Fundraiser shows power of the Putnam
By Emily Bell
Leaders, volunteers and patrons of the Putnam Museum and Science Center made the case for more support at a special event Wednesday morning.
In the grand lobby of the facility, 1717 W. 12th St., Davenport, a “Power Breakfast” was held for some of the Putnam’s biggest donors, for the first time since 2017. The Putnam Power Circle is made up of donors who give at least $1,000 a year.
“Over the next two years, we’ll complete a bold plan to transform the Putnam, continuing to add to galleries,” encouraging cross-generational learning for families, said Rachael Mullins, Putnam president/CEO. The Putnam has a 250,000-item collection.
“Remember what brought you a sense of purpose in your life – or who brought you a sense of purpose? What was that first spark that sent you on a path of passion and purpose, that allowed you to succeed and serve?” she asked, imploring guests to help ensure that area youth have those same opportunities.
“Today’s theme – ‘Illuminating Our Past, Igniting Our Future’ – captures that spark and the many roles that the Putnam plays in the community, advancing our mission,” Mullins said. “To bring to life a sense of place, time and purpose; to ignite human potential and inspire diverse communities to learn about and care for our world and all its people.”
“It’s been another extraordinary year at the Putnam,” she said. They recently completed conversion of the regional history exhibit into “Common Ground: Our Voice, Our Stories,” which opened last month.
As a NASA affiliate, the Putnam was chosen to host a live telecast in the Giant Screen Theater (July 12, 2022) that showed first images of the Webb Space Telescope, broadcast from 13.6 billion light years away.
The museum’s World Culture Gallery introduced a new exhibit about the West African community, co-curated by a QC resident born in Togo, who felt “Akwaaba,” or “welcome,” when she saw artifacts from her home country at an earlier Putnam exhibit.
“She found in the Putnam that place where she can celebrate her heritage, while feeling a sense of belongingness in her new community,” Mullins said.
The exhibit (opening last July) was co-curated with Nana Ouro-Agoro, a board member of Quad Cities Alliance for Immigrants and Refugees (QCAIR), and an immigrant from Togo arriving in the QC in 2008.
One of Wednesday’s guests was Marcus Eriksen, who brought his traveling exhibit “JUNKraft,” that opens at the Putnam on Saturday, May 20.
In 2008, Eriksen 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, which is now at the Putnam.
This summer, the museum will undertake the public campaign to secure final dollars needed for the $900,000 Destination Iowa state grant received in March, Mullins said.
Upcoming projects
Some projects that the Putnam has planned include:
- Galleries celebrating the history, innovation, and the material culture of the QC.
- Experiences dedicated to the role of families in our lives.
- Facility upgrades for education and the sciences.
- Updated façade and visitor wayfinding throughout the museum.
- Technology and infrastructure investments.
The new funding will be part of planned $7 million in broader facility improvements that are under the campaign “Putnam Reimagined.” The museum is well over halfway toward reaching the fundraising goal, Mullins said.
“During this historic time for the museum, we need to keep our operating revenues strong,” she said Wednesday. “Your support is needed now more than ever, to keep our offerings vibrant, accessible and sustainable as we complete this incredible transformation.”
There is urgency in this work, to get more students from low-income areas to attend the Putnam weeklong “Immerse” residency programs,” Mullins said, noting $2,500 funds one residency for a class of 4th-graders.
New LED lighting is needed as light exposure “is the worst enemy” to fragile objects in the museum collection, she said.
In the past year, the Putnam served over 228,000 people across the region, including an estimated 103,000 youth in grades K-12.
“We’re committed to ensuring each of us, including every child, can see themselves in the fabric and future of our community,” Mullins said. “To spark curiosity in the passions of Quad Citians and to fan that spark into a blaze throughout the region, across generations.
“I dream of the day when we all embrace our identity as Quad Citians, find our place in the world and realize our purpose in life,” she said.
Mission accomplished
The event also displayed a mission video, which told the stories of three people impacted by the Putnam. One was saving a shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe (from Davenport’s Sacred Heart Cathedral), which was donated for the Putnam “Common Ground” exhibit, including a list of names of people who gave for its restoration.
“It just made my heart jump with joy – it gives us an idea of the struggles that our ancestors had to go through,” Nick Reyes said in the video. “Being discriminated, being low wage, not having proper housing. They deserve something to be remembered by.
“And our children can take great joy in what our ancestors did, maybe inspire them – hey they did it, why can’t I do something?” he said.
Andrew Axup, chemistry professor at St. Ambrose University, spoke of his partnering with American Chemical Society to do chemistry demonstrations at the Putnam.
“When I do demonstrations, I get just as much a kick out of seeing it happen, even though I know what’s supposed to happen,” he said. “I think the parents are too cool to act surprised, but the kids – what they get out of it is seeing things no one ever showed ‘em before and having an explanation, that’s not magic, it’s chemistry.
“And nurturing that engagement and curiosity,” Axup said. “It’s OK to be a scientist…I didn’t realize how much the Putnam educational outreach efforts did.”
Rock Island High School student Harper Chapman has been coming to the Putnam since he was 5 and now volunteers with young kids.
“The Putnam seemed like a really cool place to work,” he said in the video. “I really enjoyed the atmosphere here.”
Harper said interacting with the kids helps him grow as a person.
“The Putnam is one of the only centers around that focuses on math and science,” he said. “If you really want to develop young minds and make them pursue careers in STM and actually help develop and change the world, it’s really important to have centers like the Putnam around.”
A parent’s prize
Nancy Razo Garcia of Davenport gave a testimonial on how her 7-year-old son has benefitted from the Putnam Pathways Academy, an after-school program to support English Language Learners.
“As a mother, I’m always looking for activities that can boost my son’s potential,” she said. “It has given him the opportunity to interact with other children and improve his self-esteem.”
The free program is designed to engage students in STEM activities and expand their English vocabulary.
“My son comes home every day with a huge smile on his face,” Garcia said. “He shares all the amazing things he learns at the Putnam, and as a parent, that is really priceless. Every staff member has been so kind and welcoming, I couldn’t ask for anything else.”
“Not only is he learning new things in a safe and fun environment, but Pathways has become part of our lives,” she said. “As a parent, it gives me the flexibility to pick up my son after work. I truly hope Pathways continues to expand and reach more families within our communities. Working families are always in need of after-school programs where children can thrive.”
Putnam board chairman Kerry Smith grew up near the Putnam, and said he was an underachiever as a teen.
“It wasn’t too long after high school that I stopped underachieiving and aspired to live up to my potential,” he said. “The creativity, curiosity and conviction I rediscovered as an adult was cultivated here, on top of a hill in west Davenport, when I was a child.
“I’m grateful every day that I can provide for the organization that invested in me as a child,” Smith said. “It’s a continuing privilege to support Rachael and her wonderful staff, and the great work that they do year after year.”
Asking attendees to donate, the board chair it’s not just an investment in the Putnam, but “an investment in all our futures, and that of our community.”
“That’s one of the most important investments any of us can make,” Smith said.
For over 156 years, Quad Citians have entrusted some of their most prized possessions to the Putnam, to share with future generations.
“We must safeguard these treasures, for the public’s benefit,” Smith said. “At the same time, there are thousands more children in our region who would benefit from the Putnam experience — that inspires curiosity and helps them identify their passion and purpose.”
