World War 1 America Exhibition Comes to Irving Archives and Museum
March 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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Friends of the Irving Museum is excited to launch the Iconic Irving T-Shirt Fundraiser! For a donation of $35 or more, you’ll receive your very own Iconic Irving T-Shirt—a wearable piece of hometown pride. Every dollar raised goes directly toward giving the beloved Big State sign a permanent home in Heritage Park. This project preserves not just a sign, but a vital piece of Irving’s history and community identity. Click here to learn how to get yours!
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City of Irving Mourns the Passing of Ruth Paine The City of Irving and the Irving Department of Arts and Culture are saddened to announce the passing of Ruth Hyde Paine, who died on August 31, 2025, just three days before her 93rd birthday. Ruth Paine’s life became intertwined with one of the most pivotal moments in American history. In 1963, Marina Oswald and her children were living with Ruth in her modest Irving home when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Unknown to Ruth at the time, Lee Harvey Oswald had stored the rifle the Warren Commission determined was used in the assassination in her garage. In the aftermath of the tragedy, Ruth provided crucial testimony to the Warren Commission, answering more questions than any other witness. Over the decades, she gave countless interviews and dedicated herself to clarifying her role in history. While her name became forever linked to the Kennedy assassination, Ruth Paine was also an educator, a linguist, a Quaker, and a woman of principle, whose life stretched far beyond November 22, 1963. In 2009, the City of Irving purchased the Paine home on West 5th Street and restored it to its 1963 appearance. In 2013, the home opened as the Ruth Paine House Museum, a historic site that explores the events leading up to President Kennedy’s assassination. The museum also highlights Ruth’s friendship with Marina Oswald, which brought the Oswald family into her home during that pivotal time. After the opening, Ruth visited the museum several times, generously sharing her memories and insights, and offering her support for the city’s efforts to preserve this important chapter of history. “The City of Irving is deeply grateful to Ruth Paine,” said Irving Mayor Rick Stopfer “Through her generosity and willingness to share her experiences, she helped us preserve a vital piece of history for future generations. Her life reminds us that history is often lived by ordinary people placed in extraordinary circumstances.” Ruth Paine will be remembered not only for the history that unfolded around her but also for her lifelong commitment to education, peace, and service. The City of Irving extends its heartfelt condolences to her family and friends. Information regarding a public memorial service has not been announced at this time. To see our memorial page honoring Ruth Paine, please visit: https://www.irvingarchivesandmuseum.com/ruth-paine-memorial . About the Ruth Paine House Museum The Ruth Paine House Museum immerses visitors in the story of the events leading up to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy through a restored 1963 suburban home, multimedia exhibits, and projected vignettes featuring Ruth and Michael Paine and Marina and Lee Harvey Oswald. Period furnishings, family photographs, and archival media transport visitors back to a pivotal moment in American history while also exploring Ruth Paine’s civic and social justice work during the 1960s. For more information about the Ruth Paine House Museum, please visit: https://www.irvingarchivesandmuseum.com/ruth-paine-house-museum.
