Finding Common Ground

I’ve been a fan of the Putnam Museum since my first school field trip. While I found myself fascinated by beautiful geodes, I remember being a bit frightened of the mummies. I also recall it being the first time I got a taste of local history learning about the people who lived in our geographic area. 

My friend, Christina Kastell, Curator of History and Anthropology, (who was instrumental in my re-engagement with the Putnam as an adult, as she asked me to serve on some exhibit planning committees) and the talented team at the Putnam have created Common Ground: Our Voice, Our Stories. I value that the Putnam curators partnered with Friends of Martin Luther King Interpretive Center, LULAC Council 10, and Azubuike African American Council for the Arts to co-curate this new thematic exhibit, which demonstrates the rich and diverse history of our region.

This update of  the story of the Quad Cities was intentional in its collaboration and took over three years to complete.  Many of the artifacts that tell our local story have not previously been on display.  This isn’t the exhibit of my field trip days. It is an intentionally inclusive vibrant visual transformative telling our community’s story.  From religion to sports to education to the arts, this exhibit shares it all.  It underscores the power and value of lifelong learning.  I hope that today’s field trip students are all able to see themselves in this exhibit and add to its narrative.

While attending the exhibit's grand opening earlier in April, my husband and I felt like excited kids on a school field trip remarking on artifacts and stories we recognized and those we had not previously been aware of. While wandering the gallery, we came across our friends, Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films.  I pointed out a DVD case of one of Fourth Wall Films documentaries to Kelly Rundle. The Rundles were instrumental in bringing the history of Silvis’ Hero Street  to life in their film series and contributed to this exhibit. 

In another area of the exhibit, he and Tammy Rundle pointed out my depiction of a local suffragist in a video from the Liberated Voices/Changed Lives exhibit on the centennial of women’s right to vote in the United States with the passage of the 19th amendment has been incorporated in this new exhibit.  My favorite female story interpreted in these videos is Jane Simonsen's portrayal of Eldorado Jones, an inventor who hired only women for her factory, who was called the “iron woman” during her time in Moline. 

Kelly Rundle’s connection with the Putnam also stems from a field trip during his youth.  “I vividly remember my first visit to the Putnam Museum with my Cub Scout Troop. To be able to help create interactive video content for the museum's new local history exhibit “Common Ground” with a focus on our area's legacy of diversity is an honor.”

Tammy Rundle shared that “working with interviews gathered from Azubuike African American Council for the Arts, the Putnam Museum, and our own collection, we were able to put the voices of the people who 'lived the story' into the space. It has been an important, enlightening and inspiring project for us, and one we are proud to be a part of.”

When I asked Christina Kastell what she wanted people to know about this exhibit, she shared that this exhibit will help Quad Citizens understand that each of us provides important contributions to our collective story. She notes that this story includes the accomplishments of Quad Citizens of all colors, races and genders.  

Common Ground: Our Voice, Our Stories shows where we’ve been and what we’re becoming.  This exhibit is not static. Each person who experiences the exhibit has the opportunity to share their story through a video booth interview, as well as written notes.  Demographic data is collected on an interactive string board at the culmination of the exhibit. And for a bit of fun, you can vote for your favorite local ice cream business.

If you live in the QC, don’t wait any longer to take a new field trip and find yourself in this exhibit. If you’re visiting, this exhibit is a “must see” to provide you with the context of all things Quad Cities.

Register for a QC Family Pass for BOGO admission to the Putnam Museum.

Lisa Powell Williams is a retired librarian who helped prototype Common Ground: Our Voice, Our Stories.