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Apply for Smithsonian Water/Ways Museum on Main Street

In Louisiana, we have a unique relationship to water. Water is life; 60 percent of our bodies are made of water. Water is a natural resource, and water is a threat. Water gives inspiration to artists. Water grows the seafood we eat and provides shipping routes for businesses. Water has shaped the geography and history of our state. Now the Smithsonian Institution and the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities offer local communities a new way to explore the myriad ways that water affects our lives.

In June 2018, “Water/Ways,” an exhibition produced by the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum on Main Street program, will arrive in Louisiana for a yearlong tour that stops in six sites, ending in February 2019. The tour scholar is Dr. Craig E. Colten of LSU Department of Geography and Anthropology. The LEH invites smaller museums, libraries and cultural institutions, in towns of fewer than 20,000 residents, to apply today to host the 2018-2019 “Water/Ways” tour.

This marks the eighth time that the LEH has partnered with the Smithsonian Institution and Louisiana communities to host a Museum on Main Street tour. Final selection is conducted in partnership with the Louisiana 4H Foundation and Louisiana Main Street, a division of the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism. The grant amount is $5,000 and the deadline to apply is June 15, 2017.

The 2018-19 Water/Ways tour in Louisiana is made possible by a grant from the Walton Family Foundation.

Eligible applicants must meet the following requirements:

  • Site is open at least 5 days a week;
  • Site must offer free public programs in conjunction with exhibition;
  • Site can accommodate exhibition measuring 650 square feet, at least 8’6″ ceiling height;
  • Site can house 20 shipping crates (either on-site, or off) during length of exhibition, requiring roughly 150-200 square feet;
  • Site is in a town with fewer than 20,000 residents.

Click here to apply today.

The 2018-19 Water/Ways tour in Louisiana is made possible by a grant from the Walton Family Foundation. For questions about Water/Ways, please contact LEH Grants Manager Chris Robert at [email protected].