Cheshire Children’s Museum (CCM) and the Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery at Keene State College are collaborating on an exhibit titled “The Power of Children.”

The exhibit, which opens Thursday, Sept. 1, features the story and voices of three courageous children and their involvement in a trio of world-changing events — Anne Frank amidst the terror of the 1940s Holocaust, Ruby Bridges as a first-grade student in newly desegregated Louisiana schools in 1960, and Ryan White as a young teenager with hemophilia who, in 1984, became the face of AIDS. White’s impact lives on today in federal Ryan White funding for people living with HIV/AIDS.

The exhibit explores the problems of isolation, fear, misinformation and prejudice through unique, personalized, explanatory exhibits that can engage viewers to immerse themselves in the lives of these three role models.

The CCM is the only children’s museum, except the originating museum in Indianapolis, Indiana, and one of just two locations in New England, that will host this significant1800-square foot exhibit.

Through audio-visual presentations, original artifacts, and hands-on interactive displays, visitors will get to know each child’s story. The CCM also will feature live performances from local actors along with immersive environments which will bring the guests into the spaces where each child felt safe.

The exhibit aspires to show the power that voice, words, and actions can have when people are faced with hatred, racism, and discrimination. At the exhibit’s end, visitors are challenged to find ways that they can make a difference.

The exhibit is geared toward adults and children age eight and older.

Admission is $5. The exhibit will be on display through Oct. 20.

A speakers’ series is planned in conjunction with the exhibit.

Simultaneously, the Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery will host an exhibit from the New York Public Library titled “Why We Fight: Remembering AIDS Activism” from Oct. 3 through Dec. 3. This archival show in the 35th year of the AIDS pandemic focuses on the contributions of those artists and activists whose work was undertaken in New York City, an early epicenter for both the recognition of the disease and the grassroots response to the epidemic.

The 12-foot x12-foot section of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, which includes a memoriam panel for Ryan White, also will be on display in the Thorne gallery from Oct. 4-6, and the children’s museum from Oct. 7-10.

“The Power of Children” is made possible through “NEH on the Road,” a special initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities. The exhibit has been adapted and is touring nationally by Mid-America Arts Alliance. “The Power of Children” was organized by The Children’s Museum, Indianapolis, Indiana. Additional funding was provided by Keene State College and private donors.

For information about the exhibit and related events, visit www.cheshirechildrensmuseum.org or www.keene.edu/tsag.