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Holland Museum Wichers Gallery
September 28, 2012 - May, 2013

Celebrating the Journey

Holland, Michigan, nearly 170 years on the road from settlement to urban center, has collected objects all along the way. Many of these objects now reside in the collections of the Holland Museum. They tell stories about the journeys of the people of this place that defines us and our place in history.

In honor of the Museum's 75th anniversary, a temporary exhibition of some of these objects and their stories opened on September 28, 2012, in the Wichers Gallery.

Video courtesy of the Holland Sentinel
(Promotional offer in video has expired.)

 

 

Image courtesy of the Holland Sentinel

Focus Gallery January 18 - April 14, 2013

Buildings are an important part of an urban landscape.  They help create a sense of place, distinguishing one town from another.  They serve as landmarks and neighborhoods. Together, they provide the backdrop before which the life of the town plays out.

Over time, buildings change with their owners and the needs of the community.  They get renovated, remodeled, re-purposed, or removed completely—lost to fire, flood, hurricane, tornado or the wrecking ball and bulldozer.  Those demolished buildings are lost forever, living on only in our mind’s eye.  If we are lucky, there are photographs.

Part of an area’s access to its history is lost when a building comes down.  Buildings are part of the collective memory of the area and serve as a tangible link to the past.  The times spent within the walls of schools, restaurants, stores, and churches are tightly woven into our memories.  Residents can develop strong feelings about a building, and can be upset to see it destroyed.

Lost Holland seeks to remind us of some of the downtown buildings that are no longer standing and to showcase buildings that have been reused. Through programming in conjunction with this exhibition, we hope to stimulate discussion about the role of buildings in our community and the issues surrounding their management, including urban renewal, historic preservation, and adaptive reuse.

Focus Gallery April 26 - July 22, 2013

The impact of the netherlands on Holland's history and heritage is well known. however, many people in West Michigan can actually trace their roots not to the Netherlands, but to Germany. This lineage begins in Bentheim, a German county that borders and geographically extends into the Netherlands, adjacent to the Dutch provinces of Overijssel and Drenthe. Come discover the Bentheimers: their life style, faith, powerful motivations for emigration to America, and their unique influence on this area.

Member preview: April 25 at 5:30 p.m.

Special guest from the Bentheimers International Society speaking at 6:00 p.m.