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World War 1 America Exhibition Comes to Irving Archives and Museum
Mar 30, 2021
On view April 9 through May 30, 2021
WW1 America invites audiences into a nuanced understanding of World War I as a transformational event in American history, a compressed and convulsive time of social, economic, and political change, a lens through which to understand what it means to be “modern.” WW1 America is on view April 9 through May 30, 2021 at Irving Archives and Museum.
Although it was fought thousands of miles away, the war transformed the United States from a relatively provincial power on the world stage to a full-fledged global, military-industrial leader, held together by a newly powerful federal government and charged with confident patriotism. This is the America that dominates popular memory: the saturated hues of patriotic posters, jubilant crowds at Liberty Loan rallies, the ranks of manly Doughboys, and hearty choruses of “Over There.”
And yet there were darker sides of the American experience during the years 1914 to 1919: entire swaths of US cities engulfed in racial conflagrations; workers striking by the millions; women demonstrating in the streets demanding the right to vote; immigrants harassed and deported; dissenters and “hyphenated” Americans pursued, surveilled, jailed, or lynched; and violent disagreements about the nature of civil liberties.
The American stage during and just after World War I witnessed sharp challenges to virtually every familiar boundary—those of citizenship, gender, race, class, nationality, generation, culture, not to mention traditional assumptions about foreign entanglements. As the war came to an end, making the “world safe for democracy” may have actually seemed easier than making democracy even possible for millions of Americans at home.
And if the war did not have a precisely causal effect on social change during the period—for issues such as woman suffrage, African American migrations, Prohibition, labor struggles—it was nonetheless always in dialogue, sometimes violently, with the day’s upheavals, shaping the nation in profound and lasting ways. Indeed, so many issues from this period cascade down the years to our own time.
WWI America explores vitally important stories of a transformational and divisive era, for a broad, multi-generational audience. The exhibition is visually dynamic, with large-scale photographs, moving images, multimedia environments, and re-created settings such as a music shop and grocery store. It is also a socially interactive forum, with stories and many period artifacts supported by authentic voices expressing competing views.
From the brutal realities of war to the vivid delights of popular culture, WW1 America offers visitors an engaging and compelling evocation of the many dimensions of this period, as well as an entry point into thinking about and making sense of our own times.
WW1 America is made possible by NEH on the Road, a special initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities, which provided major funding support. It is adapted from the Minnesota History Center’s exhibition WWI America, and toured for NEH on the Road by the Mid-America Arts Alliance.
The original WW1 America exhibition was created by the Minnesota History Center in partnership with the National Constitution Center, the National World War I Museum and Memorial, the Oakland Museum of California, and the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum, and was supported by major grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
About NEH on the Road
NEH on the Road (NEHOTR) is a fully funded initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities, designed to create wider national access to the ideas, themes, and stories explored in major grant-funded NEH exhibitions. Mid-America Arts Alliance has provided the curatorial adaptation, design, production, and tour management of the NEHOTR program since 2002. Each exhibition is designed to fit within 2,000 square feet and features abundant artifacts, integrated didactic panels, banners, and other supporting materials that best reflect the content and scholarship of the original large-scale exhibitions. Learn more at www.nehontheroad.org.
About the National Endowment for the Humanities
Created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities supports research and learning in history, literature, philosophy, and other areas of the humanities by funding selected, peer-reviewed proposals from around the nation. Additional information about the National Endowment for the Humanities and its grant programs is available at: www.neh.gov.
About Mid-America Arts Alliance
Mid-America Arts Alliance (M-AAA) strengthens and supports artists, cultural organizations, and communities throughout our region and beyond. We believe in more art for more people. Additional information about M-AAA is available at www.maaa.org.
