(Chelsea Update would like to thank Keegan Sulecki for the information in this story.)
Chelsea District Library (CDL) is pleased to announce the receipt of a $9,000 grant from the Michigan Humanities Council (MHC) for a World War I installation and digitization project scheduled for July – November 2016.
“Strong Foundations/New Possibilities: The World War I Years, 1914-1918” will be a physical and digital project on display in downtown Chelsea honoring the centennial anniversary of WWI.
WWI era photographs, letters, stories, and artifacts will be curated to expand the historical record archived on CDL’s Stories of Chelsea Webpage. A selection of these digitized photographs will be enlarged and printed on outdoor banners for display throughout the Chelsea Commercial Historic District starting in July.
CDL’s Head of Adult Services Keegan Sulecki says, “This is a great opportunity for the Chelsea Community to come together to commemorate and remember this important part of our history.”
CDL is seeking local residents with photographs, letters, and other artifacts from the WWI era who would be willing to loan their items for digitization or display and would be interested in sharing family stories for an audio record.
Chelsea River Gallery (CRG) was instrumental in conceptualizing this project and Director Patti Schwarz work closely with CDL to bring this project to life.
“This project will reflect the life and values of Chelsea residents 100 years ago,” Schwarz says.
The project was presented to the Chelsea City Council and Chelsea Downtown Development Authority and has been met with support from local business owners, city officials and residents.
Sulecki and Schwarz will continue to reach out to local organizations such as Chelsea American Legion Post 31, Chelsea VFW Post and Auxiliary, and Chelsea Historical Society to ensure this project is an authentic account of Chelsea’s history.
CDL is one of 21 Michigan organizations that were awarded grants by MHC in support of public humanities programming. These Humanities Grants support projects exploring history, poetry, reading, education, and community identity. Each agency is required to present matching cash or in-kind cost share for their project. The Michigan Humanities Council is an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
If you have WWI artifacts, family photographs, or stories and are interested in being involved, please contact Sulecki at 734-475-8732 x218 or at [email protected].
