Sara Olson, Author at Grand Rapids Public Museum

The Return of a Japanese “Good Luck Flag”

A Heartfelt World War II Story.

In the fall of 2019, the Grand Rapids Public Museum worked with OBON Society to return a Yosegaki Hinomaru (Japanese “Good Luck Flag”) to its rightful family in Japan. OBON Society, a non-profit in Oregon, seeks to provide reconciliation between American and Japanese families through the return of personal items acquired during World War II.

The flag came to the Museum in 2015 along with a WWII newsreel and a map of Iwo Jima, which were donated by a Grand Rapids resident.

The Museum eventually connected with OBON Society which had access to volunteer Japanese scholars who translated the messages on the flag, revealing the soldier’s origins, name and location of death. This “Good Luck” flag was also decorated with messages of safety, good luck, and well wishes from friends and family members of the Japanese soldier before he went to battle during WWII.

These flags were a common gift to soldiers; they would fold the flag up and carry it with them during the war. When a soldier was killed, these flags were often taken as battlefield souvenirs by American soldiers.

The flag was officially deaccessioned from the GRPM Collections in October 2019. Immediately after, the GRPM staff shipped the flag to OBON Society so it could be reunited with the soldier’s sister, who is still living in Japan. These flags often serve as reconcilement and healing for the families of the soldiers.

The GRPM currently has four additional “Good Luck Flags” which are logged in the Museum’s digital Collections. The GRPM has provided details about the flags to OBON Society, who will continue to search for family members.

By: Sarah Humes, the GRPM’s Associate Registrar

Collections

Talking COVID with Students.

Using the GRPM Collections as Your Tool for Discussion.

Students will be returning to school this fall after months of uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While collaborating with local teachers and preparing for the upcoming school year, the GRPM’s education team asked the following:

“How can we support students’ social and emotional needs as they return to school environments? How can we help learners process some of their thoughts and anxieties related to the COVID-19 pandemic?

The GRPM’s COVID-19 Digital Collection is a free resource available to support educators in facilitating conversations with students to check on their well-being, while also building a sense of classroom community. The Collection features stories submitted by the West Michigan community, shared through various types of expressive media including journal reflections, photographs and videos. These perspectives demonstrate the multitude of ways individuals have been impacted by COVID-19 in their jobs, schools, places of worship, homes and more. These stories can encourage meaningful dialogue and act as a reminder that we are all in this together.

Self-Portrait.

This self-portrait was created by pastel artist Deborah J. of Holland, Michigan. This piece represents the fear, sadness, loss, and anguish felt by the artist during quarantine. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, many artists created pieces to depict COVID and how it impacted everyday life.

Classroom Activity Prompts.

Beyond the social-emotional value of the COVID-19 Digital Collection, it also provides an opportunity to supplement learning about primary sources in social studies. It serves as an example of history in action and offers a chance for students and teachers to contribute to the development of new primary sources that will impact future generations.

If you’re looking for ways to incorporate the COVID-19 Digital Collection into your classroom this fall, consider tasking students with the following prompts:

1. Explore the gallery from the perspective of an archaeologist living 100 years into the future.

What do these primary sources reveal about our society and the events of the COVID-19 pandemic?

2. Practice your creativity!

Write a letter to somebody in the future describing the COVID-19 pandemic.
What advice would you give them to prepare and respond to a similar situation?
What lessons have we learned from this crisis?

3. Analyze the gallery in preparation for a class discussion. Consider:

Which entry or entries stand out to you? Do any remind you of your own experiences?
What are similar themes you notice throughout the Collection? Alternatively, how have people responded to this differently?
Were there any stories you heard that surprised you?

4. Submit videos, photos and stories to contribute to this project.

Play a role in documenting history and preserving stories that future generations will study!

Teacher Testimony.

Matt Vriesman, a World History teacher at East Kentwood High School, recognized the educational value of participating in this real-world project. In May 2020, he developed a writing assignment to engage students in documenting history.

