A new exhibit opens this week at the Springfield History Museum. “PosSUBilities: 75 Years of the Springfield Utility Board,” highlights the development and impact of the Springfield Utility Board on the community.
Historical documents, archival photos, and personal reflections showcase the publicly-owned utility board’s journey over time.
“We knew we wanted to focus on things that talk about and show the early years,” said Madeline McGraw, a curator at the Springfield History Museum. “And also some of the things they have done in the last few years that have been really important.”
From details about struggling to win the vote for its creation in the late 1940s, to the role SUB plays in modern city traditions, the exhibit spotlights the past while looking at the present– and towards the future.
There are interactive features for younger patrons, involving Play-Doh, simple electrical circuits, and glowing red lights.
Curators at the Springfield History Museum frequently involve interactive components in exhibits, aiming to make information accessible and engaging for all ages. Coming up with something hands-on for the SUB exhibit was fairly easy, McGraw said. “We’ve got electricity, we’ve got power, we’ve got water, we’ve got all these fun science-y elements.”
McGraw hopes the exhibit is a space for Springfield residents and SUB customers to reflect on the role utilities play in everyday life.
“It’s a great chance to really think about what it means to have a public utility. A lot of communities don’t have that,” McGraw said. “But we have a really amazing public utility that answers to the community.”
Patrons can visit the exhibit on Thursday-Sunday starting August 8 with free admission. The PosSUBilities exhibit will close on December 27.
