The Ocean Springs Municipal Library will host Smithsonian’s Water/Ways exhibition and will open on Saturday, October 20, starting at 10 a.m., in the meeting room. This free exhibit will feature the Smithsonian traveling exhibition exploring water’s environmental and cultural impact to communities in the United States. From above, Earth appears as a water planet with more than 71 percent of its surface covered with this vital resource for life. Water impacts climate, agriculture, transportation, industry and more. It inspires art and music. The Ocean Springs Library, in cooperation with Mississippi Humanities Council, will examine water as an environmental necessity and an important cultural element as it hosts “Water/Ways,” an exhibition from the Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street (MoMS) program. The Museum on Main Street program is a national/state/local partnership to bring exhibitions and programs to rural cultural organizations. Water/Ways will be on view until November 30 at the library. Community partner exhibits will also focus on local waterways and the history of water in our communities. “Water/Ways” explores the endless motion of the water cycle, water’s effect on landscape, settlement and migration, and its impact on culture and spirituality. It looks at how political and economic planning have long been affected by access to water and control of water resources. Human creativity and resourcefulness provide new ways of protecting water resources and renewing respect for the natural environment. The complementary exhibits, public programs, and educational tour initiatives are intended to raise people’s understanding about what water means culturally, socially and spiritually in their own community. The public can participate in the conversation on social media at #thinkWater. For more information about the exhibit, visit N2RH2O.com. To learn more about Water/Ways and other Museum on Main Street exhibitions, visit www.museumonmainstreet.org. Partners in the exhibit project include; Grand Bay National Estuarine Research and Reserve, MS-AL Sea Grant, Friends of the OS Library, Mary C. O’Keefe Cultural Center, Biloxi Maritime and Seafood Industry Museum, Singing River Genealogy-Local History Library, USM GCRL Marine Education Center and Gunter Library, The Land Trust for the MS Coastal Plain, Walter Anderson Museum of Art, Loyalty Systems, LLC, and Coffee News of South MS. The Ocean Springs library is located at 525 Dewey Avenue, behind City Hall.
