The Main Street Museum, located in historic
downtown White River Junction, Vermont
in a Valley of Happiness and Cheer.
We are a non-profit for real. We are a non-
profit on paper (for the IRS) but more
importantly, we are a non-profit in our daily
work, in our hearts, and in our Mission.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, FOUNDER & CURATOR
DAVID FAIRBANKS FORD
The Main Street Museum welcomes
the public for a quarter of a century.
More than a Museum, we are a sanctuary, a vessel of
community, a place where people come to meet, dance,
laugh and learn. For musicians, filmmakers, artists, writers
and historians we provide the necessary tools to develop,
display, create, research and perform. To our community
we are a unique cultural repository oering collections as
well as a vast array of exhibitions, performances and
special eventswhere no one is turned away for lack of
funds. Admission is always a sliding scale donation.
In 1992 we premiered our first public exhibition of local
photographer Jack Rowells Big Fish And Good Looking
Women, and the ball has been rolling ever since! Now, as
we enter our 25th year of operation, we celebrate the wide
variety of experiences which have aorded us many new
opportunities, and more than a few invaluable lessons
along the way.
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The Main Street Museum oers the opportunity to relearn
that we can make our own culture.
Hurricane Irene took us by surprise,
but we weathered that storm, in no
small part due to support from
volunteers like Kim Souza lending us
a hand to help clean-up.
In 2003, when continued operations meant locating a
permanent home, the Main Street Museum (MSM) found a
place where it could put down roots in the towns abandoned fire
station. Soon after, in addition to a permanent collection and
rotating exhibitions, MSM expanded its programming to
include live-music performancestoday featuring the diversely
rich musical talent of Brooklyn Ryder (strings) to Rough Francis
(punk rock).
In 20ll, when Hurricane Irene quite literally tried to blow this
institution o the map, we learned its the challenges you dont
see coming that prove the stu youre really made ofand so it
was after an outpouring of volunteer eort and community
support that MSM would rebound to continue its mission,
stronger and more determined than ever.
The MSM oers the opportunity to relearn that we can make
our own culture. We can actively participate both in our
democracy and in our history. And thats because, in the final
analysis, we decide the value of things, ourselves. We evaluate
the meaning of objects, ourselves.
We are a fully participatory museum, not just a dusty box of
rocks. We believe in the value of participation for its potential to
inspire creative contribution and collaborative innovation.
Through the discovery of objects we invite the broadest range of
interactions possible; empowering public interpretation and
documentation of our collections.
Our collections include specimen of flora and fauna; exotic and
thought-provoking examples of taxidermy; and historical items
of interest, as well as other curiosities that must truly be seen to
be believed.
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As the needs of community change, so too must we rise
up to meet new challenges.

The Museum is growing wings!

Yes, the Museum is growing wings, both literally and metaphorically. The
former becauseas the needs of community change, so too must we rise up to
meet new challenges. The latter becauseto do this we need Angels!

In 2015, after working closely with board directors, academic advisors and
community members, MSM launched a series of New Educational
Outreach Programing oering adaptable, expandable and integrative
educational experiences.

Today, we stand at the threshold of a cultural crisisone we must cross,

New Educational Outreach
collectively. In the unfolding uncertainty of this future, the opportunities we Programming is a vital ingredient
find to embrace the many gifts life-long learning aords will be contingent for healthier communities and a
more sustainable future.
on how well we understand the changing needs within our communities.

Current Programs:
Art 101:Creative ProcessesA partnership with Vermont Adult Learning (VAL) providing individualized
instruction and mentorship for secondary and continuing adult learners. Artists and professionals working in various
disciplines oer resources and experience to help students widen their perspectives and achieve greater
accomplishments.
Representation MattersAn integrative program series facilitated by artists, educators and activists addressing
social, environmental, racial and political concerns highlighting the necessity of diversity and the importance of
community in public discourse.
Fashion Arts CollectiveMajor runway events showcasing local fashion designers promoting the presence of an
expanding, vibrant and sustainable fashion community.
Alt:CinemaA partnership with White River Indi Films (WRIF) oering a survey of selected new and classic
works of cinema. Q & A, debates and lively discussion between seasoned professionals, film bus, serious cinema
enthusiast and new filmmakers alike, will examine the techniques, trade, and other professional aspects of
filmmaking.

Programs in Development:
Public Art & The Political ProcessA new series of programming fusing critical thinking and free association
techniques to arrive at relevant social and political narratives which are further explored and conceptually developed
into a permanent or semi-permanent works of public art.

Visiting Artist-Cultural Enrichment & ExchangeVisiting artists, educators and activists are invited to
propose specific projects which engage community members in significant ways, resulting in the creation of unique
artifacts and events. Cross-cultural exchange oers opportunities for local artists, educators and activists to apply to
travel to the far corners of the earth to learn, collaborate and participate in the experience of global community
building.
 The Main Street Museum
Educational Outreach Initiative
HEALTHY COMMUNITIES OFFER INDIVIDUALS OPPORTUNITIES TO ENGAGE.
ENGAGED INDIVIDUALS ALLOW COMMUNITIES TO THRIVE.

THE LEARNING EXPERIENCES WE VALUE MOST INTERCONNECT OUR LIFE-

STORIES. THESE EXPERIENCES WIDEN OUR PERSPECTIVES AND INSPIRE US TO
ACHIEVE GREATER ACCOMPLISHMENTS. IF WE ARE TO REMAIN HOPEFUL OF
CREATING A MORE PEACEFUL AND SUSTAINABLE WORLD, NOW AND FOR FUTURE
GENERATIONS TO COME, THIS OBJECTIVE MUST CONTINUE TO BE OUR PRIMARY
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY. WE CONTINUE TO WORK HARD TO FIND NEW WAYS TO
MEET THIS CHALLENGE.

We are currently soliciting Angels to help us meet our 2017 operating budget of $82,500
If you can support our initiative, please consider becoming a

Seraphim at $8, 250Upwards c Cherubim at $4,125$8,250

Thrones at $1,000$4,125 c Dominions at $500$1,000

Thank you for your support, on-line giving can be made at http://bit.ly/MSMwings

Photo Credit: Ed Thomas