“This project provided an extremely relevant way for students to sharpen their historical thinking skills. All year, students practice the ability to contextualize and analyze primary source material and they were really excited about turning that around and becoming creators, rather than the consumers of history. It led to thought provoking discussion; how will future students analyze our actions and reactions?”

Matt V.

With their reflections, students described how their lives were changing and their feelings about how school, state and federal leaders were handling the crisis. Their writing is a powerful record of their opinions, fears and new routines:

“COVID-19 didn’t feel like a reality until it changed our reality. I never imagined it would be a possibility to end the school year mid-March, yet it happened overnight with no warning.”
“The biggest challenge has been online schooling because a lot of it is busy work, I’m not actually absorbing any new information, and I personally work better in a classroom environment.”
“My day-to-day personal life has also changed a lot. I almost never leave the house and I haven’t seen any of my friends in a long time…I’m really just scared that it’s gonna be like this for a long time.”
“Yesterday, I gave my grandma a hug for the first time in 3 months. We both cried. I miss a normal life, but I miss hugs the most.”

To talk through ideas and details on how to submit student work or how to implement activities in your classroom, contact groups@grpm.org.

Teacher Resource

100 Years Later

Newspaper, Grand Rapids Press, Suffrage Edition

Preserving Women’s Suffrage History.

Women in the United States demanded the right to vote decades before it was officially granted. Today, on August 18, 2020, we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment of the Constitution, which granted women that right. ⁽¹⁾

It was certified that the 19th Amendment became part of the US Constitution on August 26, 1920. ⁽²⁾

Despite this success, there was still a lot of progress to be made in advancing the social status of all women in Michigan and across the United States. Due to racial inequalities in many states, there were laws and policies that denied African American, Native American and other minority women the right to vote, regardless of their contributions to the suffrage movement. For these women, voting became easier and more equitable after the passing of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. ⁽²⁾

Artifacts in the Grand Rapids Public Museum’s Collections connect us to the history of the suffrage movement in Grand Rapids and Michigan and the local individuals and events that played a significant role in the national movement. Check out the following highlights from the Museum’s Collection below. If these spark your curiosity, visit the GRPM’s online gallery of suffrage history to learn more.

Handbag used by Grand Rapids Suffragist Emily Burton Ketcham, Circa 1880.

According to the family of Emily Burton Ketcham (1838 – 1907), this handbag accompanied her while on travels through western states. Ketcham started her work as a suffragist in 1873 during the initial effort to remove gender as a qualification for voting in Michigan. During her work on this campaign, Ketcham developed life-long friendships with Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. Because of Ketcham’s friendships with Stanton and Anthony, and her organizational skills, Ketcham played a key role in the National American Woman Suffrage Association’s annual convention coming to Grand Rapids in 1899.

Autograph from Susan B. Anthony, June 1, 1888.

Part of a collection of early autographs, this came from American social reformer and women’s rights activist, Susan B. Anthony. Her message states, “Pecuniary independence is the first need of every woman,” signed Susan B. Anthony, Rochester, N.Y., June 1, 1888. Meaning she felt women needed financial independence. Anthony played a pivotal role in the women’s suffrage movement and this signature demonstrates that Grand Rapids was well-connected with the national movement.

Grand Rapids Press Suffrage Edition, May 2, 1914.

This unique issue of the Grand Rapids Press from May 2, 1914 was a takeover of the edition by Grand Rapids suffragists. The illustrations throughout were particularly striking. For example, the regular Grand Rapids Press masthead was replaced with a row of women, each representing a state with full suffrage. Michigan, however, is in chains trailing behind, symbolizing Michigan had not yet received the vote. ⁽⁴⁾

"A Woman Living Here Has Registered to Vote" Grand Rapids Poster Circa 1921.

