Left to right: Western Illinois Museum Director, Sue Scott, National Endowment for the Humanities Senior Program Director, Division of Public Programs, Jill Austin, and National Endowment for the Humanities Chair Shelly C. Lowe taken during an event in Chicago, Illinois, on February 15, 2024.
The Western Illinois Museum is launching a new exhibit initiative with the support of a Public Impact Projects Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). The $22,000 grant will fund a year-long project to develop a new interpretive plan for the Museum’s exhibits program.
The Western Illinois Museum is part of the inaugural class of the new Public Impact Project, a grant created by the NEH to help small to medium-sized cultural organizations, especially those from underserved communities, bolster their public programming. The NEH staff reported that 110 eligible applications were received and 28 were awarded. Applications came from museums, historical societies, and cultural organizations across the country, with many, like the Western Illinois Museum, having not applied to the NEH before.
For the Western Illinois Museum’s project, the staff will work with Suzanne Fischer, an exhibit coach from Michigan, to enhance their interpretive strategies and strengthen their public humanities programming. Over the coming year, Suzanne will guide a team of board and council members, staff, and volunteers in listening and collecting feedback from community members and defining research parameters that can be translated into a relevant and impactful exhibit narrative for future exhibits.
Museum Director Sue Scott commented, “The opportunity is very timely. As the Museum expands into the newly renovated east building, there is a need to develop new exhibits. The grant provides resources to ensure our exhibits represent the stories of changemakers who have shaped our community. We will research the stories of those who have had an impact locally and beyond the region. Our goal is to identify the stories of the people who have effected change in west central Illinois but have not yet been documented or shared.” The project outcome will be an exhibit plan to guide the board and staff in implementing the new exhibit program, as well as requesting funds for fixtures and lighting. The Western Illinois Museum is a non-profit organization celebrating and nurturing the history, culture, and traditions of McDonough County. The Museum is located in a historic building at 201 S. Lafayette Street, one block south of Macomb’s Courthouse Square. For further information, call 309-837-2750, text 309-837-2613, or email info@wimuseum.org.