By: Clarice Scheele
Water slowly drips out of a faucet. The steady water creates a hollow howl as it moves through a metal pipe. The sounds of rushing waves crawl up the sandy shore. A seagull calls overhead. Thunder crashes, signaling the beginning of falling rain.
These sounds of water fill the Water Ways exhibit in the Jefferson County Public Library.
The Jefferson County Public Library in downtown Madison, Indiana was hand-selected for a Smithsonian traveling exhibit, through a Smithsonian program called Museums on Main Street. The Smithsonian is a nationally acclaimed and based group of museums used to educate the public.
Ann Inman, Programming Director at the Jefferson County Public Library, says a semi brought the exhibit, packed in over 20 crates.
“We were like roadies. It was like a concert crew bringing in the crates…”, Inman recounts.
This is the first ever Smithsonian exhibit in the City of Madison. The library had planned for there to be a lot of community engagement, but this has been difficult with the rising COVID cases.
“We wanted to be in a time period where field trips from all the different schools could come and enjoy it,” says Inman.
They’ve only had one field trip scheduled to visit the exhibit and many schools around the area aren’t doing field trips at all.
Inman still hopes members of the community can safely visit the exhibit to gain an appreciation for water.
“This city is here because of the water. Hanover College is where it is at because of the river. The historical part of that, the cultural part, and what the water has meant to the people that have lived in this area is really important,” says Inman.
The Water Ways exhibit is open during normal library hours, all seven days of the week. It’s available in the Jefferson County Public Library until February 20th.
Originally posted February 8, 2022 via Squarespace
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