This poster was given to a first-time Grand Rapids female voter in 1920 and reads, “A woman living here has registered to vote, thereby assuming the responsibility of citizenship.” This well-preserved poster was recognized as an important souvenir with the original owner recording who she first voted for – President Warren G. Harding, in November 1920.

Grand Rapids Equal Franchise Club Pennant, Circa 1920.

This pennant is from the Grand Rapids Equal Franchise Club, which was formed in April 1910. The club spread literature and information about suffrage, which helped build local support for the movement. In 1914, the club sponsored a song and essay contest to further promote their efforts. Michigan was an early supporter of women’s right to vote. ⁽³⁾

By: Andrea Melvin, the GRPM’s Collections Curator

⁽¹⁾National Constitution Center. “19th Amendment: Women’s Right to Vote.” National Constitution Center. 2020. https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendment/amendment-xix.

⁽²⁾ National Parks Services. “Between Two Worlds: Black Women and the Fight for Voting Rights.” National Parks Services. Last modified June 10, 2020. https://www.nps.gov/articles/black-women-and-the-fight-for-voting-rights.htm.

⁽³⁾Grand Rapids Public Library. “Finding Aid for the Grand Rapids Public Library Woman’s Suffrage collection Collection 127.” Grand Rapids Public Library. Last modified March 18, 2019. https://www.grpl.org/uploads/grhsc/127.pdf.

⁽⁴⁾Greater Grand Rapids History Council. “Taking Center Stage: Women’s Suffrage in Grand Rapids and Michigan.” Greater Grand Rapids History Council. 2019. https://www.ggrwhc.org/suffrage-grand-rapids/.

Dresses, Designing and Databases.

An Interview with Frank Perullo.

On May 9, 2020 an unexpected comment popped up from a user exploring the GRPM’s digital Collections:

“Hello, I am delighted to see one of my designs in your Museum. I am Frank Perullo, still live in NYC, and I turn 95 tomorrow (May 10, 2020). Thank you for including me in your Collection.”

Dress designed by Frank Perullo for the David Heart Inc. label (1954).

Find it in the GRPM’s digital Collections!

The GRPM’s Collections Curator, Andrea Melvin, followed up with the retired New York fashion designer to learn more about how he stumbled across the Museum’s digital Collections and to discuss his career in fashion design. At age 95, having worked in Manhattan’s garment district for decades, Frank shared fascinating stories and inspiring advice for budding fashion designers.

Andrea: What crossed your mind when you stumbled upon a dress you had designed in the GRPM’s digital Collections?

Frank: I was astonished to see a design from years ago in a museum collection. When I looked at the photo of the dress, I recalled very clearly the making of it and the specifics of the creation of the dress — from the designing, draping and cutting, to finally preparing the models to show the finished dress to the sales staff and buyers. The photo recalls to me the whole design and process that brought it to Mrs. Cole’s [the dress donor’s] closet. The organza fabric was made in America and based on colorful Indian saris that I found very beautiful and inspiring to me.

Having online access to fashion collections from a museum is invaluable to students and researchers who can survey the past and take inspiration from the whole history of clothing design. It never occurred to us when we were making the clothes so many decades ago that there would be a way to re-visit our creations and appreciate them all over again. Fashion was supposed to be, by nature, temporal and replaced in a season or two by a newer look. I enjoyed my time as a designer and took pleasure in making women look beautiful, but there is a new happiness in having the dresses accessible to newer audiences.

When I look back on that time and know that my creations are in a museum makes all of the years of study and hard work very worthwhile.

Andrea: When did you start designing and how long was your career?

Frank: My design career began in the late 1940s, but I started working in the mailing room of a Brooklyn department store and moved into window design in the mid-40s. After high school, I went to the Fashion Academy in NYC. Meanwhile, I worked in various shipping departments for sportswear companies in the Garment District and I free-lanced sketches for established designers. I was working at 525 Seventh Ave. and was doing some sketches when a buyer saw me at the drawing board. She suggested I call her sister, a top designer at a high-end fashion studio called Young American Deb. The woman arranged an appointment. The designer saw my sketches and gave me a small room with an assistant and a seamstress to work on a trial test. She then asked me to make three dresses, from design to completion. Two of those dresses, one in black crepe with bows at the back and another an evening dress in black taffeta with voluminous skirt (this was the time of Dior’s New Look) were immediate big sellers. I got the job!

