Description
I’m coming home! I’m looking forward to seeing you again…but I’m in no hurry to see the expressions on your faces when you see me.
Private Al Puntasecca, letter to his family, 1953
For veterans, returning home from war can be both an exhilarating and challenging experience. Through private correspondence from almost every major conflict in U.S. history, War Comes Home offers insight into the thoughts and emotions of veterans and their families upon their homecoming. These intimate perspectives – from the Civil War era through the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq – reveal how war can shape a life, a family, and a community. This exhibition is a partnership with California Humanities and is a part of its War Comes Home initiative, which aims to raise awareness of and promote greater understanding of our veterans and explore the impact of war on our communities.
The exhibition is divided into five sections:
- The War Experience: PERCEPTION VS REALITY
- Far From Home: WARTIME SEPARATION
- A New Normal: ADJUSTING TO LIFE AT HOME
- Enduring Loss: THE COSTS OF WAR
- Reflections: BEFORE AND AFTER
- A New Mission: COMING HOME
Within each section, the exhibition pairs an historic letter with a contemporary letter or email to demonstrate the range of experiences military members face as they transition from deployment to home. Showcasing veterans and their families adjusting to civilian life together – or facing the long-term costs of war – these powerful letters explore feelings of grief, joy, doubt, and love, bringing the real experiences of war home to all of us.
The exhibition is based on the collection the Center for American War Letters (CAWL) and curated by Andrew Carroll, the Director of CAWL, and John Benitz, Professor, Chapman University. The freestanding panels provide a flexible layout, easy installation and designed to fit a variety of venue – libraries, museums, community centers, lobbies and government buildings. Three copies of the exhibition will begin touring in January 2015 and will tour for at least 3 years.
This exhibit is also available as an online exhibit! Book the online exhibit as a stand-alone experience, or pair it with the physical exhibit when you host. Visit our online exhibits page to learn more.
War Comes Home: The Legacy is a partnership between California Humanities, the California State Library and Exhibit Envoy. It is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the BayTree Fund, The Whitman Fund, and the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian.
Specs
- Audience:
- General
- Rental Fee:
- $1,000 + shipping for an 8-week booking
- Size:
- 42′ total linear feet; 13 freestanding banners @ 33” w x 80” h each
- Languages:
- English, Spanish (via audio tour)
- Security:
- Limited
- Installation Images:
- View Here
Exhibit Components:
- 13 freestanding exhibition panels, divided into five sections
- Cell audio tour of the letters read in English and Spanish translation of the exhibit panels
- Video featuring additional veteran interviews
- Exhibition gallery guide
- Exhibition press kit with digital images
Schedule and Availability
Past Dates | |
January 18, 2015 – March 1, 2015 | #1 – Mead Valley Library #2 – San Francisco Public Library #3 – EP Foster Library, Ventura |
March 15, 2015 – April 26, 2015 | #1 – Gavilian Collage, Gilroy #2 – Sacramento Public Library #3 – County of LA Public Library, Lancaster |
May 10, 2015 – June 21, 2015 | #1 – Evergreen Valley College, San Jose #2 – City of Camarillo Public Library #3 – Chapman University, Orange |
July 5, 2015 – August 16, 2015 | #1 – Vallejo Naval Museum #2 – San Diego Public Library #3 – LA Public Library, Central |
August 30, 2015 – October 11, 2015 | #1 – College of the Siskiyous Library, Weed #2 – Tulare Historical Museum #3 – San Leandro Public Library |
