CLARKSVILLE, TN − The Customs House Museum & Cultural Center invites visitors to dive into the essential role of water in our lives with the Smithsonian Institution’s traveling exhibition, Water/Ways. On display in the Memory Lane gallery through February 9, this exhibit examines the connection between people and water.
Developed by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), Water/Ways draws inspiration from a larger exhibition organized by the American Museum of Natural History in New York, along with contributions from museums and science centers worldwide, including the Science Museum of Minnesota, The Field Museum, and the Royal Ontario Museum, among others.
The exhibition includes interactives that will help visitors explore the deep connections between water, work, traditions, and faith. For example, a touchable relief map of the Elwha River watershed in Washington allows visitors to feel how terrain creates a watershed. Another interactive called “How Much Water” shows how many gallons of water it takes to grow or produce a variety of familiar goods from milk to chicken to blue jeans. Water/Ways also includes two multimedia kiosks that provide a variety of short videos about water as a natural resource and its influence on the environment and human culture.
“I am thrilled to bring another educational children’s exhibit to the Customs House,” said Terri Jordan, Curator of Exhibits. “Through the generous sponsorship of Google, kids can learn about the importance of water to our lives in a visual and fun manner.”