SUBMIT TO WHAT WE KEPT

What Did Your Family Keep?

Submit an object, photograph, or story for What We Kept.

Haus of Taylor Gallery is inviting the community to help build What We Kept, an interactive memory exhibition opening Saturday, August 1, 2026.

We are looking for meaningful objects, photographs, letters, tools, recipes, heirlooms, keepsakes, and stories connected to family, work, place, memory, and life in Southwest Virginia.

Selected submissions will become part of a public gallery exhibition.

Objects With Stories

Your submission does not need to be rare, expensive, or historically famous.

It may be something ordinary that became meaningful because of who used it, where it came from, or what it represents.

A photograph from a family home
A handwritten recipe
A letter
A work tool
A family Bible
A piece of clothing
A military item
A business sign or Main Street artifact
A handmade object
A toy
A piece connected to a loved one
A story passed down in your family

How the Process Works

1. Submit your object, photograph, or story through the form below.
2. Haus of Taylor Gallery will review all submissions.
3. Selected participants will be contacted for next steps.
4. Selected objects may be photographed, displayed, or included through written or audio storytelling.
5. Not every submission may be selected for the physical exhibit, but every story matters.

Submission Guidelines

Please include as much detail as you can.

Who owned the object
Where it came from
Approximate date or time period
Why it matters
How it connects to your family or Southwest Virginia
Whether the object can be loaned for the exhibition
Whether you are comfortable being contacted for a short interview or audio story

Submit Your Story

First Name(Required)

Last Name(Required)

Email(Required)

Phone(Required)

City / Community(Required)

Object or Story Title(Required)

Tell us about the object or story(Required)

Why is this meaningful?(Required)

Upload Photo(Required)

Accepted file types: jpg, jpeg, png, webp, pdf, Max. file size: 8 MB.

Approximate date of object

Family name connected to the object

Can this object be loaned for the exhibition?

Would you be willing to record or share an audio story?

Additional notes

Permission(Required)

I understand that submitting this form does not guarantee inclusion in the exhibition. I give Haus of Taylor Gallery permission to review my submission and contact me about possible participation in What We Kept.

Optional Media Permission

If selected, I give Haus of Taylor Gallery permission to use submitted photographs, story excerpts, and related materials for exhibition, promotional, archival, and educational purposes connected to What We Kept.

Thank You for Helping Us Remember

Every submission helps us understand what this region has carried forward.

Thank you for trusting Haus of Taylor Gallery with your story.