"Sounds of Religion," a new Smithsonian poster exhibition, is now on view in the Michigan State University museum. The exhibition,  a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution, The Ohio State University Center for the Study of Religion and Michigan State University, explores how rituals and gatherings of religious communities create a complex soundtrack of religions in America. It draws from the digital sonic archive collected by the American Religious Sounds Project (ARSP), a collaborative research initiative co-directed by Isaac Weiner, director of the OSU Center for the Study of Religion and associate professor in the Department of Comparative Studies and Amy DeRogatis, professor and chair of the Department of Religious Studies at MSU. ARSP offers resources for documenting and interpreting the diversity of American religious life through field recordings, interviews, oral histories and related materials. 

 

Through 12 interactive posters, "Sounds of Religion" examines what religious sound is, how it can define a community, and where it can be found—from houses of worship and the home to public spaces and in acts of protest. It also looks at how religious sound can be affected by events like COVID-19. Each poster includes a QR code that, when scanned with a smartphone or tablet, plays field recordings that serve as audio portraits of the rich and dynamic differences found in the religious life of the United States. Viewers are invited to listen for sounds that have religious content, religious context or can be heard in religious communities, and to think about how religion permeates the everyday experiences of American life. The audio element in the exhibition is unique and innovative: it is the first time the Smithsonian has created a poster exhibit featuring a sound component.

 

The exhibition will be on view through June 30, 2023. Following this, the exhibition can be distributed at no cost to schools, libraries, museums and community organizations nationwide. 

"Sounds of Religion" is organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service in cooperation with the American Religious Sounds Project of The Ohio State University and Michigan State University and made possible through the generous support of The Henry Luce Foundation. The exhibition was developed in collaboration with MSU Religious Studies Professor Dr. Amy DeRogatis and Dr. Isaac Weiner (OSU), and co-curators Vicki Brennan, Ely Lyonblum, Alison Furlong, and Lauren Pond.

 

 

For more information, visit the MSU Museum website, or go to religioussounds.osu.edu. You may also request a press release copy by emailing religion@osu.edu.