Past Exhibitions

Water/ Ways, a Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibit, explored water as both a practical resource and essential component of the environmental, cultural, and historical experience of life on our planet.  Alongside the SITES exhibition materials, local content further explored the relationship between people and water through the multi-faceted lens of cultural, artistic, and economic experiences.

Local sponsorship for the exhibit was provided by Kohler Foundation and Ruth DeYoung Kohler. Water/ Ways is a Museum on Main Street exhibition developed by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and inspired by an exhibition developed by the American Museum of Natural History, New York. 

Of, By, For the People was not about the modern politics scene. Rather, it approached politics through one of the most phenomenal aspects of American democracy that has been key since day one – the fact that people and participation are at the center of this form of government. Through this people focused lens, the exhibition explored how the definition of people expanded, the process of participation changed, and ultimately how the government grew to meet the ever changing needs of the people and our communities. A highlight was the unifying concepts of service and participation by ordinary people, at a local level, that is at the heart of American Democracy.

In early 2024, the Sheboygan County Museum hosted Spies and Space: Toys of the Cold War Era, a traveling exhibition of SuperMonster市 City. Built from the personal collection of David Barnhill and curated by Steven Rueff, the exhibition explored how the Cold War and Space Race permeated both American and USSR culture for over three decades beginning in the 1950s. No aspect of life was untouched, including the toys, games, and popular media of the day, by the arrival of international espionage, a fascination with outer space, and even the growing political tension between the world’s two newly established ‘superpowers.’ With the likes of Star Wars, Star Trek, James Bond, robots, and aliens remaining mainstays today, the exhibit demonstrated not only where toys and popular culture have been, but how we arrived at this moment today.

2023 marked the 100th Anniversary of the establishment of the Sheboygan County Historical Society. In honor of the centennial anniversary, 100 Year/ Objects celebrated the foundation of the Museum with a display featuring an eclectic mix of typical, unique, interesting, important and occasionally curious items from the Sheboygan County Museum collection. Through the lens of the Museum collection, the exhibition illuminated both the history of the organization and the development of a rich and diverse artifact collection representing the history of the people, places, and lives of those who have called Sheboygan County home.

Say It – We Made It: An Original Buy Local Campaign explored over a century of products, manufacturers, and businesses that long predated today’s common advertising strategies of Buy Local, Shop Small, and Locally Grown. Born out of a 1915 Sheboygan Association of Commerce contest, the slogan Say It – Sheboygan Makes It became the basis to showcase the breadth of products made by generations of farmers, manufacturers, and businesses in the area bearing the tag “Made in Sheboygan County.” Say It – We Made It demonstrated that Sheboygan County has a long history of incredible buy local products both for local residents and the world beyond.

The Sheboygan County Museum hosted this traveling exhibit of the Wisconsin Historical Society in 2022. We Will Always Be Here, featuring artwork by nipinet landsem, an Indigequeer Anishinaabe and Michif artist based in Madison, explored the stories of eight individuals across a wide spectrum of identities who helped to empower others to make a positive change in the world while living their truth, courageously taking risks, and trying to change our world for the better.

The Sheboygan County Museum was one of the first in the U.S. and only museum in Wisconsin to host Marvelocity: The Art of Alex Ross, a traveling exhibition of the Bess Bower Dunn Museum of Lake County. Featuring original cover art, sketches, life-size head busts, and more, Marvelocity traced the path of a three year old drawing TV commercials to that of a world-renowned comic book artist that has revitalized classic superheroes into works of fine art. 

The exhibit also connected to Jim Krueger, storyline writer for the Earth X Trilogy. Known today as a top comic book writer, Krueger joined Sheboygan’s Jaconbson-Rost in 1991 as a copywriter/ account assistant. While working for Jacobson-Rost, Krueger worked on projects for “that Museum up by you that is underground” – the Museum’s Main Building where the exhibit was featured.

A traveling exhibition of Exhibits USA and the Mid-America Arts Alliance, Work, Fight, Give highlighted the stories of community and care during World War II through the artistic works of the relief work of the National War Fund. Designed by some of America’s top artists of the time, the various relief posters sought to persuade American citizens, including Sheboygan County residents, to donate their time and resources to those living in the war zones.

The Way We Worked, a traveling exhibition of the Smithsonian Institution, explored how work became a central element in American culture by tracing the many changes, the diversity of the American workforce and how we identify with work—as individuals and as communities. Additional photos and artifacts were also on display, connecting the history of Sheboygan County workers and workplaces to the larger history of work in America. 

This exhibition was supported in part by Kohler Foundation Inc.

A traveling exhibition of Exhibits USA and the Mid-America Arts Alliance, Cloth as Community featured twenty-eight textiles created by members of the American Hmong community. The works illustrated the importance of textiles, needlework, and cultural knowledge that was largely unknown outside of Asia prior to the arrival of Hmong refugees in the 1970s, tracing a history of culture and adaptation.

Inspired by March Madness, the Sheboygan County Museum has held several Museum Madness tournaments in recent years. Each year, sixteen uniquely Sheboygan County objects, spread across the four “C” divisions, faced off through both online and in person voting to be crowned the winner.

Accessioning the Armory featured the history of a beloved local building, from construction as a Great Depression WPA Project to the many events and activities over the years, alongside sharing the process of bringing new artifacts into the Museum’s permanent collection to be preserved for generations to come.

A traveling exhibition of Exhibits USA and the Mid-America Arts Alliance, Once Upon A Playground was a visual tribute to the vanishing playgrounds of the past. The exhibition includes images of classic equipment, playground catalogs, and ephemera, alongside snapshots of some of Sheboygan County’s most beloved play areas, along with the chance to reenact fond playground memories.