Putnam completes 3-year-process to update permanent exhibit

The Putnam Museum and Science Center is opening its long-planned, updated regional history exhibit, “Common Ground: Our Voice, Our Stories,” on Saturday, April 15, at 1717 W. 12th St., Davenport.

The new, permanent exhibit — replacing the former “River, Prairie and People” — highlights the past, present, and future of the Quad Cities and its citizens.

Rachael Mullins, president and CEO of the Putnam Museum says, “We are excited to open this newly updated regional history exhibit that will better reflect and serve all members of our community. This update will allow all people to learn about the diverse history of the Quad Cities and its people.”

“The reimagined and redesigned regional history exhibit, ‘Common Ground: Our Voice, Our Stories,’ is a wonderful example of our community coming together to tell the stories of our past while looking to the future of the Quad Cities,” Kelly Lao, Vice President of Museum Experiences, said in a Friday Putnam release. “The exhibit engages visitors with new technologies and interactives, brings in the voices of leaders and community members through oral histories and collects and shares the stories of all of our citizens.”

“Common Ground: Our Voice, Our Stories” is the culmination of a three-year regional history update. The Putnam has completely renovated the gallery and is displaying artifacts from the 250,000-piece collection that have never been featured before.

The creation of this exhibit has been broadly collaborative, the museum said. The Putnam partnered with Friends of Martin Luther King Interpretive Center, LULAC Council 10, and Azubuike African American Council for the Arts to co-curate the exhibit.

Beyond these close partnerships, groups throughout the QC provided input and feedback and many had the opportunity to help shape the new exhibit. This intensive collaboration was carefully and intentionally orchestrated in order to ensure that the stories of all Quad Citians are told in the updated history exhibit, the Friday release said.

“The Putnam’s new regional history exhibit ‘Common Ground: Our Voice, Our Stories’ will enthrall Quad Citizens with stories and objects of our past and present, while inspiring them to think about how everyone can be a part of our future,” said Christina Kastell, curator of history and anthropology.

“The exhibit will help build pride for our joint accomplishments and the roles played by QC residents of all colors, races and genders. We all have a story, and the Putnam wants to tell them!”

“The Hispanic community has a very rich history. This exhibit allows us to showcase our contributions to the QC community,” said Mike Reyes of LULAC Council 10.

First update since 1980

The exhibit is the first major update to the regional history exhibit since 1980. There are many new artifacts included in this exhibit, including from the founding families of the QC such as Marguerite LeClaire’s sewing machine and a phonograph from World War II that was on the SS Davenport.

The exhibit is centered around themes of history such as transportation, civil rights, wars,
agriculture, and many more — rather than being a chronological timeline history, the Putnam said. The reason for this is to encourage the visitors to make connections between history.

There is a John Deere section of the exhibit, and there’s another section called “Faith and Sacrifice,” featuring an altar to Our Lady of Guadalupe that was formerly at (the now closed) St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Davenport. Along with a crown, on loan from Sacred Heart Cathedral, these artifacts are an important piece of the local Hispanic Catholic community, the museum said.

This work was made possible by Arconic Foundation, the Jim Estes Estate, Hubbell-Waterman Foundation, Constellation, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the Regional Development Authority.

“Common Ground: Our Voice, Our Stories” will open to the public beginning Saturday,
April 15. This exhibit is included in the price of general admission—$9 for adults, $8 for
youth (ages 3–18), seniors, college students, and military. Through the Putnam’s Museums for All program, admission is $1 per person for households with the presentation of an EBT card. Admission is free for members.

For more information, visit the Putnam website HERE.