populations of 12,000 or less were eligible to apply. Mass Humanities receives major support from Mass Cultural Council (MCC), the state agency for arts and the humanities.
In 2022-2023, Mass Humanities partnered with the Smithsonian to bring “Crossroads: Change in Rural America” to Athol, Essex, Hull, Rutland, Sheffield, and Turners Falls. This MoMS exhibition brought more than 23,000 visitors to the six host sites, 57% of whom were first time visitors. Public programs for “Crossroads” included discussions of industrial decline, land conservation, and immigration, but there were also trivia nights, concerts, and visits by more than 2,000 school children.
