Produce for Victory:
Posters on the American Home Front, 1941-1945

October 30, 2003 – August 13, 2004

Tour Results

Total Attendance Among Host Communities (Exhibit and Programs): 18,500

LYON COUNTY HISTORICAL MUSEUM, EMPORIA
• More than 1,600 visited the exhibition.
• The area CBS station did a one-hour live remote from the museum on Veterans Day. According to Greg Jordan, director of the museum, "This exposure not only helped those exhibits, but showcased the Lyon County Historical Society in a way we never could have. We had several people read every single word of the exhibits. Nodding their heads in recognition of shared experiences and past lives."

MORTON COUNTY HISTORICAL MUSEUM, ELKHART
• 1,900 visited the exhibition, an increase of 866% compared to last year during the same time.
• 70% of all visitors were local, although since Elkhart hosted the exhibit over the holidays many residents brought out-of-town guests to visit.
• Several exhibits were created as companion pieces to the Smithsonian. Perhaps most impressive was the vignette portraying a family during the war years: boy sitting on chair listening to the radio holding a football, mother dressed in Red Cross volunteer uniform, and father in full-dress Army uniform.

LINCOLN ART CENTER
• 4,701 visited the exhibition, an increase of 54% compared to last year.
• 63% of visitors were local, but many had never been to the art center before.
• Lincoln partnered with several key organizations in their area: the historical society, VFW Post, library, and theater. More than 450 people attended programs that were held off-site from the art center but were part of the Produce for Victory event.

GOODLAND ARTS COUNCIL
• 1,090 visited the exhibition, an increase of up to 40% from previous years.
• 85% of the visitors were local but many had never been to the art center before.
• A gentleman who visited the art center who served overseas during WWII commented that he had never seen any of the posters and that he learned a lot about what was going on at home while he was away.

BUTLER COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, EL DORADO
• 3,913 visited the exhibition, an increase of more than 50% from previous years.
• 60% of visitors were from out-of-town.
• Becky Matticks, museum director, commented that the long-term impacts for hosting the traveling Smithsonian for their organization were many, but two stand out: New alliance(s) with community groups and a strengthened relationship with government officials.

MIAMI COUNTY SWAN RIVER MUSEUM, PAOLA
• 5,100 visited the exhibition, an increase of more than 60% from previous years.
• 55% of visitors to the museum were local.
• Maryanna Williams, museum director, handed out 5"x7" index cards during programs and asked audience members to write down what they did during the war years (plus contact information). Eventually they hope to use these cards as a first step toward an oral history project.

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