Summer 2011

Written by TC Heather Hollands

The Story Line was a region-wide public art project, directed by community artist Mary Wright, designed to display family stories about our ancestors who struggled and triumphed over adversity. The exhibit coincided with the world premiere in Houghton in Summer 2011 of Pine Mountain Music Festival’s “Rockland,” an original opera based on a true incident during a mining strike in Rockland in 1906.

The Story Line consisted of fabric panels, each showing the picture and the story of one of our forbears who overcame obstacles. This project was designed so that all age groups can participate. The stories were displayed in local communities, and surrounding the Rosza Center on the Michigan Technological University campus during the opera. They are now part of a permanent part of the Keweenaw Historical Park Archives and are available for viewing online.

Numerous UPWP Teacher Consultants and their students participated in the Story Line project.

The project was funded in part by the Michigan Humanities Council, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.