Exhibits, educational programs highlight 2021 at the Wright Museum

WOLFEBORO — As the proverbial ball dropped on 2020, Wright Museum of WWII staff, volunteers, and board directors shared one goal regarding the upcoming season.

“We were determined to make the 2021 exhibition season a successful one,” said Mike Culver, longtime executive director.

Their hopes were met with success from opening day on May 1.

“May and June attendance were among the best ever, and July set a record with over 5,000 visitors,” he noted.

Other highlights include a 20 percent increase in membership along with a measurable increase in attendance at the museum’s annual Goodgame-Canney Lecture Series compared to 2020. The Wright’s lectures and education programming took place in the new DuQuoin Education Center.

“It is a wonderful space dedicated to education and community engagement,” explained Culver.

The museum’s exhibits also drew “raves,” according to Curator Justin Gamache, who said the season covered important aspects of American and world history.

“We touched on the importance of World War I and explored numerous themes from World War II, including the role of women, recruiting posters, and mementoes,” he said.

Other highlights included a collaboration between The Wright and Taylor Community, a nonprofit continuing care retirement community, based out of Laconia and Wolfeboro.

“Taylor Community created a series of videos where they interviewed residents, some of whom fought in World War II, and their family members,” explained Culver. “Part of our mission is to help tell and preserve people’s stories, so this has been a wonderful partnership.

The third video in Faces of Taylor is set to be released sometime in November.

Culver said The Wright was also able to raise close to $100,000 as part of the Biber Foundation’s Project25 Challenge Grant. Begun in 2019, Project25 is an on-going multi-phase project that has included the addition of the DuQuoin Education Center and expansion of the museum’s Art Gallery among other enhancements.

“Given the challenges of 2020, we were thrilled at the responses we received from visitors far and wide,” said Culver. “In total, we welcomed more than 18,000 people in 2021 compared to 8,000 last year… It’s a wonderful validation of our mission to provide a vivid perspective on the profound and enduring impact of the World War II experience on American society.”

To learn more about the museum, visit wrightmuseum.org.