The Wood County Museum needs our help!
Recently the Museum Curator, Holly, announced “Thursday (4/3) at 5:03 pm I received an email from the Ohio Humanities Council letting me know, ‘all state humanities councils, including Ohio Humanities, received word that the Department of Government Efficiency has terminated operating grants.’” Holly said, “To quote the Ohio Humanities Council, ‘This is an existential crisis for cultural organizations and all of Ohio’s Stories.’”
As long-time supporters, we have watched the Museum evolve from a warehouse for random collections to organized storage of professionally archived and documented artifacts, effectively used to tell the story of Wood County’s development. Curator Holly has received nearly $90,000 in grant money to create outstanding exhibits using these artifacts, donated by Wood County residents. Holly’s extensive research giving life to Wood County’s WWI veterans, as well as her recreation of a WWI trench, earned statewide awards and recognition for the Museum’s WWI exhibit a few years back. Holly’s upcoming WWII exhibit promises to be even more exciting!
However, when we asked on a Facebook post if the DOGE NEH cuts would effect the WWII exhibit, the Museum’s Marketing and Events Coordinator, Marissa, responded, “Thank you so much for your continued support! Unfortunately we were awarded a grant for $16,000 from Ohio Humanities back in Fall 2024 for the WWII exhibit. But we most likely won’t be getting that money now due to NEH & IMLS [Institute of Museum and Library Services] getting gutted. It does put us in a bit of a pickle because we already hired the builder, graphic designer, and bought all the building materials – putting the money up front because the grant was going to be coming in, but now it’s not.” To reiterate—The Museum is under contracted obligations to professionals to create an exhibit, based on our government’s awarding its Curator a hard-earned grant, and now, due to wholesale cuts to NEH, it is reneging on its promise, the Museum staff is scrambling to find money to create the exhibit that Holly has spent the past two years developing.
If you, like we, are Museum members and can afford to do so, please consider giving an extra donation now! If you are a Wood County resident and haven’t visited our Museum, please treat yourself to an afternoon (several hours) to see the exhibits, the outbuildings, and the grounds. Then, if you are moved to do so, join the Museum and become a part of supporting a Wood County gem!
Thank you,
Jean & Chris Geist
Bowling Green
