SOUTHERN ILLINOIS EXHIBIT WINS PRESTIGIOUS NATIONAL AWARD, NOMINATED FOR ANOTHER

SPRINGFIELD, IL -- An exhibit about travel through history in southern Illinois will receive an award from a prestigious national organization, and has been nominated for another from the state's top museum organization.

 

            "Over the River and Through the Woods?  Getting Around Southern Illinois," a traveling exhibit developed by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency's Southern Partnership Project and loaned to various local museums for display, will be recognized by the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH).

 

            "Over the River" will receive a Certificate of Commendation from the AASLH at their 60^th Annual Awards Program to be held September 24 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  A total of 87 awards will be given to organizations and individuals from across the United States for excellence in the collection, preservation, and interpretation of state and local history.  The AASLH is a not-for-profit professional organization of individuals and institutions working to preserve and promote history.  From its headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee, the AASLH provides leadership, service, and support for its members who preserve and interpret state and local history in order to make the past more meaningful in American society.  For more information, visit www.aaslh.org.

 

            In addition, "Over the River" has been nominated for recognition in the exhibits category, with awards to be announced during the Illinois Association of Museums Annual Meeting scheduled for October 14 in St. Charles, Illinois.  The Illinois Association of Museums is an independent statewide network of art, history, and science museums; historical and genealogical societies; zoos, nature centers, arboreta, and other cultural agencies.  It provides resources for museums including grants, traveling exhibits and a lending library, and professional development for museum staff and volunteers.  The Association encourages interaction and collaboration between museums, and serves as a voice for the museum community across the State of Illinois and nationally.  For more information, visit www.illinoismuseums.org.

 

            "Over the River and Through the Woods?  Getting Around Southern Illinois" was developed in 2004 by a team of state and private sector historians and exhibit designers.

 

The team included historians Richard Taylor and Erin Bishop and exhibit designer Steve Leonard from the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, Springfield; staff development specialist Cynthia Upchurch from Lewis and Clark State Historic Site, Hartford; historian and archaeologist William Iseminger from Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, Collinsville; site interpreter Sheila Richey of Fort Massac State Park, Metropolis, administered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources; and curator Judy Belleville of the Belleville Labor and Industry Museum.

 

            Using colorful graphics, historic illustrations and interpretive maps, the exhibit tells the story of how people moved into and around Southern Illinois in a time before cars, highways, airplanes and luxury yachts.  Quotes from historical figures, such as Lewis and Clark, describe the dusty roads, washed out bridges, treacherous rivers and the many hardships and hazards of both overland and water travel in early Illinois.  A supplemental timeline provides visitors the context of Southern Illinois' history and settlement patterns.   

 

            To date, "Over the River" has been displayed at nine locations, and was viewed by more than 31,000 visitors during its first six months on display.  It may currently be viewed at Lewis and Clark State Historic Site, Hartford, through the end of September.  It is then scheduled for exhibit at Fort Massac State Park, Metropolis, in October; and the Shawnee National Forest Visitor Center, Harrisburg, in November.