Traveling Displays and Exhibits | Wisconsin Historical Society

General Information

Traveling Displays and Exhibits

Share Wisconsin history with your community!

Traveling Displays and Exhibits | Wisconsin Historical Society
EnlargeCrossing the Line Exhibit

"Crossing the Line" on display at Jewish Museum Milwaukee

The Wisconsin Historical Society offers banner displays to schools, civic organizations, community groups, and other public and private venues. Displays have a rental fee of $100. Renters are also responsible for arranging transport to and from their venue; in some cases, venues may be able to make arrangements with preceding or following venues if scheduling allows. Proceeds from traveling display rentals support the Society's ongoing outreach programs and activities.

The Wisconsin Historical Society currently offers freestanding pull-up banner displays and tabletop displays, depending on title. Displays are most suitable for secondary schools and the general public. Some displays have curriculum materials or public speakers to accompany them. Click through to individual display webpages to find out more or to request a display for your community.

For more information or to schedule an exhibit, please email travelingexhibits@wisconsinhistory.org.

The following tabletop or pull-up banner displays are available to local schools and organizations:


We Will Always Be Here: Wisconsin's LGBTQ+ Historymakers

The traveling display "We Will Always Be Here: Wisconsin's LGBTQ+ Historymakers" explores the stories of Wisconsin's LGBTQ+ historymakers through profiles of eight individuals across a wide spectrum of identities who have helped to empower others to make a positive change in the world. Meet some of our LGBTQ+ visionaries, changemakers, and storytellers in the new traveling display featuring artwork by nipinet landsem.

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Crossing the Line: The Milwaukee Fair Housing Marches of 1967-1968

How do citizens work for change when faced with injustice? How can individuals make a difference?

The traveling display "Crossing the Line: The Milwaukee Fair Housing Marches of 1967-1968" commemorates the 50th anniversary of Milwaukee's civil rights marches by examining the practices and prejudices that led to segregation in Milwaukee and chronicling the school desegregation and fair housing movements of the 1960s. The eight panels of "Crossing the Line" tell the story of Milwaukee's civil rights marches in simple language, with reproductions of 33 historic photographs and documents.

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Great Lakes Small Streams: How Water Shapes Wisconsin

We drink it, fish in it, clean with it, swim in it and travel across it. Water has always been critical for our survival.

The Great Lakes region is home to one of the largest freshwater resources on the planet. That water shaped the landscape, history and communities of our state. The traveling display "Great Lakes Small Streams: How Water Shapes Wisconsin" explores our state's long relationship with water and the impact we have had on our vast waterways. The sixteen panels of "Great Lakes Small Streams" tell the story of Wisconsin's relationship with water in simple language, with reproductions of 70 historic and contemporary photographs and documents. Curriculum materials are also available.

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Risking Everything: A Freedom Summer Exhibit for Students

In his keynote address at SNCC's 50th anniversary conference, civil rights activist and entertainer Harry Belafonte asked, "Why can’t our grandchildren find us?" The traveling display "Risking Everything" addresses his question by telling the story of one pivotal episode, the 1964 Mississippi Freedom Summer project, in ways that engage and challenge young people. The sixteen panels of "Risking Everything" tell the story of Freedom Summer in simple language, with reproductions of 77 historic photographs and documents. Curriculum materials and a book of primary source documents are also available. 

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"We Stand on Their Shoulders": A History of Wisconsin Women and Voting

The traveling display "'We Stand on Their Shoulders': A History of Wisconsin Women and Voting" explores moments when women in Wisconsin gained political rights and highlights a few key leaders. Covering the ratification of the 19th Amendment, 1921 Wisconsin Equal Rights Act, 1924 Indian Citizenship Act, and 1965 Voting Rights Act, the eight-panel display shares the important story of women's quest for political rights and recognition through quotes, photographs, and a timeline of events.

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Wisconsin's John Muir: An Exhibit Celebrating the Centennial of the National Park Service

Commemorating the centennial of the National Park Service, the traveling display "Wisconsin's John Muir: An Exhibit Celebrating the Centennial of the National Park Service" explores Muir's youth in Wisconsin, his advocacy for national parks and his views on environmental issues such as logging, hunting and climate change. The eight panels of "Wisconsin's John Muir" share facsimiles of images and manuscripts from the Society's library and archives alongside Muir quotes and interpretive texts.

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Great Lakes Small Streams Exhibit Kettle Moraine

"Great Lakes Small Streams" on display at Kettle Moraine Middle School