TEMPORARY EXHIBITIONS
Temporary Feature Exhibitions
The Museum has three different rotating exhibition spaces in addition to our permanent installations on the first and third floors. These spaces are Centennial Hall, the Small Gallery, and the Mezzanine. Centennial Hall hosts a summer blockbuster exhibit from May to late September each year, and the other two spaces have exhibitions scheduled throughout the year. Visit often to enjoy the changing array of Tri-Cities history!
Centennial Hall
Picnics and Parades: 100 Years of the Coast Guard Festival
Opens May 18, 2024
Closes September 22, 2024
August 4, 2024 marks 100 years since the first Coast Guard Festival was (almost) held in Grand Haven. It started as a small picnic for Coasties and their families to celebrate the anniversary of the founding of the Coast Guard in 1790. From those humble beginnings, it has become a massive festival encompassing several days and a multitude of events. This exhibition explores the history of the festival and how it came to be the event it is today. Highlighted topics include the early years of the picnic, the transition from picnic to festival, the effects of WWII and the sinking of the USCGC 'Escanaba', the festival’s postwar growth, and the importance of memorialization to the festival.
Small Gallery
Ship Shape Sisters: The Women of the Coast Guard SPARS
Opens August 23, 2024
Closes February 9, 2025
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The Coast Guard Women’s Reserve was established on November 23, 1942 and was the first time women were formally accepted into active service in the Coast Guard. The Reserve was more popularly known as the SPARS, which came from the first letters of each word in the Coast Guard’s Latin motto “Semper Paratus,” and its English translation “Always Ready.” This exhibition will provide a historical overview and explore the role of gender in the experience of enlisted servicemembers. The exhibit will explore the idealized experience, promoted by recruitment efforts, the personal experience via the stories of a select group of specific SPARS, and the various ways in which the SPARS organization is memorialized.
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Mezzanine
Women's Portraiture: Artwork from the Permanent Collection
Opens March 8, 2024
Closes January 5, 2025
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This is an intimate display of artwork from the permanent collection. Portraits of women and girls from the mid-19th to early 20th Centuries bring visitors face-to-face with Tri-Cities women.
We are not accepting any loans for this exhibition.
Upcoming Exhibitions
Classroom Curators Session 4
Opens January 17, 2025*
Closes June 1, 2025
​No loans accepted.
*subject to change based on school schedule​
Captured Moments: New Works in the Lewis Cross Artwork Collection
Opens February 21, 2025
Closes August 10, 2025
eight paintings by the artist that the museum acquired in the last five years, along with Cross’s self-portrait, which was conserved in late 2019. Lewis Cross was born in 1864 in Tuscola County, MI. He moved with his family in 1872 to Spring Lake, MI, where he lived the rest of his life.
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​No loans accepted.
Old, New, Borrowed, Blue: Weddings in the Tri-Cities
Opens May 24, 2025
Closes September 21, 2025
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Marriage has historically been considered one of the defining life events for adults in the Western world. To celebrate this important milestone, families in the Tri-Cities spent their hard-earned money on special clothing, food, decorations, invitations, and more. Old, New, Borrowed, Blue will display and explore these types of items in the Museum’s collection.
Untitled Artwork from the Permanent Collection
Opens June 14, 2025
Closes January 4, 2026
​No loans accepted​​.
Timeless Trinkets: Decorating the Tri-Cities
Opens August 23, 2025
Closes February 8, 2026
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Dive into the history of trinkets, knickknacks, tchotchkes, and other items decorating the horizontal surfaces of the past. A fun romp through the Museum’s collections, this exhibit will feature the decorative items residents of the Tri-Cities have used to personalize their rooms.
​​​​We are accepting loans for these exhibits, unless noted. We cannot guarantee that artifacts/photographs offered will be exhibited. Anyone interested in lending an artifact or photograph for an exhibit can contact Exhibits Curator Kate Crosby at kcrosby@tchmuseum.org or (616) 842-0700 x 120.Â
Planned Exhibitions
The Tri-Cities Historical Museum looks forward to presenting the these exciting exhibits in the near future. If you have an object, photograph, document, or your own history that you think could be included in these exhibits, reach out to us to loan or donate the item or oral history.
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United States Semiquincentennial (2026)
Fires in the Tri-Cities (2026)
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Oral Histories
The Tri-Cities Historical Museum wants to collect and share your story! Oral histories allow the Museum to gather historical information that might not otherwise appear in the collection, particularly from underrepresented groups. If you are interested in sharing your story with the Museum, click the button or scan the QR code below to fill out an oral history contact form. A Museum staff member will then be in touch to schedule an oral history interview. If you have any questions, please email Exhibitions Curator Kate Crosby at kcrosby@tchmuseum.org.
Exhibition Proposals
If you have an idea or request for a special exhibit subject, please let us know by completing an exhibition proposal form PDF and emailing it to kcrosby@tchmuseum.org.