Andrea: What was a highlight of your career?

Frank: I was hired by David Hart, who I worked for in the early 1950s, and created some of my best designs (including the one in your Collection). It was the most lucrative period of my career. In those days, the name of the company appeared on the label, but almost never the designer’s name. Owners wanted to keep their products within their own brand. That changed for me when the clothes began to sell unusually well. Dorothy Shaver, President of Lord & Taylor, noted the demand for my clothes in her store, and gave me “Dresses by Perullo” windows on Fifth Ave. She further requested that Hart put my name on the labels; she insisted that an Italian-named designer would make the clothes more promotable. That label identification got the Perullo label included in ads for my clothes in stores all over the country.

Advertisement for dress by designer Frank Perullo for the David Hart Inc. label, 1954.

Detail of a label for a dress designed by Frank Perullo for David Hart Inc. label, 1954

Advertisement for Frank Perullo for the David Hart Inc. label, 1950s.

Andrea: Were there any challenges along the way?

Frank: I was fortunate enough to win some design awards and even had a single-designer show at the Plaza Hotel. With this sort of success I decided that the time was right to start my own label. But that is a very difficult proposition. It is not enough to have a creative eye and a vision for clothes and a name that buyers and store owners recognize. It is essential that a start-up business have a managing partner with an outstanding business/sales sense. Making beautiful clothes is only half of the equation. Getting those designs made on a budget and shown and distributed is the other part of the successful business.

Andrea: Do you have any thoughts on fashion today that’d you’d like to share with our readers?

Frank: The fashion industry has changed so much in the last 75 years. When I worked in Manhattan’s Garment District, we made clothes that were shipped around the country and around the world. Today’s dresses and most modern attire aren’t made in this country; they are imported. When I created evening gowns in the 40s and 50s, we designed the look on paper and draped the fabric to a dress that formed as the basis for the pattern-makers, then the cutters. All of this happened in one studio. Belts, zippers, buttons and other accessories were also available from hundreds of purveyors in the same few square block areas. The fact that the industry is no longer localized in a few industry centers probably makes it more difficult for the new design professionals.

Public taste is also very different than when I began. I designed for a more formal time. Women “dressed up” more compared with today when a very few occasions (e.g., weddings, proms) require a more elaborate look. Day-to-day attire doesn’t follow a prescribed look, dictated by a select few fashion gurus. Everything is more casual, made for ease of use and comfort and minimum maintenance.

Explore the GRPM’s Fashion Collection that includes 10,000 clothing and accessory pieces!

By: Andrea Melvin, the GRPM’s Collections Curator

Hidden Gems at the Grand Rapids Public Museum

Can You Find Them All?

There are thousands of historic artifacts and natural specimens on display at the Grand Rapids Public Museum. Some, like Finny the 75-foot-long Finback Whale skeleton or the 1928 Spillman Carousel are large and showy, but many of the Museum’s fascinating objects aren’t quite as obvious. These are some of my favorite “hidden gems” at the GRPM.

Sculptures, Day and Night.

Every GRPM visitor walks between these two artifacts, but many don’t notice them. These two sculptures depict nymphs or graces representing “day” and “night.” They were originally placed outside the main entrance to the old Grand Rapids City Hall and were salvaged by the GRPM when it was torn down during Urban Renewal in the 1960s.

Gypsum.

More like a hidden mineral than a hidden gem, this huge gypsum crystal is part of the introduction to the Collecting A-Z exhibit. What many Museum visitors may not know is that there are miles of gypsum mines underneath Grand Rapids, including some right along the Grand River underneath GVSU’s Eberhard Center. Gypsum was originally mined for use as a building material and many of the tunnels are still used for cold storage.

