Fundraising breakfast shows power of Putnam
The Putnam Museum & Science Center showcased the power of innovation and invited people to join its “Power Circle” at the annual Power Breakfast Wednesday morning in the Grand Lobby.
The free event included a video of local children describing their favorite parts of the Putnam, 1717 W. 12th St., Davenport.
Kelly Lao, vice president of museum experiences and interim co-CEO, noted a new CEO is expected to start on July 1, to succeed Rachael Mullins (who left this past January). The Power Circle is comprised of people who give at least $1,000 during a year to the nonprofit organization.
The Putnam was founded in 1867 as the Davenport Academy of Natural Sciences, as just the third museum in the nation west of the Mississippi River. In 1879, it became the first in the United States to offer public school programming, Lao said.
“Our predecessors were innovators, just like the people featured in our new Quad City Innovators gallery upstairs, yet they could scarcely imagine what their trailblazing actions would become — an educational and cultural powerhouse with a quarter million items in the collection and serving more than 158,000 people each year,” she said.
Through the Immerse program, teachers can bring their classrooms to the Putnam for a week of school, taking advantage of the museum staff, resources, and collection, Lao said.
“We exist to ignite potential and inspire our diverse community to care for our world and all its people,” she said. The Putnam is undertaking a remodel of its “Black Earth / Big River” natural science exhibit, to incorporate more Indigenous views about the land and river and environmental education, Lao noted.
A common myth
Such offerings (including the new permanent Quad City Innovators and Common Ground exhibits on the second floor) dispel a common myth among museums.
“Many people may think museums are static — offering the same exhibits and experience you had when you were in 5th grade,” Lao said. “That’s not the case. The Putnam is constantly providing new enriching experiences for our guests.”
This past year featured five rotating exhibits. And some people think only those who are well-off visit museums, Lao said.
“We know that’s not true. In 2021, we began participating in the national ‘Museums for All’ initiative,” she said. “This program allows for people with SNAP federal food benefits to visit the Putnam for just $1. In our first year, 2,200 residents visited utilizing this experience. By 2023, that number grew 47 percent.”
Schools today have very limited funds available for programs like Immerse, and the Putnam knows “Museums for All” demand is skyrocketing, Lao said.
“All these undertakings can continue to flourish with additional support,” she said of fundraising.
The museum focuses on inclusion, to make sure adults and kids from all backgrounds can see themselves represented in the exhibits, Lao noted. Later this year, the Putnam will open its vault collection in its lower galleries, opening up thousands of objects from the permanent collection and allowing people to interact with them.
“Additionally, we will open our gateway experience, which will welcome visitors and provide RFID learning challenges, connecting the many galleries throughout the museum,” Lao said.
“One hundred and fifty-seven years later, after our founding, we must continue to evolve to meet the ever-changing needs of our community,” she said.
Impact on three residents
The Wednesday morning event displayed a video showcasing three residents, talking about how they’ve been impacted by their Putnam experience — Living Lands & Waters founder and environmentalist Chad Pregracke, Putnam member and parent Seth Campbell, and visual artist Shayla Ray Afflerbaugh.
“We’re so lucky to have this because it brings a lot to the community,” said Pregracke, who’s featured in the Putnam’s Innovators exhibit. “There’s just a lot of rad things going on there.”
One of his strongest memories from 6th grade is going on a field trip to the Putnam.
“It was important at the time and it’s still important now,” Pregracke said. “It’s amazing and inspiring.”
“The place is just cool — it’s meaningful, it’s impactful and it’s a huge part of the community,” he said. “It’s 157 years old…It’s modern and hip and awesome, and still relevant.”
Campbell’s son Griffin is on the autism spectrum, and the Putnam gives him an outlet where he feels safe and can enjoy exhibits and the Giant Screen Theater. He loved the “Tails From Tales” exhibit — he loves animals, loves the Hall of Mammals, his dad said.
“In winters, it’s a lifesaver, just because a lot of outdoor activities, we can’t participate in, but between here and The Family Museum in Bettendorf…gives him a lot of opportunities to play,” Campbell said. “I think it’s a great resource for the community; I hope everybody takes advantage of it.”
“For Griffin, it provides a safe environment for him to explore and the staff are so accommodating to him and really look out for him,” he said, noting they also went to a sensory-friendly movie they enjoyed. “It’s been a great experience to help him grow as well and give him opportunities to experience things he wouldn’t otherwise. It’s a life-changer for Griffin.”
Afflerbaugh was one of several local artists to provide artwork connected to a children’s book for the Putnam’s “Tails From Tales” exhibit, and she chose “The Ugly Duckling.”
She specializes in wildlife art, and chose that story of transformation and belonging.
“Sometimes, our art isn’t for everyone and you find your audience, people who appreciate your art,” Afflerbaugh said in the video. “I was very proud to be selected for the exhibit. It was really important for me to have my kids see something of mine put up in a museum. They got to see my artwork from start to finish, and then to bring them here. they got to see mom’s artwork up on the wall. It was a really proud moment for me — I felt really accomplished.”
Priceless effect on kids
The Putnam also featured a live testimonial from Shaya Smith, a 4th-grade teacher at the Rock Island Center for Math and Science.
The Putnam has partnered with the Rock Island-Milan School District in the Immerse program since 2017, for 3rd and 4th grade classes — to immerse students in hands-on learning with artifacts, curators, and museum educators.
“After many years of developing and planning our perfect week, we now see the bigger picture of what this partnership has created for hundreds of students annually,” Smith said. “Not only in Rock Island, but in the greater Quad-City area.”
She said some of her students have said before their Putnam experience, they had never left Rock Island.
“It’s almost unbelievable, but it’s true,” Smith said. “Many of my students can’t afford to go on vacations or trips away from their neighborhoods. There’s a stark difference between those who can and those who simply cannot. This immersive experience offers my students the opportunity to dive deeper into the curriculum I teach.
“It becomes more than just a workshop or a YouTube video, more than just a chapter in a book,” she said. One lesson at the Putnam was on how animals survive in the wild.
“They offer a glimpse into our world that the four walls of a classroom simply cannot — an experience that is priceless,” Smith said of the Putnam. “Our students also get to explore exhibits from all over the world.”
She also complimented the museum’s “JUNKkraft” exhibit (which ran from May to October 2023) and a school visit from its creator, Marcus Erikson.
In 2008, Erikson and Joel Paschal launched a homemade raft from Los Angeles with the intent to drift to Hawaii to bring attention to the emerging plastic pollution problem. With no motor or support vessel, the crew took 13 weeks to reach their destination, three times longer than expected. They used 15,000 plastic bottles, 26 sailboat masts, and a Cessna aircraft fuselage to construct the raft, named JUNK.
“Immerse offers invaluable opportunities for teachers and students to make connections to their curriculum that wouldn’t be possible without the hard work and dedication of the Putnam staff, administrators, teachers, students and volunteers,” Smith said.
“It especially wouldn’t be possible without donors such as yourself,” she said to the 100-plus in attendance Wednesday. What the Putnam provides to kids is priceless, Smith said.
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