“The Things We Carry” Exhibit Opens January 11

The Things We Carry takes an intimate look into the movement and migration of local families through their family’s mementos. Whether moving to another country, across the state, or a relatively short distance these moving stories are often associated with memorabilia—an item kept as a treasured memory.

“Family keepsakes give voice to the importance and deep meaning of things that our ancestors or we find important enough to keep,” said director for the Museum of Culture and Environment Mark Auslander.

Each family photograph, heirloom, or particular keepsake in the exhibit was loaned to the museum along with a written description of its significance, by the donor.

Items range greatly, yet each has a meaningful story. A standard pillowcase represents a poignant time when recovering drug and alcohol abuser Jack Frost successfully completed detox after his 52nd attempt. Frost left the facility with the pillowcase—and inside it—all of his worldly possessions. He’s been clean for 27 years.

For Barbara Hammersberg, a Korean travel certificate provides a rare glimpse of herself as a baby. The picture was taken prior to her adoption.

“It is the object that connects my past to my future and with it, all the change that happened because of my travel from Korea to America,” Hammersberg said.

This exhibit helps support the university’s year-long Social Justice and Human Rights Dialogues about migration and immigration. It’s also part of CWU’s 2017 Big Read program—encouraging the community to read and discuss Tim O’Brien’s novel, The Things They Carried.

The Museum of Culture and Environment is located on the first floor of Dean Hall. Admission is always free and regular visitation hours, during the academic term, are Wednesday through Friday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Parking on the CWU campus is free on weekends and after 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

For more information, contact museum@cwu.edu or go to www.cwu.edu/museum.

“NEA Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.”

“El proyecto NEA Big Read es una iniciativa del National Endowment for the Arts (el Fondo Nacional para las Artes de Estados Unidos) en cooperación con Arts Midwest.”

Media contact: Dawn Alford, public affairs coordinator, 509-963-1484, dawn.alford@cwu.edu.