NEWS RELEASE
From Aug. 6—Sept.
18 Johnson-Humrickhouse Museum is hosting an exciting exhibit—Produce
for Victory—made possible by the Ohio Humanities Council and
sponsored by the Joe R. Engle Gallery Fund. A Smithsonian Institution
traveling exhibit, Produce for Victory focuses on posters
circulated in the United States during World War II to promote
patriotism and increase industrial output. Government agencies,
businesses and private organizations issued an array of poster images
linking the military front with the home front—calling for every
American to boost production at work and at home. Posters promoted
rationing, planting victory gardens, buying war bonds, saving fat,
working hard, keeping information about troops confidential, and
producing more—whether at the factory
or on the farm.
Added to this traveling exhibit, JHM
will display authentic posters and artifacts such as ration books, sheet
music, clothing, newspaper and magazine articles. Coshocton’s unique
story will also be told through personal letters, scrapbooks and
photos. Local factories that were converted to military production will
be highlighted, including shell casings made by Moore Enameling Co. and
bullets, by American Art Works. Another significant aspect of the
exhibit is our home front oral history project. Local residents who
were here during World War II were interviewed. Teens involved in media
arts class and those participating in the intergenerational program at
the Pomerene Center for the Arts recorded and edited these stories onto
videotapes that will be playing during the exhibit.
A smaller display will also highlight
local history as it features the military effort overseas. Terry
Reddick and Bill Given are organizing this display, which will contain
some items from local residents. These special exhibits provide us with
the opportunity to add our own community’s WWII experiences to the
nation’s understanding of this critical episode in American history.
Related public programs are listed below. Make plans to experience this
exciting exhibit. The Johnson-Humrickhouse Museum is located
at 300 N. Whitewoman Street in Roscoe Village, Coshocton. For more
information, call 740-622-8710.
Produce for Victory
is part of Museum on Main Street, a
collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution and the Federation of
State Humanities Councils. Support for Museum on Main Street has been
provided by the US Congress, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation,
and The Hearst Foundation. Additional funding was provided by the
National Endowment for the Humanities, the Rockefeller Foundation, the
Smithsonian Institution Special Exhibition Fund, and the Smithsonian
Educational Outreach Fund.
