DuPage Foundation awards grants to museum

WHEATON - The DuPage County Historical Museum will present "1917: Catalyst for the Modern Era," a new exhibit commemorating the year's cultural changes that brought American society from the Victorian Era into the modern.

With a $2,500 grant from the DuPage Foundation's Snodgrass Family Fund, the exhibit received a catalyst of its own.

"To me, this is one of the biggest compliments we can receive," said museum manager and educator Michelle Podkowa, "to be awarded for our great reputation, programming, and exhibitions."

According to museum Curator Ashley Downing, the exhibit will discuss daily living, technology, women's roles, World War I, medicine, disease, entertainment, Prohibition, and more.

The grant helps cover costs like a souvenir catalog highlighting the photos and stories of certain artifacts and an outdoor mural designed by local artist Rick Napier, which will welcome guests to the exhibit and may include images of soldiers, cutting-edge technology, and a Prohibitionist.

Along with the exhibit-specific grant, the DuPage Foundation awarded an unrestricted grant of $1,000 toward the museum's operating expenses from its History DuPage Fund.

Podkowa said the Museum Foundation's relationship with the DuPage Foundation, which has financially contributed to previous exhibits, is fruitful.

"Together we have provided endless educational opportunities for all ages in the last several years with (exhibits like) Early Illinois Folk Art, Inheriting DuPage, and Fun Unplugged," she said.