Barber Pole.

The shops in the Streets of Old Grand Rapids exhibit are recreations of real businesses from the 1890s. Although it isn’t a full shop you can go inside, the sign and barber pole for J.C. Craig’s “electrified” barber shop are an important reminder of one of Grand Rapids’ earliest African American citizens and business owners.

Grand Rapids Brewing Company Advertisement.

The original Grand Rapids Brewing Company was formed in 1893 from the combination of six smaller breweries around Grand Rapids. By combining and building a new brewery, they hoped to compete against large national breweries like Anheuser-Busch, which was expanding across the country. The plan was actually somewhat successful until Prohibition put a stop to all legal brewing in 1920.

Grand Rapids Scrip.

Hidden among the hundreds of coins and bills in the “N is for Numismatics” exhibit is an example of scrip money. Scrip was issued as payment by the City of Grand Rapids to people who worked for the city under a special program developed during the Great Depression of the 1930s. The city would hire unemployed citizens to perform a wide variety of jobs in city departments. The scrip was redeemable for a variety of goods at a city-run store. Between 1931 and 1933, the city issued $1,603,000 worth of scrip!

Sturgeon Jar.

The stars of the Grand Fish, Grand River exhibit are the two live Lake Sturgeon, but the exhibit also contains several functional and beautiful artifacts related to this fascinating fish. This jar is made of stoneware clay, glazed with iron oxide stain and decorated with images of sturgeon and water motifs. The piece was commissioned by the GRPM in 2019. It was created by Shirley M. Brauker, a Michigan artist recognized for her pieces featuring Native American heritage.

By: Alex Forist, the GRPM’s Chief Curator

Explore the GRPM’s Fashion Collection.

"What Should I Wear?"

It’s an important question many of us ask ourselves every day. While clothing protects us from the elements like wind and rain, it also establishes our social status and serves as a form of self expression. Looking at clothing worn throughout history helps people today better understand those of the past.

One of the Museum’s largest Collections is the Fashion Collection which consists of approximately 10,000 clothing and accessory pieces, dating as far back as the 1700s.

Handbag Owned by Grand Rapids Suffragist
1880

Native American Bandolier Bag
1897

Oceanian Kaitaka Cloak
1850-1900

World War II Military Uniform
1941-1950

Wedding Dress
Circa 1947

Grand Rapids Chicks Uniform
Circa 1947

1950s Party Dress Collection
1953-1955

Roger B. Chaffee Flight Jacket
Circa 1959

Sudanese Immigrant Winter Coat
Circa 2000

Button Dress
2009

Items in the GRPM’s Collection showcase how fashion is an important cultural artifact. Clothing acts as a form of communication where individuals and groups express themselves through the designs they wear. This Collection is a valuable resource for exhibitions, educators, students, designers, researchers and curious minds of all ages.

The Fashion Collection offers a fascinating view of the social and cultural history of the midwestern United States and the world. Strong areas include women’s clothing from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, wedding attire, uniforms, and history and athletic wear such as swimsuits and school gym clothing. Many of the pieces in the Fashion Collection were worn and purchased here in West Michigan. Travelers also brought back garments from other countries, providing a glimpse into cultural clothing traditions from around the globe.

The GRPM is actively seeking more clothing items and accessories to add to our Collection. Currently, our Collections team is interested in innovative fashion designer items, sustainable fashion and iconic men’s styles.

By: Andrea Melvin, GRPM Collections Curator

NEOWISE: The Comet

See NEOWISE Before it's Gone!

An easily visible comet is a rare and hard to predict delight. Comets are ice balls, similar in size to a small city, that fall from the outer reaches of the solar system, billions of miles away. When comets reach the hot, inner solar system, they flare out into a beautiful plume hundreds of thousands of miles long as ice is vaporized by the Sun’s heat.

