Educator from Dole Institute speaks at Voices and Votes Smithsonian traveling exhibition around Kansas as special partner

January 15, 2024 - Features

by Julie Clover | Public Education Manager

Dole Institute Public Education Manager Julie Clover visited multiple towns and cities in Kansas as part of the “Voices and Votes” traveling exhibit’s tour in the state.

The Dole Institute’s public education manager, Julie Clover, has completed a six-month tour of Kansas while presenting at five different host sites for the Smithsonian Institution’s traveling exhibition, “Voices and Votes: Democracy in America.”

The exhibit is a product of the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum on Main Street initiative, which brings special exhibitions curated by the Smithsonian to local museums through partnerships with regional and state organizations. Humanities Kansas was one of the organizations to partner with Museum on Main Street , including the Mid-America All-Indian Museum in Wichita, the Nicodemus National Historical Site in Nicodemus, and the Republic County Historical Society in Bellville.

​“Voices and Votes: Democracy in America” traces the bold American experiment of a government run by and for the people—examining the influences that shaped the early days of American democracy and the changes that have occurred in the nearly 250 years since.

This created a perfect connection for a partnership between Humanities Kansas and the Dole Institute of Politics. Julie Clover, the Dole Institute’s public education manager, traveled to host sites throughout the state to present correlating items from the Robert and Elizabeth Dole Archives and Special Collections. Explore the places she traveled to below!

Mid-America All-Indian Museum, Wichita

Bipartisanship and Education at the Dole Institute of Politics | June 10, 2023

This short presentation introduced the dynamic work of the Dole Institute within the conversation about democracy and included a special emphasis on our Landmark Celebration community craft. The interactive workshop highlighted the work of the Institute and the upcoming summer Landmark Celebration event, which commemorated the 20^th anniversary of the Dole Institute and the centenary of Senator Bob Dole. Participants created their own paper square artwork that showed what Kansas means to them, which later became part of the 1,050 square border of the Senator Bob Dole Tribute Earthwork that debuted in July 2023 for our Landmark Celebration.

Nicodemus National Historic Site, Nicodemus

Nicodemus National Historical Site Designation – A Case Study of the Dole Archives | July 29, 2023

Julie was the keynote presenter for the 145^th Nicodemus Homecoming Emancipation Celebration—a weekend full of festivities celebrating the history of the community as an Exoduster town after the Civil War. Decades later, Senator Bob Dole was instrumental in Nicodemus gaining national historic site status with most of the communication with Nicodemus descendants occurring in the mid-late 1990s. In addition to her keynote address, Julie hosted an informational table with giveaways, digitized documents from the archives, and a campaign button-making station for kids and adults.

Franklin County Historical Society and Ottawa University, Ottawa

Get Out The Vote – Historically Speaking | October 25, 2023

Although the Voices and Votes exhibit had already left the Ottawa area, Diana Staresinic-Deane, curator of the Franklin County Historical Society, graciously set up a special event at Ottawa University for an audience of college students and professors. Seventy-five students packed into a large meeting room on the campus of Ottawa University for an interactive discussion on primary sources from the Dole Archive and the voting age.

Winfield Public Library, Winfield

Get Out The Vote – Historically Speaking | November 3, 2023

Attendees on a Friday afternoon at the Winfield Public Library were treated to a primary source inquiry program using materials from the Dole Archives and background on the Dole Institute’s mission. By connecting documents sent to Senator Bob Dole’s office before the 26^th amendment, participants had an insightful glimpse into public opinion on the voting age when the amendment was being debated. Connections to democracy and voting were discussed with a group of retirees. Julie’s visit to Winfield was also paired with a visit to Campus High School in Haysville, where she two classes of high school juniors in their Modern U.S. History course.

Republic County Historical Society, Belleville

A Century of Service: Senator Bob Dole | December 9, 2023

To wrap up the year and the celebration of Senator Bob Dole’s centenary, Julie presented in Belleville at the last Voices and Votes stop in Kansas. Northcentral Kansans were given an engaging overview of Senator Bob and Elizabeth Dole’s life stories and the important work the Dole Institute carries out. The Dole Institute of Politics continues to promote its distinguished leadership qualities, as it has through the past 20 years, with public programs, museum, and the Dole Archives.

This outreach work across Kansas is vital to the mission of the Dole Institute, and the Dole Institute was honored to reach new audiences throughout the state as part of the exhibit’s tour of the state.

Voices and Votes: Democracy in America was made possible in Kansas by Humanities Kansas with support from “A More Perfect Union: America at 250” an initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities, Humanities Kansas Friends of the Humanities, and the following partners:

Julie Clover serves as the Institute’s Public Education Manager—leading our K-12, scouting, and family education programming through in-person tours and workshops, virtual classes, and outreach in schools and the community. Additionally, she engages with students at the University of Kansas with in-depth discussions utilizing primary sources from the Robert and Elizabeth Dole Archives and Special Collections. Julie is a graduate of KU for both her undergraduate and graduate degrees, and has over ten years of experience in statewide museum education outreach in Kansas and Utah. Julie also serves as a member of the Kansas City Area Museum Educators Roundtable, the American Alliance for Museums, and the Kansas & National Council for the Social Studies.

About the Dole Institute
The Dole Institute was dedicated on July 22, 2003, at the University of Kansas on Senator Bob Dole’s 80^th birthday. Home to the personal archives of both Senator Bob and Senator Elizabeth Dole, with a museum facility on par with the U.S. Presidential libraries, the Dole Institute has been a vibrant political forum promoting civil discourse, civic engagement, and idea exchange across the political spectrum for 20 years.