The Heart of Wattayai & The Girl of My Dreams Win 2026 AASLH Awards of Excellence
Rhode Island Historical Society Museum Exhibits Honored with Award
(NASHVILLE, TN)—June 2026—The American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) proudly announces that two exhibits hosted by Rhode Island Historical Society (RIHS) museums are each the recipients of an Award of Excellence from the AASLH. The Award of Excellence is presented to recognize excellence for projects (including civic engagement, special projects, educational programs, exhibits, publications, etc.), and individual lifetime achievement.
The Heart of Wattayai is a community-centered public history exhibit curated by Vimala Phongsavanh and presented by the RIHS’s Museum of Work & Culture in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. The temporary photo and storytelling exhibit connects one Lao refugee family’s journey to the broader history of labor, migration, and belonging in the Blackstone Valley. By placing Lao refugee experiences alongside Woonsocket’s long history of immigrant mill workers, the project expands how local history is understood and who is recognized within it.
The Girl of My Dreams, Sylvia: A 19th Century Life from artist Stacy Morrison, presented at the RIHS’s John Brown House Museum in Providence, Rhode Island, features the contents from a small 19th-century trunk discarded on a New York City street that Morrison encountered twenty years ago and once belonged to Sylvia DeWolf Ostrander (1841-1925), a resident of Bristol, Rhode Island. Inspired by the remnants of her life left behind, Morrison has been on a quest to reimagine Sylvia’s life through photography, painting, and textiles that blur the past and present. The result is a microhistory that brings to life a Victorian woman’s forgotten story.
This year, AASLH confers 42 national awards honoring people, projects, exhibits, and publications. The winners represent the best in the field and provide leadership for the future of state and local history. The AASLH awards program was initiated in 1945 to establish and encourage standards of excellence in the collection, preservation, and interpretation of state and local history throughout the United States. The AASLH Leadership in History Awards not only honor significant achievement in the field of state and local history, but also bring public recognition of the opportunities for small and large organizations, institutions, and programs to make contributions in this arena. For more information about the Leadership in History Awards, contact AASLH at 615-320-3203 or go to www.aaslh.org
About The American Association for State and Local History
The American Association for State and Local History (AASLH), a national nonprofit association, provides leadership and resources to help the history community thrive and make the past more meaningful for all people. AASLH serves the tens of thousands of history organizations, professionals, and volunteers around the country who help people of all ages develop critical thinking skills and understand how learning history helps society make progress toward justice. Through research, advocacy, and our field- leading professional development program, AASLH advances public history practice and connects history practitioners to critical issues in the field and to one another. For more information about AASLH visit www.aaslh.org
About the Rhode Island Historical Society
The Rhode Island Historical Society, the state’s oldest and only state-wide historical organization, welcomes everyone to engage with Rhode Island’s complex and significant past through its collections, museums, and educational initiatives. Founded in 1822, the RIHS is an advocate for history as a means to develop empathy and 21st-century skills, using its historical materials and knowledge to explore topics of timeless relevance and public interest. As a Smithsonian Affiliate, it is dedicated to providing high-quality, accessible public programming and educational opportunities for all Rhode Islanders through its four sites: the John Brown House Museum, the Museum of Work & Culture, the Mary Elizabeth Robinson Research Center, and the Aldrich House.
The headquarters of the Rhode Island Historical Society are located at 110 Benevolent Street, Providence, RI 02906. Information: (401) 331-8575. Website: rihs.org. Follow the RIHS on Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.