Newest exhibit to showcase personal side of Iowa’s African American history

CEDAR RAPIDS - History can sometimes present itself in surprising ways, and ordinary objects once owned by extraordinary people can reveal a depth of character that still is admired today.

The African American Museum of Iowa will show a rare, but very personal, look at the well-known figures of Iowa's African American history in its newest temporary exhibit set to be unveiled this week.

The 'If Objects Could Talk” exhibit, which showcases dozens of items from the museum's collection, will open to the public 6:30 to 8 p.m. Friday at the Cedar Rapids-based museum, 55 12th Ave. SE.

'This is, I believe, the first exhibit where we're actually just displaying our collection, rather than having a theme and having our items fit into that theme,” said Felicite Wolfe, curator for the African American Museum of Iowa.

Opening festivities will feature a partnership with officials from the University of Iowa Library, who will be on hand during opening festivities Friday and Saturday to teach patrons about preserving their paper items, primarily documents and pictures, said Krstal Gladden, museum educator for the African American Museum of Iowa.

Both Friday evening and Saturday afternoon, visitors with images and documents relating to Iowa's African American history will be able to get digital scans of their items, a copy of which will be sent to the museum 'to potentially become part of their permanent collection,” Gladden said.

Nancy Kraft, head of preservation and conservation at the UI Libraries, will be on hand to give a presentation on this topic at 11 a.m. Saturday. Kraft, along with another staff member, will give free consultations on how to better store their items after the presentation.

The exhibit will be on display through July 27, 2018.

Everyday objects have become invaluable representations of culture and history in this newest exhibit. Pieces set to be on display range from Aunt Jemima dolls and vintage typewriters to a baby grand piano played by a civil rights activist and photographs taken by the first black police officer on the Cedar Rapids police force.

Objects, documents and photos have been donated to the museum since in 1999, the year the institution was founded.

When putting it together, Wolfe favored items or individuals that may not get talked about often.

'I tried to find things that we haven't shown or haven't been shown in a long time,” Wolfe said.

Historical figures presented in the exhibit include some of Cedar Rapids' own, such as Viola Gibson, who founded the Cedar Rapids chapter of the NAACP in 1942; Vernon Smith, an advocate for African American studies in adult classrooms; and Virgil Powell, who in 1924 became the first black police officer in Cedar Rapids.

Museum officials have incorporated interactive activities into the exhibit as well, including a space where visitors can handle reprints of Powell's photos and write their own story based on the captured scene.

While doing so, participants will learn about Powell's lesser known role as the crime scene photographer for the Cedar Rapids Police Department, as well as his job testing photography products for Eastman Kodak Company during his retirement.

However, some gaps still remain in the narratives. The museum currently has between 2,000 to 3,000 of Powell's photographs in the collection, but Wolfe said they aren't sure how the former police officer came to test products for Kodak.

'With some things, we can only find out so much,” she said.

Presenting these items, museum officials say, shows the public multiple aspects of their lives that led these individuals to make the choices they made. Not only does it offer context, but it makes them relatable.

'I think it's more human,” Wolfe said. 'I think it's putting the human element into it, and that's just something history doesn't get that deep into.”

The exhibit also notes the darker side of African American history with its inclusion of effects from the Ku Klux Klan, such the notorious pointed white hood. After all, discrimination didn't just exist in the South, museum officials said.

Shining a light on the importance of preserving history, as well as the role museums play in that, is the underlying goal of 'If Objects Could Talk,” said LaNisha Cassell, executive director for the museum. It can be time-consuming, expensive work, but necessary, she said.

'Nobody else is preserving this history,” Wolfe said. 'African Americans have a huge history in Iowa, and I don't think a lot of the public knows that either.”

Cassell said she is hopeful visitors from all backgrounds can connect with what's presented in the 'If Objects Could Talk” exhibit and take away important knowledge on the past.

'I think this is true for all exhibits, but (I hope) that it installs a sense of pride in African American children, adults, but also people in general,” Cassell said. 'Everything you see isn't about bashing over the head about something negative in history, a lot of it is really positive things. I think that will be a highlight.”

If you go:

What: 'If Objects Could Talk” exhibit opening

Where: African American Museum of Iowa, 55 12th Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids

When: 6:30 to 8 p.m. Friday

Cost: $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, $2.50 for students and youth and free for members or children under age 5

l Comments: (319) 368-8536; michaela.ramm@thegazette.com