Comet C/2020 F3, also known as NEOWISE, appeared in the morning sky earlier this month (July 2020) near the bright star Capella, and it was quickly apparent that it was going to be a great sight. NEOWISE has now swung around the Sun and is currently visible in the evening sky after sunset near the Big Dipper.

To see NEOWISE, go out on clear night to a location with an unobstructed northern horizon and face northwest. It’s unknown whether its brightness will hold as it makes its closest approach to Earth on July 23, so it’s recommended that skygazers scan near the horizon with binoculars if the comet is not immediately apparent. NEOWISE will slowly fade with time as it gets farther away from Earth, but should remain visible in small telescopes for several weeks to come. It may help to consult an astronomy app like Stellarium to find the comet’s exact location on the night you observe.

NEOWISE is also an excellent target for the amateur photographer as well; a comet of this brightness presents the perfect opportunity to try astrophotography! Watch the Grand Rapids Amateur Astronomical Association’s Community Facebook Feed to see what the experts produce.

See NEOWISE soon and then wave goodbye because this comet won’t be back in our neighborhood for another 6,800 years!

Happy stargazing.

By: John Foerch, the GRPM’s Planetarium Production Programmer

Michigan’s State Gemstone.

Chlorastrolite.

In 1973, Chlorastrolite became Michigan’s State Gemstone. A gemstone is a rock or mineral considered to be precious or semiprecious and is usually cut and polished for jewelry.

1. Chlorastrolite is also known as the Isle Royale greenstone because it is ONLY found on the Isle Royale and the Keweenaw Peninsula of Michigan.

2. Chlorastrolite means “green star stone,” which refers to its translucent, fibrous mineral structure that scatters light.

3. The bundling of the fibers gives it a distinctive mosaic or segmented pattern referred to as turtleback; the pattern roughly resembles the looks of a turtle shell.

4. Chlorastrolite is a variety of the mineral pumpellyite and forms in the cavities of basaltic lava from the cooling gas.

5. Its presence in Michigan is a result of the Midcontinent Rift System, a split in the Earth’s crust that began 1.1 billion years ago.

6. The rift system ran from Kansas up to Lake Superior and then back down to the Detroit area, resulting in a major eruption of lava that took place over the course of 20 million years, forming rock deposits up to 15 miles thick.

7. Most of these lava flows are buried under younger rock, but erosion and glaciation have exposed the rock in the Lake Superior region.

8. Large pieces of chroastrolite are very rare and are typically only found as small rounded pebbles after the basalt has been worn away by water.

9. The best places to find chlorastrolite are in the spoil piles from the copper mining on the Keweenaw Peninsula.

10. Chlorastrolite is also found on the beaches of Isle Royale National Park, but please be aware that collecting anything from the park is illegal.

By: Cory Redman, the GRPM’s Science Curator

Header Photo Credit: Adam Johnson

Grand River Research

Restoration of the Grand River.

The Grand Rapids Public Museum is thrilled to participate in various scientific research projects along the Grand River with local partners. The future restoration of the Grand River will include restoring the namesake rapids, and activation of sites along the Grand River identified as key locations for public engagement, including the Museum!

The GRPM provides historical, cultural and scientific interpretation to the watershed including how our actions have affected and will continue to affect the future of natural and human systems. To tell the river restoration story, there are data and knowledge gaps that the Museum and our partners are working to fill, including information about the historic and current fish community, how humans interact with the river, and how the restoration actions may change human behavior.

Fish Community Assessment.
This annual assessment of fish species will provide a baseline dataset of fish communities in the area of the proposed restoration project. Fish communities are counted through electrofishing surveys. It is a partnership between Grand Valley Metro Council, Grand Valley State University, Encompass Socio-Ecological Consulting and the GRPM.

