As part of its next thematic initiative, Indiana Humanities will sponsor a tour of the Smithsonian’s Water/Ways exhibition. Applications are now open to host the exhibit in 2021-2022. 

Water/Ways has been made possible in Indiana by Indiana Humanities. Water/Ways is part of Museum on Main Street, a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution and state humanities councils nationwide. Support for Museum on Main Street has been provided by the United States Congress.

Water/Ways was adapted from an exhibition organized by the American Museum of Natural History, New York, and the Science Museum of Minnesota, St. Paul, in collaboration with Great Lakes Science Center, Cleveland; The Field Museum, Chicago; Instituto Sangari, Sao Paulo, Brazil; National Museum of Australia, Canberra; Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Canada; San Diego Natural History Museum; and Science Centre Singapore with PUB Singapore.

The Museum on Main Street program works with rural communities to design and host high-quality exhibits and create dynamic public programs across the United States. Indiana is proud to bring this award-winning program to six sites in Indiana over the next two years.  

The Smithsonian’s Water/Ways exhibition dives into water–an essential component of life on our planet, environmentally, culturally, and historically. Learn more about exhibit content here.  

Six communities will be selected to host the exhibit for six weeks each, and receive extensive training, funding and other resources from the expert staffs of the Smithsonian and Indiana Humanities. Each of the six hosts will also curate a unique section of the exhibit that tells explores their community’s relationship to water.