‘Voices and Votes’ exhibit comes to Lee

Early this summer, the spirit of democracy could be found just off the Massachusetts Turnpike in Lee, proudly on display next to the Nautica outlet store.

From June 7 through July 18, the town has been hosting “Voices and Votes: Democracy in America,” a traveling museum exhibit from the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum on Main Street program. Using donated space from the Lee Premium Outlets mall, Lee’s town government is one of six Bay State institutions chosen by Mass Humanities to host this year’s exhibit from April through January 2026.

Lee officials said they wanted to celebrate American democracy, bring more tourism to town, and showcase Lee as a destination unto itself.

“The Berkshires are known as this big cultural place in the summer, and Lee is the gateway to the Berkshires,” said Sabrina Touhey, Lee’s executive assistant. “But I feel like a lot of people will come in and they’ll come to our downtown area, but they’re also going to Tanglewood and to Barrington Stage Company and Stockbridge [for] Norman Rockwell. So this brought a cultural event to Lee in the summer as well.”

This year’s traveling exhibit focuses on voting rights and responsibilities, ahead of the nation’s 250th birthday next year. The Smithsonian works with the nonprofit Mass Humanities, and its counterparts in other states, to bring museum experiences to small-town main streets, and greater visibility to those communities. Selected hosts receive training and $10,000 toward hosting costs.

Considering the program’s title, Lee had hoped to locate the exhibit in a “Main Street” setting, but when a downtown spot failed to materialize, the outlets offered a vacant storefront for six weeks, Touhey said.

The exhibit features historical and contemporary photos, video footage, interactive multimedia displays, campaign souvenirs, voter memorabilia, protest material, activities and games.

Besides support from Mass Humanities, Lee relied on local sponsoring organizations to cover the 10% grant match, and about 70 volunteers to staff the event.

Lee also planned several events, including a Juneteenth event; an elementary school vote on a movie to watch (“Home Alone”); a pub crawl featuring patriotic-themed drinks; a voter registration day; a preview of the unveiling of a bronze W.E.B. Du Bois sculpture in Great Barrington; and a March Madness-style event to select the “most American” foods.

Lee also hosted a facilitated community conversation on a complex topic, choosing the Housatonic River cleanup project and the planned construction of a landfill in Lee for the cleanup waste. Town officials sought to connect the project to the democratic process, and encourage more people to engage with local issues.

“In the presidential election, you know, we’ll get 80% turnout, and then you have a local election, and you’ll get 20% turnout,” said Town Administrator R. Christopher Brittain. “[It’s] the importance of being involved at all levels, on those things that are going to have a bigger impact.”

The other five Massachusetts exhibit hosts are Mohawk Trail Regional School in Shelburne Falls, the Ashby Free Public Library, the Douglas Historical Society, the Holbrook Public Library, and the Nye Museum in Sandwich. Mass Humanities has created a website, “Building Blocks of Democracy,” that offers a state-level perspective on democracy and voting rights.

Mass Humanities received 12 applications, and wanted hosts that would help circulate the exhibit geographically and reflect the state’s diversity, according to Wes DeShano, the nonprofit’s communications manager. In particular, Mass Humanities wanted hosts to develop programming that connects local history to the national story.

“During a time of division and erasure, we believe that the humanities can bring people together to find common ground,” he said. “‘Voices and Votes’ does exactly that.”