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Venture inside Recology, a 47-acre Recycling and Transfer Center located in San Francisco, CA, and you’ll be immersed in a churning, ever-changing landscape where detritus from all over the city is sorted, recovered, and processed. This metropolis of junk, otherwise known as “the dump,” is home to one of the most coveted Artist in Residence (AIR) programs since 1990. Operating with the belief that art plays a unique role in educating and inspiring the public, Recology offers artists an opportunity to make artwork from discarded materials. Armed with safety gear and a shopping cart, artists have scavenging privileges in the Public Reuse and Recycling Area — what most artists refer to as “The Big Store” — to recycle and reclaim the discarded waste as reimagined art objects. Reclaimed: The Art of Recology, presents a fascinating survey of 33 artists who were selected to participate in Recology’s unique Artist-in-Residence program. This eclectic exhibition of work created from unwanted materials encourages viewers to perceive “trash” in a new light. Featuring approximately 50 objects, the artwork in Reclaimed is varied, unusual, yet familiar: from paintings produced with recycled house paint to tapestries made from used ties, shirts, and other fabrics, to sculptural vases crafted from Ethernet and coaxial cables. The hybrid concoctions are highly creative and mind-blowing in execution and form. Through introspective, playful, and highly original explorations, these artists reveal the hidden stories our rubbish tells us about ourselves and our relationship with the world. On view at Irving Archives and Museum February 18 through April 28, 2024. Reclaimed: The Art of Recology was organized by Bedford Gallery at the Lesher Center for the Arts, Walnut Creek, CA. Photo credit: Courtesy of Recology San Francisco Artist in Residence Program. Andrew Junge, Pandora's Box, 2005, neon, toolbox, 13.75 x 19.25 x 11.5 in.
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A special exhibition featuring traditional outfits used for Ballet Folklórico, courtesy of Alegre Ballet Folklórico, will premiere at Irving Archives and Museum (IAM). Curated by long-time Folklórico dancer and IAM Apprentice, Dominique Avila Fleming, the exhibition highlights several states across Mexico and the regalia used in the dances. The exhibition is presented in bilingual (English – Spanish) text and offers a variety of educational activities and resources. With roots tracing back to the Indigenous peoples of Mexico, Ballet Folklórico is highly varied in style and dress, and reflects the traditions, cultures, and beliefs of people in a particular geographic region or state in Mexico. Through its movement and music, Folklórico expresses the life and spirit of a people. From the Curator “Growing up in a diverse environment in Dallas encouraged the cultivation of my Mexican roots through the influence of my mother’s family and my involvement with Alegre Ballet Folklórico. One of my core childhood memories is my mother dragging me to a class early one Saturday morning because my sibling wanted to dance, and she insisted they not go alone. What began as a hobby many Mexican children are forced to attempt, has transformed into an integral part of my life that I am deeply passionate about. I am grateful to the incredible talents of my director, Pedro Perez, and lead female dancer, Jessica Garcia. Their guidance and shared avid love for dance are the reason I made it through that first class twenty years ago, and why this exhibit exists today. When I decided to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology, my goal was to find ways to cultivate connections between people by highlighting the universal threads that run through our distinct customs worldwide. While every culture possesses its own unique identity, there exists a tapestry of interrelated aspects that often go unnoticed. My intention is that this exhibition will not only reflect my passion for studying and celebrating culture but will invite patrons to expand their appreciation for Mexican heritage as well as inspire them to explore other unfamiliar traditions from around the globe.” – Dominque Avila Fleming About the Curator Born and raised in the Dallas neighborhood of Oak Cliff, Dominique Avila Fleming has always been involved with the community through volunteering and interning at the Oak Cliff Cultural Center. She is an ensemble member and group assistant of Alegre Ballet Folklórico, with whom she joined at the age of six, and has since danced across Texas, Mexico, and Oslo, Norway. Her passion for exploring cultures outside of her own led her to obtain a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from the University of Texas at Arlington. Currently, Dominique is an apprentice at the Irving Archives and Museum, a teaching artist for Cara Mia Theatre Company, and continues her work with the Oak Cliff Cultural Center as well as with Latino Arts Project. This exhibition will be on view September 16, 2023 through February 4, 2024.
Forever connected to the difficult days of November 1963, Ruth Paine will talk with author Thomas Mallon about her life before and after the assassination of President Kennedy as well as her relationship with Lee Harvey and Marina Oswald. Ticket proceeds support the preservation of the Ruth Paine House Museum. Get your tickets HERE .