FINAL DAY - Breaking Barriers: Women's Lives & Livelihoods

Saturday 3/12 is the final day to see "Breaking Barriers: Women's Lives & Livelihoods" on display at The History Center Exhibit Hall. 

Breaking Barriers: Women's Lives & Livelihoods explores the lives of women in public and private spheres across the centuries through six interactive exhibits: Haudenosaunee Influence on Women's Rights (Matilda Joslyn Gage Foundation), The Overlooked History of Women Working (HistoryForge), Serial Style: The Business of Being Irene Castle (Wharton Studio Museum and Cornell Fashion + Textiles Collection), Like-Minded Neighbors: Women's Social Clubs and Organizations, and Overcoming Barriers to Vote: Woman Suffrage Movement in Tompkins County. These exhibits connect visitors with the rich and varied lives of women in Tompkins County through exploration of the stories, artifacts, and community legacies they left behind.

Women continue to break glass ceilings and have continuously increased representation across communities. While we appreciate the obstacles they have overcome and the achievements women have made, it is important to look back and explore the stories of these women who have been overlooked. Breaking Barriers celebrates the lesser-known stories and lives of women in Tompkins County, told in their own words and voices where possible. From Haudenosaunee leaders and women's rights activists to wild entertainers and everyday workers in homes and businesses, the women featured here demonstrate that there are no limits to what women can do for themselves and their communities. With this exhibit, we hope to fill some of the gaps in our history, but even so, there are countless women whose lives and stories remain missing, unknown, or ignored. We are still learning how to honor the legacies of those who came before, as well as what it means and will mean to be a woman in a rapidly changing world. 

Breaking Barriers is merely the beginning of that conversation.