Center honored for Victory Garden project
The Berks History Center was recently honored with a special achievement award from PA Museums, Pennsylvania’s statewide trade association serving museum professionals and institutions, the center announced.
The center received an Institutional Award of Merit for its “Berks History for Victory” exhibit, which promoted food security in the community through the revitalization of historic victory gardening during World War II.
Alexis Campbell, the center’s former associate director, organized the project to provide historical context and practical information for home-scale food production during a period of food scarcity due to the coronavirus crisis.
Center staff and volunteers produced a digital learning experience and a demonstration garden that served as a living exhibit on the museum grounds.
The project also included starter kits to help Reading residents start their own victory gardens. The center gave away over 1,000 plants, thanks in part to a $1,330 donation from The Friends of Reading Hospital.
“It’s an honor that the Berks History Center has been recognized for this achievement,” said Campbell. “In addition to having the opportunity to serve the direct needs of our community during the pandemic, we were able to demonstrate, in a very tangible way, the importance of historical knowledge and how our shared history can light our path forward.”
This project was a doublewin, she added, first for our community and second for the power of local history.
The project was underwritten by the City of Reading Victory Garden Task Force, the Reading Public Library and Muhlenberg Greene Architects Ltd.
Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum, Lancaster, is being honored for its exhibit “Thrown, Fired and Glazed: The Redware Tradition from Pennsylvania and Beyond.”