Fall 2017
So many good things have happened over the past 20 years because
of the people who partner with Carnegie Cultural Center.
The Annual Golden Silo Awards are presented to individuals and organizations whose contributions demonstrate excellence in preserving and telling America’s agricultural story, both past and present. The Carnegie received this award from Silos and Smokestacks.
The Silos and Smokestacks National Heritage Area tells the story of American Agriculture through partnerships with a variety of sites and attractions in Northeast Iowa. It is comprised of 119 museums within 37 counties. Cara Miller, President of Silos and Smokestacks, commented during the ceremony that the Carnegie Cultural Center was in the first wave of sites designated in 2002 as an official partner site. She mentioned we are housed in a historic 100 year old Carnegie building. CCCC features permanent exhibits of models & miniatures focusing on rural culture and small town life.
She mentioned Uncle Joe’s farm & Bob’s Mini-machines, the Railroad Room, Ben’s Old Time Autos, Natvig Brothers’
Circus and Carts/Carriages to name a few. She also shared why the Carnegie won this award: we host new temporary exhibits every 6-8 weeks, we assisted in the legislative showcase, and actively seek out ways to improve our community events. Also mentioned was our successful volunteer participation in RAGBRAI. The Carnegie Cultural Center showcased the museum, sold a lot of homemade pie, as well as promoted “It Takes an Iowan”, an outdoor trailer exhibit sponsored by Silos and Smokestacks. We were pleased to earn this award.
Thank you. None of this would have been possible without your help. This award is the culmination of many people’s efforts both current and in the past. We are still focused on our mission, but have had to make a few adjustments. Recently, two cherished, long-serving board members, Lawrence Jensen and Phyllis Willadsen, retired from the Carnegie Board of Directors. Steve Samec and Norah Kennedy have generously agreed to serve in the endowment and volunteer management areas. Like all organizations, we recruit new volunteers and retain many good friends. We are always looking for volunteers so if you are interested, we can find a place for you. We have replaced a roof on the 1974 south addition and continue upkeep on Carnegie building by replacing the exterior and interior steel doors. In the last year we had more than 1100 visitors enjoying our venue. 1378 volunteer hours were donated by 170 volunteers. Our displays this year consisted of:
- West of 5th Prime Meridian: Landscape photos of Northeast Iowa by Paul Herrold
- Fusion: Artwork by the New Hampton High School Art Students celebrating Youth Art Month
- Collections from A-Z: Each letter was represented by local collectors
- Honoring our American Flag: Steve Timmerman’s display of American flags along with a Tribute to Chickasaw County World War 1 Heroes and the Pilgrimage of Chickasaw County’s Gold Star Mother
- Seeking the Sublime: Pastels of Northeast Iowa landscapes by Nashua artist, Ann Bishop McGregor
- Have Yourself a “Bookie” Christmas: Each county library (Alta Vista, Fredericksburg, Ionia, Lawler, Nashua and New Hampton) curated a brief history with photos. Using books, Christmas ornaments were made to decorate for Santa Saturday to be held on December 2nd.
Thank you for continuing to think of us with memorials. It’s our bread and butter AND it blesses the family which had a loved one honored. Located near the sign in area, we have a book with all honorees listed by name & the name of the philanthropist who donated on their behalf. Thanks again for honoring their legacy. Jill Eike
Carnegie Cultural Center
Box 243
New Hampton, IA 50659
The mission of the Carnegie Cultural Center is to
establish a vital presence of the Arts, History and Cultural Awareness for the enlightenment, benefit,
and enjoyment of all Chickasaw County residents and visitors.
ARCHIVES REPORT
I will forgive you for not remembering, but in last November’s mailing I included a quote about “why physical things matter in a digital world.” The quote was taken from a TIME magazine blurb by David Sax, author of Real Things and Why They Matter. In his blurb, Mr. Sax notes, “…humans aren’t machines, tasked with delivering the most logical solution at all times. We are complex creatures, driven by emotions beyond our comprehension. And at its core, the human experience remains a deeply, truly analog one, no matter how many virtual platforms we embrace.” Over the past year that statement has become a motto of sorts for me in my on-going role as Carnegie Cultural Center archivist. Humans are physical beings whose lives play out in a physical world shaped by physical things and that human experience is at the core of what museums/cultural centers are all about. Cultural organizations may go to great lengths to establish permanent collections of artifacts and documentary materials in pursuit of their particular mission. The scope of the collection here at the Carnegie Cultural Center is defined by our primary focus: Chickasaw County.
The Iowa Department of Education has recently established new standards for the teaching of Iowa History in Iowa public schools. One of the guide-lines embedded in the standards is to encourage use of primary historical resources that exist in Iowa communities. “Primary” resources are “first-hand” resources…authentic artifacts, original photographs and documents, live story tellers. In other words, part of the goal is to connect students with these REAL sources in their home communities. To that end, the Iowa Museum Association is conducting a state-wide survey to identify “what’s out there.” The University of Northern Iowa, the History Center at Simpson College, the Iowa Geographic Alliance, and Graceland University will use the survey data to develop content and tools to assist schools in meeting the new standards.
The “archives department” at the Carnegie Cultural Center is looking closely at our collection to determine what primary resources we have that might contribute to the effort. ??WHAT??? What “archives department” is there at the Carnegie? We’re working on that.
Like any archival collection, the Carnegie’s is only valuable to the extent that it is organized, indexed and user-friendly. My work on our archives has kind of been on the back-burner for about the last year and a half as time and attention was dedicated to getting Jill oriented to her new job and then to completing a book outlining the 100 year history of St. Joseph Community Hospital/Mercy Medical Center-New Hampton. But, that is about to change.
We are in the process of orienting a group of volunteers to become well-versed in the CCC archives and to help develop, maintain, and manage them. Presently our “A-Team” consists of board member, Norah Kennedy, plus Judy Roberson, Charlie Onken and Karen Reicks. Certainly there are other players. The Chickasaw County Genealogical Society as represented by Janette Hendricks and Jeanette Kottke have been supportive of our efforts. And other CCC volunteers are supplying “support services” by indexing some of our materials. At this point the “A-Team” is just getting its feet wet, and since history doesn’t exactly have a “sunset” date, we all realize that our efforts will be on-going. At some point, it would be great to have a dedicated archives computer with which a member of the public could come in, enter the name of a person, town, event, church, school etc., etc. and be presented with a listing of the materials that are available in-house. It would also be great…in this culture that is really starting to appreciate its own history and unique story … to be able to house and organize our resources in an archives center designed just for that purpose.
We’ll get there. Hopefully, you’ll be there to celebrate with us. In the mean time, keep donating/loaning your photos, documents and records. Your story and that of Chickasaw County are most worthy of preserving!
Juanita Andersen
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Please return with your donation for 2018
Name ( as it should appear on our donor list)___________________________________________________________________________
Address_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Amount enclosed_________________________________ -or- Amount pledged_____________________________
Interested in becoming a Carnegie Cultural Center Volunteer? Include your phone number or email address.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
ALL DONATIONS TO THE CARNEGIE CULTURAL CENTER ARE TAX-DEDUCTIBLE.
Please return to: Carnegie Cultural Center…. Box 243 New Hampton, Iowa 50659 THANK YOU!
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