Media Alert
October 6, 2022
Taylor Fuqua, Manager of PR & Marketing; tfuqua@VirginiaHistory.org; 804.342.9661
Richmond, Va. – With Election Day 2022 right around the corner, the Virginia Museum of History & Culture (VMHC) encourages visitors to take advantage of the upcoming free admission days in November to see the museum's traveling exhibition American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith. Guests who display their "I Voted" stickers will receive free admission on Election Day, Tuesday, November 8th, 2022. Additionally, the museum will offer free admission for children under the age of 18 that day, 10% off purchases in the museum café, and extending business hours until 7pm. Veterans and active military personnel will also receive free admission to the museum on Veteran's Day, November 11th, 2022.
American Democracy, which will continue to be on display through December 31st, 2022, is a traveling exhibition produced by the Smithsonian Institution. The exhibition examines the American government's founding and the continuing story of America's bold experiment in a "government of, by, and for the people." It covers a wide range of themes using touchable props, audio/video presentations from the Smithsonian and The History Channel, and immersive technologies such as touch-screen adventures, making it the perfect interactive learning gallery for the whole family to enjoy.
“As visitors journey through the exhibition, they will discover the building blocks of American democracy through five themes,” Andrew Talkov, Senior Director of Curatorial Affairs at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture said in a statement. “From voting rights to going beyond the ballot, visitors will leave with a better understanding of what democracy means and the critical role we play in maintaining it.”
Some of the artifacts in the exhibition include a clothing button celebrating George Washington’s inauguration in 1789, Edmund Pendleton’s record of the Virginia ratification of the U.S. Constitution, a portrait of Black Hawk, a Sauk war chief that was painted by Robert Mathew Sully, and a Congressional Union for Woman suffrage banner from 1915.
Free Admission Days:
- Tuesday, November 8th, 2022- Visitors who show their I Voted" stickers and children under the age of 18.
- Friday, November 11th, 2022- Veterans and active military personnel.
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The Virginia Museum of History & Culture is owned and operated by the Virginia Historical Society — a private, non-profit organization established in 1831. The historical society is the oldest cultural organization in Virginia, and one of the oldest and most distinguished history organizations in the nation. For use in its state history museum and its renowned research library, the historical society cares for a collection of nearly nine million items representing the ever-evolving story of Virginia.
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