The Between Fences Project Archive

AHC coordinated the Arizona tour of the Smithsonian’s traveling exhibition Between Fences, which opened in October 2007 and ran through August 2008. AHC selected six rural sites to host Between Fences for six weeks each, and to develop supplementary programming to tell their local stories that reflected themes in the exhibition.

Between Fences explored the history of fences in America, conveying information about the people who built them, how they view and use their property, and the nature of their relations with their neighbors. Arizona’s host sites highlighted physical and cultural fences related to ranching, Native American tribal lands, and the country’s border with Mexico, among other topics.

AHC facilitated local exhibit development and program planning by providing funding, scholarly consultations, packaged programs and preparatory workshops, along with materials developed by Museum on Main Street (MoMS). MoMS is a one-of-a-kind cultural partnership between the Smithsonian, state humanities councils, and rural museums across America, the latter of which benefit from increased visibility and attendance, first-rate teacher and docent materials, and technical assistance in the areas of fundraising, marketing, exhibitry, and programming.

Host sites developed a wide variety of programs that included local companion exhibits, lecture and film series, and public forums. Click here to see AHC newsletter articles on the host sites and their activities. In addition, visit the Between Fences Visual Archive, a joint project of AHC, the Winslow Historical Society, and SNOWDRIFT Art Space, to view the history of the project in Arizona through photographs and text.