DuPage Foundation Awards Grants to DuPage County Historical Museum Foundation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 27, 2016
DuPage County, Ill.—In 2017, the DuPage County Historical Museum (102 E. Wesley St., Wheaton, Ill.) will present 1917: Catalyst for the Modern Era, a new exhibit commemorating the year’s cultural changes that brought American society from the Victorian Era into the modern.
With a $2,500 grant from the DuPage Foundation’s Snodgrass Family Fund, awarded in November, the exhibit received a catalyst of its own.
“To me, this is one of the biggest compliments we can receive,” said Museum Manager and Educator Michelle Podkowa, “to be awarded for our great reputation, programming, and exhibitions.”
According to Museum Curator Ashley Downing, the exhibit will discuss daily living, technology, women’s roles, World War I, medicine, disease, entertainment, Prohibition, and more.
“Some of the artifacts include items from World War I, such as complete doughboy uniforms and a Pickelhaube helmet,” Downing said, referencing the famous German spiked helmet. The Museum will also display a helmet from the 1st Infantry Division, often nicknamed “The Big Red One,” which organized in 1917 and fired the first American shell of World War I.
The grant helps cover costs like a souvenir catalog highlighting the photos and stories of certain artifacts and an outdoor mural designed by local artist Rick Napier, which will welcome guests to the exhibit and may include images of soldiers, cutting-edge technology, and a Prohibitionist.
“There was the large social change that in the coming years influenced Prohibition, but by 1917, Wheaton was already climbing on that bandwagon,” said Downing. “We have a variety of archival material discussing DuPage’s stand on the issue.”
1917: Catalyst for the Modern Era will examine changes in gender roles, too.
“Women’s lives were changing and they were trying to be more independent, which can be seen in the clothing styles they chose and the decision by many to become career girls,” Downing said.
Scheduled to run September 23, 2017 through July 30, 2018, the exhibit will also provide period programming, including World War I-themed music and a painting and wine event.
“We have the appropriate music in September around the opening,” Podkowa said. “We are hoping to have the painting and wine event in October on a Thursday night.”
Along with the exhibit-specific grant, the DuPage Foundation awarded an unrestricted grant of $1,000 toward the Museum’s operating expenses from its History DuPage Fund.
“This was done at the recommendation of the Shebik family,” said Podkowa. “We have received this award in the past and are very fortunate to receive it again.”
Podkowa said the Museum Foundation’s relationship with the DuPage Foundation, which has financially contributed to previous exhibits, is fruitful.
“Together we have provided endless educational opportunities for all ages in the last several years with
[exhibits like] Early Illinois Folk Art, Inheriting DuPage, and Fun Unplugged,” she said.
To learn more about the DuPage County Historical Museum’s mission to preserve the county’s history, visit dupagemuseum.org. For more information about the DuPage Foundation, visit dupagefoundation.org.
With a $2,500 grant from the DuPage Foundation, awarded in November, the DuPage County Historical Museum’s (102 E. Wesley St., Wheaton, Ill.) new exhibit 1917: Catalyst for the Modern Era received a catalyst of its own. The exhibit is scheduled to run September 23, 2017 through July 30, 2018 and feature an outdoor mural, souvenir catalog, and period programming, from World War I-themed music to a painting and wine event.
Written by: Brett Peto