TROY – The Rensselaer County Historical Society is one of 10 museums selected nationwide to be part of a Smithsonian Institution pilot program that will see the “How We Work” exhibit tailored to highlight how local history fits into the American story.

Part of the Museum on Main Street program, this is the first time that what would be found on the Mall in Washington D.C. where the Smithsonian museums are based or in a major city museum will be reachable in communities that are smaller.

“It is an outstanding opportunity to expand the experiences offered people in the community and the Capital Region by bringing the Smithsonian to Upstate New York,” Karin Krasevac-Lenz, the RCHS executive director, said Thursday.

“It is the stamp of approval from the Smithsonian for the quality of work we’ve done before,” Krasevac-Lenz said.

RCHS Curator Stacy Pomeroy Draper is working with Smithsonian staff to incorporate artifacts from the society’s collection into the story the exhibit tells about how Americans have worked -- from the time the country and the county were largely agricultural, to the cutting edge artificial intelligence industries evolving now.

“It’s a really intriguing concept,” said Draper, who is starting to pull items out of storage to depict how Troy and Rensselaer County residents have worked over the centuries.

A steamboat model from the time when the Hudson River connected with the world; farming; sculptures showing how Troy-bilt rototiller products were made; iron stoves and collars from local factories; pharmaceuticals made in East Greenbush; and the high-tech innovations occurring in labs and offices are some items expected to be featured.

Draper has started reviewing the collection, which she knows intimately, to find pieces that aren’t often seen but have a unique piece to add to the story of how people work now and in the past.

RCHS plans to use the full exhibit provided by the Smithsonian and modified to add the local history. The exhibit is scheduled to open in late February 2020 and run for nearly a year. It’s still in the planning stages with an advisory committee being formed.

A major challenge for mounting the extensive program is raising $150,000 to pay for it. RCHS received a $1,500 Humanities New York Visioning Grant for the preliminary committee work. That grant is federally based from the National Endowment for the Arts. Krasevac-Lenz said RCHS believes it can solicit donations from people, firms and foundations that may be excited by the chance to participate in Smithsonian related program.

In addition to RCHS, the other nine museums participating are Big Sandy Heritage Museum, Pikeville, Ky; Buttonwoods Museum, Haverhill, Mass.; Delta Gateway Museum, Blytheville, Ariz.; Gila County Historical Society, Globe, Ariz.; Faulconer Gallery at Grinnell College, Grinnell, Iowa; Mississippi Industrial Heritage Museum, Meridian; Plainsman Museum, Aurora, Neb.; Raven Hill Discovery Center, East Jordan, Mich.; and Rice County Historical Society, Lyons, Kansas.

Krasevac-Lenz said what the 10 museums and the Smithsonian learn working together will be used to model future programs. The Museum on Main Street program’s past efforts through the Smithsonian’s traveling exhibitions can be seen online at museumonmainstreet.org.