Old Independence Regional Museum to Collaborate with Smithsonian to Develop Local Exhibition about America’s Diverse Food Traditions
Old Independence Regional Museum has been selected to participate in a Smithsonian project to develop a unique humanities-based exhibition that examines how culture, ethnicity, class, landscape and tradition influence the foods and flavors enjoyed in Independence County and across the nation. The project is a hands-on opportunity for local cultural professionals to learn about the exhibition development process used by the Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street (MoMS) program.
The curatorial framework for the exhibition is provided by the Smithsonian and will be fleshed out by the Old Independence Regional Museum using local historical images, art and artifacts, video clips and oral histories. The resulting exhibition will reflect the strong history and culture of Independence County.
The completed exhibition, “A Taste of Community”, will explore how our recipes, menus, ceremonies, and etiquette are shaped by our country’s rich Native and immigrant experience, the history of innovations of food preparation technology, and the ever-changing availability of ingredients. It is a celebration of local identities and shared pride of place through food from cheesesteaks in Philadelphia to Georgia peaches and much more. By incorporating local elements, each participating community will have an engaging exhibition specific to their location.
“We were thrilled to be chosen by the Smithsonian as one of only six small museums in the United States to showcase this amazing exhibit,” said Cathy Shonk, Director of Old Independence Regional Museum. “Our goal is to highlight as many different cultures, nationalities, and religions as possible throughout our region to show how their smaller communities utilize food, and how their practices relate to our larger community. We are inviting local contributions in the form of stories, artifacts, and video clips; we wish this exhibit to be our community sharing their ideas with others.”
MoMS, a program of the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), works with state humanities councils to share cultural resources and helps develop capacity around small exhibitions in rural communities across America. SITES connects Americans to their shared cultural heritage through a wide range of exhibitions about art, science, and history, which are shown wherever people live, work, and play. For more information, visit museumonmainstreet.org and sites.si.edu.
The Old Independence Regional Museum in Batesville, Arkansas, acquires and preserves artifacts and archival materials significant to the history of Independence County, Arkansas, and the surrounding counties, making these materials available for research and providing history-based education for the public through exhibits and programs.
Cathy Drew is a lifelong resident of the region that she loves to promote. She was born in downtown Batesville in the late ’60s, located in one of the eight counties she now enjoys encouraging people to visit.
Drew became associated with the Ozark Gateway Region in 1990 while working at the ad agency (The Media Market Inc.). The agency handled marketing for the regional association, where she and her co-workers produced an annual tabloid publication. She began working as the Ozark Gateway Region director in June 2000.
After Drew became director, she took the region to the next level by helping the tourism organization create a new website and moved it from the old newspaper paper tabloid publication to a color magazine format. She helped open a visitor center for the Ozark Gateway, allowing visitors to pick up information from the entire state 24/7. Over the years, Drew has helped the organization meet new marketing goals, such as in- and out-of-state marketing, assuring that all 100,000 copies of their magazines are distributed each year.
In 2016, she assisted in creating the first Ozark Gateway Region Golf Classic. The tournament continues to grow each year, allowing the organization to expand its co-op program and helping each county have dedicated promotion. Drew stays busy at Ozark Gateway as the ad sales manager, magazine editor, day-to-day office operations, trade show representative, and magazine distribution representative, all while ensuring that the region is represented all over Arkansas and southern Missouri.
Drew was featured in several local and statewide publications over the years, as well as the 1997 cover of the Ozark Gateway Region tabloid, along with her then 4-year-old son, Jon. She has received several awards, such as the Batesville Rotarian of the Year in 2010 and a three-time Paul Harris Fellow.
She also has served as an Independence County election commissioner for several years. She now serves as their co-election coordinator, helping with behind-the-scenes management of voting equipment, day-to-day election deadlines, and poll worker training.
Drew serves on the Arkansas Travel Council Board of Directors, is Batesville Rotary Club Past President, and is the Rotary Clubs’ current publicity chair.
In March of 2018, Drew was honored with induction into the Arkansas Tourism Hall of Fame for her many years of dedicated service to the tourism industry.