By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
The walls of the rooms on the second floor of the Wood County Museum have been freshly painted and prepped for its forthcoming exhibit.
“We’ll Meet Again: Remember World War II” is set to open. The exhibit tells the story of the county’s contribution to the war effort. It’s set to open on April 24.
What’s not in place is the state funding that was promised to support the exhibition.
The Ohio Humanities Council had to cancel the funding because the money for the National Endowment for the Humanities fell victim to the sludge hammer wielded by Elon Musk’s DOGE team.
Holly Kirkendall, the museum’s curator had been cautioned about the fragility of the grant and learned about the lost funding last week.
The exhibit will go on thanks to a $16,000 loan from the County Commissioners, said Gordon Bowman, the president of the museum’s board.
But prospects for future funding for special exhibits is doubtful. “It’s definitely going to impact future exhibits,” Kirkendall said. “I’ve already got things planned for upcoming years, because obviously you’ve got to change things around to keep people coming to your building. It’s definitely going to impact that,” she said. It’s “tough times” for organizations focused on the Humanities.
Typically, Kirkendall said, the Ohio Council would provide $20,000 to stage a special exhibit. That helps with the construction, the preservation of the donated materials, the media technology needed to present in a way that connects with contemporary audiences, and the design for promotional materials and signage. And if you factor in Kirkendall’s time, the total cost of an exhibition comes to as much as $50,000.
The state grant was already reduced to $16,000 when the ax fell.
The World War II exhibit had been in the works for three years, Bowman said. Kirkendall started assembling the materials needed about eight months ago.
Bowman said the museum was warned earlier in the year to expect less funding because of the new administration. “We braced for the worst and then it happened,” he said. The $16,000 that had been promised was not going to be provided.
The exhibit is a natural follow up to the exhibit on World War I eight years ago. As with that exhibit it looks at a global event from a local perspective.
“We tell a local story and how we fit into a larger narrative.,” Kirkendall said. “People come in all different shapes and sizes and with different ideas, and it is our job to look at the information and create something that connects with public audiences.”
She continued: “We all collectively, for example, have some sort of connection to World War II. Whether or not it’s the romanticization of the war or books and film and PBS documentaries, or if you had a parent or grandparent in the war, we all have some sort of connection.”
Kirkendall said the museum is careful about how it spends its money whether it comes from the county, donations, or endowments. Its finance committee regularly monitors expenses. “We are very transparent and responsible with the dollars that we do have.”
Bowman joined the museum board after he ended his tenure as mayor of Pemberville. He approached the commissioners about how he could continue to serve. They recommended the museum board.
He said he enjoys “the interaction with the board members, but especially the interaction with the staff. We’ve been blessed with a very fine staff over there that have created a number of outstanding exhibits. They’ve taken good care of the facilities. It’s just an honor to be involved with a fine organization.”
