The Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibit “Hometown Teams: How Sports Shape America” will be on display at the Morgantown History Museum from October 5 through November 15. For more information visit www.weirtonmuseum.org.
The West Virginia Humanities Council is sponsoring a state tour of the new Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibit, “Hometown Teams: How Sports Shape America.” “Hometown Teams” interweaves images and text with almost 70 artifacts, video, audio and other interactive elements that present perspectives on sports in popular culture, as well as local sports traditions. It offers information about mascots, marching bands, cheerleaders, game day traditions, tailgating, player/coach relationships, sports equipment, stadiums, rivalries, and athletes who broke racial, gender or physical barriers in sports. The growth of alternative and extreme sports also is explored.
The Humanities Council is providing funding and technical assistance to each host site for the development of companion displays and supplemental programs that celebrate their local sports heritage.
“Hometown Teams” is made possible through the Museum on Main Street (MOMS) program, 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.
This project is funded in part by a West Virginia Humanities Council grant.