Lake Sturgeon Juvenile Assessment.
This research team is working to document young Lake Sturgeon in the Lower Grand River. If found, these fish would indicate successful reproduction and recruitment into the Grand River population. This research project is led by the Museum in partnership with Encompass Socio-Ecological Consulting, John Ball Zoo and Grand Valley Metro Council.

Macroinvertebrate Assessments.
Annual macroinvertebrate (aquatic insects) surveys are conducted near the Museum’s Spillman Carousel in the Grand River. This project was completed in partnership with the Grand Rapids White Water Summer Science and Leadership program in 2019. Due to COVID-19, the GRPM is completing the work this summer. The Museum is also contributing to a large data collection effort, spearheaded by Grand Valley Metro council with many partners.

The Citizen Science Project.

The GRPM, Encompass Socio-ecological Consulting LLC, John Ball Zoo and the Lower Grand River Organization of Watersheds are studying how the Grand River is used by anglers. The research will help document the long-term changes that occur when the city of Grand Rapids begins the river rehabilitation that will add two miles of rapid habitat throughout downtown Grand Rapids, as proposed by Grand Rapids White Water.

We are excited to participate in this research and help inform the implementation of the restoration project. The research uses a citizen science technique where professionals and the public work together to document the number of people fishing in the downtown reach, how they are fishing and the general locations.

We want to learn how the restoration opens new opportunities for enjoying the downtown area. We will build a baseline of information that can be used to compare how the river is used after the restoration and how that may change over the years. Scientists will go out daily to count everyone fishing at the river, note their location and method of fishing. This data collection provides an opportunity for the community to participate in scientific research.

Citizen Science Training for Angler Counts will take place on Tuesday, September 8 at 6 p.m. on the Museum’s South lawn, nearest the Blue Bridge. Registration required. To register for Citizen Science training please visit grpm.org/citizenscience. Training will take place outside in small groups. Masks are required and social distancing measures will be in place.

By: Dr. Stephanie Ogren, the Museum’s VP of Science & Education

Now available! Cameras are installed at five different viewing stations, located on the east and west side of the Grand River, including a location at the Museum! The stations will allow the public (you!) to help record fishing activity and changes to the river during the restoration project.

Camp Curious Goes Virtual.

The Curiosity Continues.

A new era of learning began on June 15; for the first time in the Museum’s 166 year history, summer programming went digital. GPRM educators invested time researching and creating the best methods for delivering virtual content for Camp Curious, the Museum’s summer camp program, to continue sparking curiosity within kids of all ages.

“Elliot is having a GREAT time and you are a genius distance learning teacher!”

Junior Engineers Ages 1-3

There are 50 camp offerings with a variety of themes involving science, history, art and culture, available for kids ages pre-K through 9th grade. Campers who participate experience virtual exhibit tours and a variety of hands-on activities that can be completed at their own pace, using household items and the GRPM’s digital Collections. Instructors kickoff each session day with a live Zoom introduction, and complete each session day with a live wrap up. Screen time is dedicated for directions and questions for the instructors, with the primary focus of the program being on the hands-on activities.

“My girls loved the program. It was incredibly well put together and they learned so much. The activities were both engaging and educational.”

Space: The Final Frontier Ages 1-3

Camp Highlight! The Grand Photo Project.

Campers who participated in The Grand Photo Project program have been able to showcase their incredible photography skills through the Museum’s digital photo gallery. Check out their amazing work here!

Register today to have your camper(s) learn the essentials of photography, while also giving them the opportunity to showcase their work through a digital gallery and the Museums’ social media channels. Next session begins July 7.

Image credit: Ari O. (The Grand Photo Project)

So far, there has been an amazing combined effort of kids and adults working together on camp projects. The GRPM team is overjoyed to witness the campers’ motivation to learn, explore, and share experiences together virtually. It’s only two weeks in but as you can see, the curiosity continues.

Join the fun and register today!

By: Rob Schuitema, the GRPM’s Director of Public Programs

Camp Curious