Democracy is alive at the Mohawk Trail Regional School. 

For the next month the school on Ashfield Road will be home to the Smithsonian’s traveling exhibit “Voices and Votes: Democracy in America,” which tells the story of voting rights and democracy in America. The Mohawk Trail library has been transformed into a museum with photos, historical documents, campaign memorabilia, videos of people sharing their own stories about voting, and local artifacts such as ballot boxes, patriotic tapestries, and campaign pins. 

Principal Chris Buckland and State Representative Natalie Blais agreed during the opening celebration on April 17 that the school was the perfect host for the exhibit. 

“It’s phenomenal, the day before yesterday we had a library, now we have a museum and a library,” Buckland said. “This is the time of year where our students are doing civic action projects and this is the most opportune resource for them to come and start to think about how and where they’re going and where their voices can take them. I think one of the big things that we’re all about here is trying to find opportunities for students to have voice and action and to put things in motion.”

“The Smithsonian could not have chosen a better place to kick this off than right here in Franklin County,” Blais said. “These students care deeply about democracy … and to have this exhibition from the Smithsonian, from Washington D.C., here in Franklin County is extraordinary.”

“Anybody who’s committed to democracy understands the difficult times that we are living in right now, and to have this exhibit here in a school where students can live it and breathe it every single day and reconvene the importance of their vote, the importance of their participation, and the importance of them,” Blais continued. “So often in this job I have students talk to me about whether or not their voices matter, and so often I have to say to them, yes, it does. In fact, it matters more. We have to hear from you whether or not you’re registered to voter, whether you’re a Democrat or Republican or something in between. It is important that you participate and that we hear from you because it’s only from hearing from everyone that we as state legislators can do our jobs well.”

The exhibit comes to the county through the joint efforts of the Mohawk Trail Regional School social studies department team, comprised of Catherine Glennon, Bethany Basal, and Julia White, Hawley Town Administrator Tinky Weisblat, Mass Humanities and the Massachusetts Cultural Council. 

Weisblat said she learned of the Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street program last year. The program works to bring exhibits such as “Voices and Votes” to rural communities across the nation with the funding support of local cultural organizations. Mohawk Trail Regional School was awarded a $10,000 grant from Mass Humanities, which allowed them to host the exhibit and corresponding events.

Brian Boyles, executive director of Mass Humanities, said that even in the face of uncertainty regarding future federal funding, the organization was committed to the continued support of Mohawk Trail. He added that after the exhibit is packed up and sent to its next location, the organization will continue to provide funding and support for school staff and community volunteers who have begun museum curating and event planning training because museums belong in more than just big cities. 

“This work is not trapped in D.C.,” Boyles said. “We will find a way to make sure that we continue to fund Museum on Main Street, and we will continue to support Mohawk Trail Regional School.”

Boyles said part of what makes the exhibit special is that it was in a school, not in a traditional museum. Most people begin learning about democracy in schools and libraries, so to have an exhibit on democracy in a school library, with ballot boxes and other artifacts local to the area, shows students that democracy is not something just in a textbook or miles away in the nation’s capital.

“What really brings these exhibits to life is the local voting booths, it’s being able to get the books out that are relevant to this area, it’s the local impact that brings the exhibit to life,” said Selwyn Ramp, the project director for Museum on Main Street. “What I like about this exhibit is that it makes us look back at who we are as a place and kinda helps us reflect and think on where we’ve come from and perhaps where we’re heading too.”

Over the past year they’ve spent working to put this together, the social studies department has had plenty of time to reflect on the school’s identity, and said it all comes down to community. 

“Everyone was so excited to be a part of it and chip in and find ways they could help with an event or donate something or just be a part in some way,” Glennon said. “I feel like that community spirit came through really clearly.”

Glennon said they have been able to foster and grow so many partnerships with other community organizations through Museum on Main Street. Local nonprofits, such as the Mary Lyon Foundation, have donated funding to allow the school library to purchase books relating to democracy and voting rights, and various historical societies have donated items from their own collections to be put on display in the local votes room. 

Additionally they’ve developed a partnership with MassHumanities and people from the other towns selected to host the exhibit, Glennon said. Dozens of people from across the state showed up on the day before opening to help unpack the 16 crates the exhibit was delivered in and set it all up. 

Librarian Emily Willis said she was happy to give up some of her space for the exhibit.

“What could be better than having the Smithsonian here in our library?” Willis said.

The exhibit will be open Mondays, Tuesdays, and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Thursdays from 3 to 8 p.m. Members of the public are invited to visit the exhibit, but are encouraged to remember the exhibit is located in a school and when visiting during school hours, visitors should check in with the main office and be cognizant of the students learning. 

To coincide with the exhibit, the group has planned six events, one per week until the exhibit leaves the school on May 31. After leaving Mohawk Trail the exhibit will be traveling to Lee, Ashby, Douglas, Holbrook and Sandwich. 

■“The Art Garden’s Hilltown Draw Around” – April 26, noon to midnight at the Cowell Gym. The Art Garden’s annual pay-what-you-can, draw-what-you-want fundraiser will have a political theme this year. Attendees will be asked to make art responding to themes of the Voices and Votes exhibit. 

■“Becoming an American Panel” – May 1,  5:30 p.m. at MTRS library. The Center for New Americans will be hosting a panel with immigrants who live in Franklin County on their stories of moving to America and the challenges and successes of adjusting to a new home in a new country. 

■“Charlemont Forum: A Republic … If You Can Keep It — Why Your Vote (Still) Matters” – May 8, 7 p.m. at the MTRS library. Hosted by the Charlemont Forum, Jesse Rhodes, a professor of political science University of Massachusetts Amherst, will give a talk on voting rights, challenges in politics, and inequalities in the electorate. The talk will also be broadcast on Falls Cable TV. 

■“Food for Thought” – May 15, 5:30 p.m. at the MTRS library. Massachusetts Director of Rural Affairs Anne Gobi and retired pastor Mick Comstock will discuss how rural New Englanders have created community through non-traditional ways, while snacking on foods that have been served at election day bake sales over the years.

■“League of Womens Voter Trivia Night” – May 22, 6 p.m. in the MTRS cafeteria. The League of Womens Voters of Franklin County will be hosting a political game night, with trivia, mocktails and prizes. 

■Closing celebration – May 29, 4:30 p.m. in the MTRS library. Join Tinky Weisblat and Jerry Noble for a performance of political songs dating back to the American Revolution, as well as a presentation of student art and civic action projects. 

More information about the exhibit hours and special events can be found at mtrsd.org/Museum-on-Main-Street

Reach Madison Schofield at 413-930-4579 or mschofield@recorder.com