MAKING HISTORY

Kane County Magazine wrote about the museum’s relationships with Native Americans in our October issue! Check it out online at www. issuu.com/shawmedia/ docs/kcmag_oct2022.

GENEVA HISTORY MUSEUM RECEIVES NATIONAL RECOGNITION, GEARS UP FOR 2023 VIKING EXHIBIT

By Louise Treeny | Photos provided by Geneva History Museum

During this year’s Swedish Days festival, Terry Emma got a call that made history for Geneva History Museum. The museum became the first in Kane County to receive accreditation from American Alliance of Museums. Only 3% nationwide get this recognition, putting Geneva History Museum in an elite category of institutions. “I cried. It was awesome,” remembers Emma, executive director. “It validates what the museum is doing for the community.” According to American Alliance of Museums, accreditation is “the museum field’s mark of distinction” and “offers high profile, peer-based validation of your museum’s operations and impact.” The rigorous process was one that didn’t yield the desired result right away. Last November, the organization tabled the museum’s application, asking them to include and consider more diverse perspectives. The museum formed a relationship with a Native American tribe, the Prairie Band Potawatomi, who have ties to the Tri-Cities region. “The whole process opened our eyes about diversity,” Emma notes, adding the museum is updating its gallery information with information from diverse sources. “It’s on our minds.” The museum’s 950-square-foot gallery changes exhibition each year. There’s still a month left to see this year’s exhibit about The Little Traveler’s century of anchoring Third Street’s retail offerings. Beginning in February 2023, you’ll find an exhibit about Geneva’s Viking ship. While the entire ship won’t fit within the museum, the original, restored head and tail will be displayed in public for the first time in more than 60 years. The 3,000-square-foot Main Gallery, which features an inviting array of Geneva’s history, will soon be adding an Apple computer, circa 1984. “Many people don’t know that some of the first Apple software was created here in Geneva by Penguin Software started by Mark Pelczarski,” Emma says. “The Apple IIe will display some of the original games and visitors will be able to try them out.” After being closed for 16 months due to the pandemic, Geneva History Museum has now been reopened for more than a year. To increase accessibility, the $5 admission fee is waived each Tuesday. Terry says she has seen a “great increase in attendance and curiosity.” Visitors can view a wide array of artifacts and stories about Geneva’s history, as well as record their own in the Main Gallery’s “story booth.” And don’t forget to snag a selfie with the nonprofit’s new neon sign, which fittingly reads, “Belong to Geneva’s story.” “We’re proud of what we’ve achieved,” she says, adding that receiving accreditation has re-energized museum staff, volunteers and the board. “We like to keep things fresh.”

 GENEVA HISTORY MUSEUM 113 S. Third St., Geneva 630-232-4951 www.genevahistorymuseum.org