Sheffield Steps Into The Spotlight With Smithsonian’s “Crossroads: Change In Rural America”
When you see the chance to bring a Smithsonian-level exhibit in your small town, you don’t let it slip away. Sheffield's Bushnell-Sage Library Director Deena Caswell and the chair of the library’s board of trustees, Pat Levine, saw an open call to host the Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street and jumped at the possibility. Their hard work paid off. Through a partnership with Mass Humanities, the Smithsonian will present “Crossroads: Change in Rural America,” an exhibition examining the evolving landscape of rural America, at the Bushnell-Sage Library from March 26–May 6.
“Crossroads,” which will travel to five other small towns in Massachusetts, explores how rural American communities changed in the 20th century. The majority of the United States landscape remains rural, with only 3.5% of the landmass considered urban, but since 1900, the percentage of Americans living in rural areas dropped from 60% to 17%. Designed for small-town museums, libraries and cultural organizations, “Crossroads” will serve as a community meeting place for conversations about how rural America has changed. Bushnell-Sage has planned a series of corresponding events, sited throughout town, to run during the exhibit’s stay in Sheffield.
In its application to host the exhibit, the library focused on Sheffield’s community, its land, and the persistence of its people to make the case to bring “Crossroads” to South County. “We were able to show a high level of support from community organizations,” said Caswell. “It’s been so satisfying working with these groups — Housatonic Heritage, Sheffield Land Trust, Sheffield Historical Society, Fairview Hospital, local churches — to show how we’ve grown and developed, and how bustling our downtown is. We exhibit all the traits of persistence and adaptation [featured in the Smithsonian exhibit], and we highlighted that.
“We have a very vibrant history,” Caswell continued. “There are people who have lived in town for generations alongside new people who moved here during the pandemic, and we’re looking through the lens of a real moment of change.” She said “Crossroads” is arriving at a perfect time, when the town can come together to honor its past while showcasing that they are also a very forward-facing community.
The town’s past, present, and future will be on display in the exhibits, talks, and events lined up during “Crossroads’” stay. An opening reception and ribbon cutting will be held at the library Sunday, March 26 at 3 p.m.
In addition to the main exhibit at Bushnell-Sage, four corresponding exhibits will be on view on weekends throughout the month of April. The Old Stone Store will host Sheffield Land Trust’s “Voices from the Field,” an update of the previous “Voices from the Field” highlighting local farms. The Dan Raymond House will host two exhibits in partnership with the Sheffield Historical Society: “Healthcare in Sheffield Over the Ages” with help from Fairview Hospital and “The Men of the Mass 54th: Farmers, Builders, their Families & their Stories.”
Overall, Caswell is excited to usher the stories of Sheffield into the spotlight. “We have such a vibrant farm community and such a cool evolution of social change,” she said. “Stereotypes about rural American towns have been that they’re backwards or dying out, but that’s not what I see.”
“Crossroads: Change in Rural America”
March 26-May 6
Bushnell-Sage Library
48 Main Street, Sheffield, MA
Corresponding events at Dewey Memorial Hall
Lectures:
Friday, March 31 at 7 p.m. “Growls, Hoots, and Silence: The Wild Animals of Sheffield,”
Sunday, April 16 at 3 p.m. “Pox, Pus, and Creeping Miasma: Disease & Death in 18th & 19th C. New England
Thursday, April 20, 7 p.m. Creating Community in Sheffield: A Community Conversation
Sunday, April 23 at 3 p.m. “Revolutionary War Doctors in the Berkshires”
Juried Art Show:
April 14-28 “Rural Berkshires: Always Adapting” featuring the work of Sheffield artists
Additional events
Monday, April 3, 7 p.m. at Trinity United Methodist Church, Ashley Falls. "Ashley Falls: A History Through Stories"
Saturday, April 15 from 12-3 p.m. at the Dan Raymond House (159 Main St.): An oral history collection day, Recollections of Sheffield's Black Community in the 20th C. inviting communiity members to share their memories
Thursday, April 27 at 7 p.m. at the Old Parish Church, “Sheffield: Through a Generational Lens”
Saturday, May 6 at 2 p.m. at the Greenagers Barn, “The Natural (and Human) History of Sheffield”
Please Support Rural Intelligence
We want to continue delivering the entertaining, informative and upbeat stories in the inimitable Rural Intelligence style, despite a pandemic. But we need your support to keep us going. Please consider making a donation; even a small amount helps secure our future. Support us now.
(If you prefer, mail a check to: 45 Pine Grove Ave., Suite 303, Kingston, NY 12401.)
Support Now