Acts of Faith: Religion and the American West National Traveling Exhibition

FAIN: GI-278252-21

New York Historical Society (New York, NY 10024-5152)
Marci Reaven (Project Director: September 2020 to present)

Implementation of a traveling exhibition on the religious aspects of westward expansion in the nineteenth century.

"Acts of Faith: Religion and the American West" is an expansive, multi-format traveling exhibit and educational initiative that will premiere in New York from September 2022 through February 2023 and then embark on a multi-venue national tour beginning with our primary institutional partner, the Eiteljorg Museum. Deploying a wide range of artifacts, art, historical documents, photographs, and ephemera from museums and collections across the country, this immersive exhibit will engage hundreds of thousands of visitors in an exploration of the religious dimensions of westward expansion in the United States during the long 19th century and how that history continues to shape our culture today. Secondary formats include a virtual exhibition, audio and digital content, live and virtual public programming, evergreen K-12 curriculum materials, a family gallery guide, and a discussion kit to support community conversations will support the engagement of a broad and diverse national audience.

Associated Products

Acts of Faith: Religion and the American West Digital Curriculum (Course or Curricular Material)
Title: Acts of Faith: Religion and the American West Digital Curriculum
Author: Allyson Schettino, N-YHS Director of Curriculum and Instruction
Author: Kelly I. Aliano, PhD, N-YHS Manager of Education Special Projects
Author: Maria Montoya, PhD
Abstract: This collection of educational materials and resources accompanied Acts of Faith: Religion and the American West, a special installation that explored how religious belief and spirituality shaped US expansion and development. At the core of this curriculum guide is the belief that a better understanding of the role of religion in our nation’s past will help students better meet the challenges of our present moment. The materials included correspond to important themes in the history of US expansion. They are arranged into three chronological units: Homelands and New Lands, 1810s-1840s; Trials and Trails, 1840s-1860s; and Insiders and Outsiders, 1860s-1890s. Each unit includes primary and secondary sources and life stories intended to probe and deepen our understanding of how religion and spirituality played a role in the complex social and political challenges Americans faced over the course of the 19th century.
Year: 2023
Primary URL: https://www.nyhistory.org/acts-of-faith
Primary URL Description: The Acts of Faith curriculum guide provides resources exploring the role of religion in all the major events and themes of US expansion in the 19th century. The units are organized chronologically, and each unit contains four sections that explore a particular event or theme. Each section includes a life story and primary sources that allow students to investigate a theme and place it in its historical context. Each resource comes with background information, a vocabulary list, and suggested activities for integrating into school lessons. Resources can be printed out individually or with various supplements included.
Audience: K - 12

Pacific Historical Review Special Issue: “Religion in the Nineteenth-Century American West,” Volume 92, Issue 3 (Article)
Title: Pacific Historical Review Special Issue: “Religion in the Nineteenth-Century American West,” Volume 92, Issue 3
Author: Tisa Wenger, PhD
Author: Carleigh Beriont, PhD
Author: Danae Jacobson, PhD
Author: Jonathan Calvillo, PhD
Author: Cori Tucker-Price, PhD
Author: Tiffany Hale, PhD
Author: Dylan Yeats, PhD
Author: Jeffrey Turner, PhD
Author: Quincy Newell, PhD
Abstract: This special issue of Pacific Historical Review explores the parallel phenomena of westward expansion and religion in the United States, with featured essays focusing on: the economic implications of missionary work by nuns who in 1864 established a boarding school and convent in St. Ignatius, Montana Territory, on the Flathead Indian Reservation; the various strategies of resistance that Black western settlers used to not only attain material wealth but also agitate for their civil rights; Rutherford B. Hayes’ 1880 tour of the American West, during which he established a Republican culture war program with deeply religious overtones that continues to resonate to this day; and more. Through these lenses, the scholars of this publication ultimately argue that religion has a more central role in the extension of the American empire than has been previously considered.
Year: 2023
Primary URL: https://online.ucpress.edu/phr/issue/92/3
Primary URL Description: This Pacific Historical Review issue features an introduction written by Tisa Wenger; a section on the economies of missions with articles by Carleigh Beriont and Danae Jacobson; a section on race, religion, and resistance with articles by Jonathan Calvillo, Cori Tucker-Price, and Tiffany Hale; a section on governing religion with articles by Dylan Yeats and Jeffrey Turner; and a conclusion by Quincy Newell.
Access Model: Subscription
Format: Journal
Periodical Title: Pacific Historical Review
Publisher: University of California Press

Acts of Faith: Religion and the American West Virtual Tour (Game/Simulation)
Title: Acts of Faith: Religion and the American West Virtual Tour
Author: Ardon Bar-Hama
Abstract: This virtual tour launched after the close of Acts of Faith: Religion and the American West at the New-York Historical Society, to promote the traveling exhibition and increase access to audiences unable to visit the exhibition at any of its locations. It features 360-degree, interactive photography of the original exhibition layout, giving users the capability to navigate through the galleries, zoom in and out, and click on objects, graphics, and labels. As a more digitally accessible alternative, each exhibition section is also compiled into a scrollable page with all objects, graphics, and labels in order of appearance. Like the original installation, this virtual tour explores how religious belief and spirituality shaped US expansion and development through three sections: Homelands and New Lands, 1810s-1840s; Trails and Trials, 1840s-1860s; and Insiders and Outsiders, 1860s-1890s.
Year: 2024
Primary URL: https://actsoffaith.nyhistory.org/Home.html
Primary URL Description: This virtual tour launched after the close of Acts of Faith: Religion and the American West at the New-York Historical Society, to promote the traveling exhibition and increase access to audiences unable to visit the exhibition at any of its locations. It features 360-degree, interactive photography of the original exhibition layout, giving users the capability to navigate through the galleries, zoom in and out, and click on objects, graphics, and labels. As a more digitally accessible alternative, each exhibition section is also compiled into a scrollable page with all objects, graphics, and labels in order of appearance. Like the original installation, this virtual tour explores how religious belief and spirituality shaped US expansion and development through three sections: Homelands and New Lands, 1810s-1840s; Trails and Trials, 1840s-1860s; and Insiders and Outsiders, 1860s-1890s.
Access Model: Open access
Programming Language/Platform: N/A
Source Available?: No

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