The new exhibition “War Comes Home: The Legacy” will be open January 23 through August 21, 2021 at the Greeley History Museum, 714 8th St.; however, the date could change due to COVID-19.
Combined with local artifacts from the City of Greeley Museums’ collection, “War Comes Home: The Legacy” highlights private correspondence from almost every major conflict in U.S. history. The traveling exhibition, rich with historical and contemporary letters, offers an intimate perspective into the thoughts and emotions of veterans and their families upon a soldier’s homecoming.
The exhibition explores the joys and hardships that returning soldiers and their families face during homecoming, as expressed through private letters and email correspondence. Spanning conflicts from the Civil War through the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and displayed on thirteen interpretive panels, “War Comes Home: The Legacy” explores the shared themes of wartime separation, the adjustment to life back at home, and the costs of war.
“Those of us coming back…are not looking for sympathy,” wrote Staff Sergeant Parker Gyokeres. “We might be reluctant at first to talk about what we’ve been through…[but] your support has made this journey an incredible one…Thanks, above all, for listening.”
“War Comes Home: The Legacy” is part of Cal Humanities’ current “War Comes Home” initiative, a thematic program designed to promote greater understanding of veterans and explore how war shapes a community, and includes an English and Spanish audio tour. The exhibition is based on the work of the Center for American War Letters (CAWL) and is presented by Exhibit Envoy. Andrew Carroll, the Director of CAWL and an award-winning New York Times bestselling author, and John Benitz, Associate Professor in the Department of Theatre at Chapman University, co-curated the exhibition.
“War Comes Home: The Legacy” is a partnership between Cal Humanities, the California State Library and Exhibit Envoy. Visit https://greeleymuseums.com for details.
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Photos attached approved for use with the following photo credit: War Comes Home: The Legacy is a partnership between California Humanities, the California State Library and Exhibit Envoy.