Current Exhibits

Envision 2020
November 4, 2007 through October 2008

Envision 2020 was assembled to allow us to dream into the near future by giving historical reference to where women are today politically, professionally and in terms of leadership overall.

Exhibits have been created by several community members and items have been loaned by organizations to help free their stories.

Perhaps the most striking addition to the museum is a timeline which starts in the late 18th century and highlights significant points in time that heralded the inevitable change to come, such as the publication of Mary Wollstonecraft’s “A Vindication of the Rights of Women” in 1792 and the speeches of Elizabeth Cady Stanton in 1840. 1920 is especially significant, noting when women received the right to vote in the U.S. More modern points such as 1973, when Title IX was enacted, and 1981, when Sandra Day O’Connor became the first women appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, bring light to the fact that many younger women are the first generation to truly reap the benefit of changes that their grandmothers may not have even considered possible. The MA League of Women Voters has been a key collaborator and has loaned several items dating back to the early suffragists.

Exhibits include, “One Family’s story of Women at Work” by Jenn Linn, a local genealogist who took her hobby and wrote a book about her family. Highlights in the exhibit show how the women found ways to put their talents to work in different parts of the U.S.

High school freshman Katie Tebo, an accomplished equestrian herself, researched women who rode horses over the past 80 years and found only one who ever rode in the Kentucky Derby. Her exhibit includes an interview with Diane Crump, the one competitor.

Nancy Young, Museum President, and Gloria LaVaggi created an exhibit “100 Years of Jewelry Making” which includes a timeline itself of the jewelry industry in the Attleboro area.

Military nurses are honored thanks to the generosity of Ethel Simeone, who donated several uniform pieces dating back to WWI.

Thanks to grants from three local cultural Councils, a photo exhibit of “Young Women at Watch” and Career Exploration combines the dreams of several amazing young women who have outstanding leadership potential and women already established in careers who are willing to mentor the young women coming after them.

Finally, a grant from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers will make possible a traveling exhibit which will feature how engineering is part of our lives. The concept, in collaboration with Dr. Karen Panetta of Tufts University, is to have a hands-on space for children and adults to explore engineering concepts.