October 25, 2015 – December 6, 2015 | #1 – San Lorenzo Valley Museum, Bolder Creek #2 – Santa Rosa Junior College, Petaluma Campus, Mahoney Library #3 – Pierce College Library, Woodland Hills |
December 20, 2015 – February 14, 2016 | #1 – Inglewood Public Library #2 – Oakland Public Library #3 – Carmen Durazo Cultural Center, Camarena Memorial Library, Calexico |
February 28, 2016 – April 24, 2016 | #1 – Stanislaus County Library #2 – Museum on Main, Pleasanton #3 – Chula Vista Public Library |
May 8, 2016 – July 3, 2016 | #1 – Sacramento Public Library #2 – California History Center, Cupertino #3 – Arkansas Humanities Council |
July 17, 2016 – September 11, 2016 | #3 – Arkansas Humanities Council |
September 25, 2016 – November 20, 2016 | #1 – Toledo-Lucas County Public Library, OH #2 – College of the Desert, Palm Desert #3 – Arkansas Humanities Council |
December 4, 2016 – January 29, 2017 | #1 – Stockton-San Joaquin County Public Libraries, Stockton (Chavez Library; Manteca Library; Tracy Library) #2 – Ovitt Family Community Library, Ontario #3 – Arkansas Humanities Council |
February 12, 2017 – April 9, 2017 | #1 – Kings County Library, Hanford Branch #2 – Museum of San Ramon Valley, Danville #3 – Arkansas Humanities Council |
April 23, 2017 – June 18, 2017 | #1 – Veterans Home of California, Yountville #2 – Moreno Valley Public Library #3 – Oceanside Public Library |
July 2, 2017 – August 27, 2017 | #2 – Upland Public Library |
September 10, 2017 – November 5, 2017 | #1 – Midland County Public Library, Midland, TX #2 – San Joaquin County Historical Museum, Lodi |
January 28, 2018 – March 25, 2018 | #1 – General Tommy Franks Leadership Institute and Museum, Hobart, OK |
June 10, 2018 – August 5, 2018 | |
August 19, 2018 – October 14, 2018 | #2 – History San Jose, San Jose, CA |
January 6, 2019 – March 3, 2019 | |
March 17, 2019 – May 12, 2019 | #1 – The Highground Veterans Memorial Park, Neillsville, WI #2 – Menlo Park Library, Menlo Park |
August 4, 2019 – September 29, 2019 | #1 – Central Lakes College, Brainerd, MN |
September 15, 2019 – October 13, 2019 | #2 – George Mason University, Fairfax, VA |
May 17, 2020 – August 23, 2020 | #1 – Spellman Museum of Forney History, Forney, TX |
September 6, 2020 – January 24, 2021 (20 weeks) | #1 – Hi-Desert Nature Museum, Yucca Valley |
January 17, 2021 – October 3, 2021 | #2 – City of Greeley Museums, Greeley, CO |
August 29, 2021 – December 30, 2021 | #1 – National Medal of Honor Heritage Center, Chattanooga, TN |
October 17, 2021 – December 12, 2021 | #2 – Siouxland Libraries, Sioux Falls, SD |
January 9, 2022 – March 13, 2022 | #1 – The Lake Havasu Museum of History, Lake Havasu City, AZ |
April 3, 2022 – May 29, 2022 | #2 – Churchill County Museum, Fallon, NV |
May 22, 2022 – July 17, 2022 | #1 – Cecil County Public Libraries, Perryville, MD |
October 16, 2022 – December 11, 2022 | Mission Viejo Library, Mission Viejo, CA |
October 29, 2023 – November 26, 2023 | CNY Veterans Parade and Expo and Onondaga Community College, Syracuse, NY |
November 24, 2024 – January 19, 2025 | AVAILABLE |
February 9, 2025 – April 6, 2025 | AVAILABLE |
April 27, 2025 – June 22, 2025 | AVAILABLE |
July 13, 2025 – September 7, 2025 | AVAILABLE |
September 28, 2025 – November 23, 2025 | AVAILABLE |
December 14, 2025 – February 8, 2026 | AVAILABLE |
March 1, 2026 – April 26, 2026 | Sand Springs Cultural and Historical Museum, Sand Springs, OK |
May 17, 2026 – July 12, 2026 | AVAILABLE |
August 2, 2026 – September 27, 2026 | AVAILABLE |
October 18, 2026 – December 13, 2026 | AVAILABLE |
Contact us about purchasing a copy of this beloved exhibit when it ends its tour in 2022 (the first copy will continue to travel indefinitely)!