July at the Washington State History Museum

UPCOMING EXHIBIT

Tacoma’s Civil Rights Struggle: African Americans Leading the Way
August 18 through December 7, 2008

The South was not the only place where Americans were denied equal rights. Right here in Washington, people could not get jobs or housing because of their color. The national civil rights movement of the 1950s and 60s helped, but local leaders fought for equal rights in their own way. Learn how in Tacoma’s Civil Rights Struggle: African Americans Leading the Way. The exhibit will features a rich collection of artifacts, including photographs and newspaper articles, many not seen in half a century.
Organized by the Washington State Historical Society and the Tacoma Civil Rights Project.

President John F. Kennedy at the White House with African American leaders, June 21, 1963. Tacoma’s Jack Tanner stands behind Kennedy, his hands on a chair. (Washington State Historical Society)

CURRENT EXHIBITS

The West the Railroads Made
Now through January 24, 2009

Brochure promoting travel along the route of the Great Northern Railway, 1933. (Washington State Historical Society)

Take a fresh look at what the iron road created in The West the Railroads Made. Learn about how this one form of transportation reshaped the West and helped create a truly continental nation. The West the Railroads Made recounts how the idea of a Pacific railroad grew through the 1840s and 1850s, how it came to life in the second half of the 19th century, and how it reconceived itself to survive new challenges by the late 20th century. It features more than 80 artifacts, including rare railroad ephemera, photographs, paintings and other three-dimensional pieces.
This exhibit is generously supported by M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, Burlington Northern Santa Fe, TTX, Click! Cable TV, Union Pacific Railroad, Ajax Foundation, The News Tribune, Tacoma Rail, Port of Tacoma, Dimmer Family Foundation, Candelaria Fund, Patricia & David J. Nierenberg Family Fund, FreightCar America, Inc. and Great Northern Asset Management, LLC. Organized by the Washington State Historical Society and the Barriger Railroad Library of the St. Louis Mercantile Library at the University of Missouri, St. Louis.

Curators’ Choice
Now through August 17, 2008

Faces of Leadership: Presidential Portraiture
Now through October 5, 2008

PUBLIC PROGRAM
Curators’ Choice Gallery Talk Series
Thursday, July 17, 2008 @ 6 PM

Learn more about the interesting items on display in the exhibit Curators’ Choice by attending a gallery talk. Curators and guides will discuss the stories behind the artifacts and why they were selected.
Next gallery talk:
Friday, August 1, 2008 @ 2 PM

In the Spirit: Contemporary Northwest Native Arts
Exhibit Award Winners

The Washington State History Museum and the Longhouse Education and Cultural Center are pleased to announce the winners of this year’s In the Spirit: Contemporary Northwest Native Arts Exhibit.
The following winners were selected by a panel of three jurors, and announced at the exhibition opening held at the History Museum on June 19.

“Angel” by Jerry Laktonen, winner of Best in Show. (Washington State History Museum)

Best in Show: “Angel” by Jerry Laktonen (Aleautiqq)
Second Place: “Ke Ali’i” by Benjamine Heloca (Hawaiian)
Third Place: “Night Gallery Ceremonial Flat Bag” by Roger Amerman (Choctaw)
Washington State Historical Society Purchase Prize: “Salmon Season” by Peter Boome (Upper Skagit). The Purchase Prize was sponsored this year by Cascade Surveying and Engineering, Inc.

The following winners were seleted based on votes. Exhibition viewers cast their votes for People’s Choice, while artists participating in the exhibit cast theirs for the two Honoring awards. Winners in these categories were announced on the last day of the In the Spirit market and festival held at the History Museum on June 28 and 29.

People’s Choice: “Mocca Chucks” by Angelina Nockai (Dine)
Honoring Innovation: “Self-portrait” by Phillip Kairaiuak (Yupik)
Honoring Our Ancestors: “Tegumiak Finger Mask” by Justin McCarthy (Yupik)

Other exhibit winners:
Northwest Pendleton Prize is awarded by the Northwest Pendleton Company that operates the Museum store, to the second most popular piece in the exhibit, based on votes cast for People’s Choice. This year, the award went to “Snow in Shadows” by Sheila Ezelle (Aleutian).
The Legacy Gallery Award is selected by Seattle-based Legacy Gallery, which produces a print based on the winning artwork. This year’s award went to “Preservation of the Light” by Ramon Murillo (Shoshone Bannock).