In this election year, as candidates campaign on the local and national stages, the current exhibit at the Slemp Gallery at Mountain Empire Community College looks at the election process – from campaigns and conventions, to election day and beyond – as it has played out in Southwest Virginia.

The exhibit features photographs, paintings, documents, and other artifacts from the collection of the Southwest Virginia Museum Historical State Park.

Many of the photographs and documents in the exhibit come from the C. Bascom Slemp collection. Letters, newspaper articles, campaign posters and other memorabilia chronicle his extraordinary life of public service.

Additional items from the museum’s archives add depth to the exhibit. Among the artifacts on display is a collection of political pins from campaigns, conventions, and beyond and an original voter registration book from 1904.

Rounding out the exhibit is a collection of portraits of elected leaders from Southwest Virginia. Several of these portraits were painted by Works Progress Administration (WPA) artists. Originally, much of the work done by the WPA was the construction or improvement of public buildings. However, in 1935, programs were begun to employ professional artists. The Federal Art Project (FAP) was established as part of the WPA. James True, the first curator of the Southwest Virginia Museum, was the director of the WPA for Southwest Virginia.

The Southwest Virginia Museum Historical State Park’s mission is to collect, preserve, protect, and interpret the cultural history of Southwest Virginia. The museum was acquired in 1946 and opened in 1948 under the state park system. 2008 marks the 60th Anniversary of the park.

The exhibit will be on display through Labor Day. The Slemp Gallery is located in the Wampler Library in Robb Hall on the MECC campus.