'Between Fences' — Smithsonian exhibit at Layton museum explores Americans and their barriers

Sanders said that as fencing moved across the county that also created a conflict between ranchers and farmers. The farmers wanted to fence areas in, but ranchers wanted to leave spaces open.

The exhibit's third display, "Don't Fence Me In," addresses the land wars between farmers, ranchers and their lawyers. It shows how fences were used in the Midwestern and Western states. It also includes a display of different types of barbed wire.

The exhibit's fourth section, "Good Fences Make Good Neighbors" looks at how people fence themselves in with their own personal property.

"Americans define themselves, their neighborhoods, and their country ... beginning with their yards," the exhibit states.

Sanders said the exhibit asks, "Are we really fencing ourselves in, or are we fencing others out and making barriers between homes?"

The exhibit's final section, "Building Borders," explores the fences or barriers that separate the United States from Canada and Mexico.

"Perceptions of America and its neighbors are reflected in the way we build our boundaries," the exhibit states.

Sanders said it discusses the hot topic of fencing off the Mexican border and also talks about the U.S. border with Canada.

In preparing for the national exhibit, Bill Sanders and Joy Petro took pictures of local fences to display on the walls behind the exhibit. The museum's board also invited local artists to paint pictures that included fences to complement the exhibit.

The traveling Smithsonian exhibit fills up one of the museum's galleries and is set up in panels that display pictures and cards.

"It's a really interesting display," Sanders said.

Sanders said the display was brought to Layton with the help of the Utah Humanities Council and The Museum on Main Street, an organization that works with the Smithsonian Institute to put together traveling exhibits that can go to smaller museums in rural areas of the United States.

"Between Fences" will be at the Heritage Museum of Layton until Nov. 2, 2006. The museum is the first of five Utah locations to host the display, which will be in Utah until July 2007. The Heritage Museum of Layton is open Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and closed Sunday and Monday.

The national exhibit will also travel to the American West Heritage Center in Wellsville, then the John Hutchings Museum of Natural History in Lehi, the Anasazi State Park Museum in Boulder and the Delta City Library in Delta.

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E-mail: nclemens@desnews.com