Past Exhibits at West Chicago City Museum
March 2019 - April 2019
Dairies to Prairies A traveling exhibit produced by the Elgin History Museum, now through April 27, 2019. Featuring connections to West Chicago’s dairy and prairie past. Our kids' area features a barn, flip-the-cow dairy facts, and prairie flowers as tall as in real life!
May 2018 - March 2019
West Chicago Pop! Explore popular culture throughout the decades of West Chicago history, starting in the 1860s when the city was known as the Village of Turner. Our kids' area features a pretend play movie theatre, complete with a marquee from West Chicago's own Roxy Theater, which used to be located on Washington just west of Main Street.
September 2017 - May 2018
We-Go A-Traveling West Chicago as a travel destination, and the travels of West Chicagoans to other locations
May 2017-September 2017
Grains of Change Exploring changes in the community over time
May 2016-April 2017
Made in West Chicago. The City Museum will open its new spring exhibit “Made in West Chicago” during Blooming Fest on Saturday, May 21st, 2016. The City Museum is currently collecting stories from people who have worked at the Reid Murdoch Pickle Plant, Campbell Soup Mushroom Farm, General Mills or any of the other numerous businesses that have been part of West Chicago’s history.
Nueva Exhibición: Hecho en West Chicago (Made in West Chicago) El Museo de la Ciudad abrirá su nueva exhibición de primavera Hecho en West Chicago (Made in West Chicago) durante Blooming Fest el sábado, 21 de mayo de 2016. El Museo de la Ciudad está actualmente colectando cuentos de gente quien ha trabajado en el Reid Murdoch Pickle Plant, Campbell Soup Mushroom Farm, General Mills o cualquier otro de los numerosos negocios que han sido parte de la historia de West Chicago.
April 2015 - May 2016
Sense of Place. The second exhibit at WCCM by international artist Diana Velasco. This photography project will involve the memories of the community of West Chicago in relation to local landmarks. Velasco was born and raised in Denmark by a Spanish father and a Danish mother. Her photographic work touches on the subjects of identity and relationships. She has studied both anthropology and communication. The traveling portions of this exhibit and artist-in-residency project are in collaboration with the Museum of Danish America in Elk Horn, Iowa, and the Nordic Heritage Museum in Seattle, Washington.
April 2015 - May 2016
Be Well: Dialogues of Health and Wellness Through History. In conjunction with the city-wide Healthy West Chicago initiative, we present a historical overview of concepts of health and wellness throughout West Chicago's 166-year past. Many can debate what makes a person healthy, but it is clear to see how much history can teach us and help us to critically think about what it means to "Be Well".
Oakwood Cemetery | Photo courtesy of Phil Weibler
October 2014 - April 2015
25 Years of Telling Tales celebrates the 25th anniversary of Tales Tombstones Tell, the City Museum’s cemetery walk through the historic Oakwood Cemetery. Oakwood Cemetery was established in 1858 and tells the stories of many of West Chicago’s founding families as well as those who have immigrated to West Chicago over the years. The exhibit will focus on those families important to the story of Oakwood Cemetery, including the McConnells, who donated the land the cemetery is on, and those families who served on the various Oakwood Cemetery committees such as the Haywards and Hills, among many more. The exhibit will include histories of all three West Chicago cemeteries.
September - November 2014
Photographs by international artist Diana Velasco on display at West Chicago City Museum
1/2—Two Nationalities showcases the photographs of international artist Diana Velasco. The exhibit consists of eight photographs of persons who hold dual citizenship with Denmark and another country. The second part of the exhibit is a series of photographs, which she has digitally manipulated, that relate to the family history of Velasco. Velasco was born and raised in Denmark by a Spanish father and a Danish mother. Her photographic work touches on the subjects of identity and relationships. She has studied both anthropology and communication. The traveling portions of this exhibit and artist-in-residency project are in collaboration with the Museum of Danish America in Elk Horn, IA and the Nordic Heritage Museum in Seattle, WA.
September - October 2014
Museum-goers see Reed Kepler trees given new life in functional and decorative objects.
Out of the Woods. On July 1st 2012 a large and powerful storm passed through the west suburbs of Chicago, leaving behind a large amount of destruction. Reed Keppler Park, located in West Chicago, was the first and one of the hardest hit. Nearly 200 trees were lost, making up approximately 1/3 of the tree population. Most of these trees were red and white oak and over 100 years old. Local resident Ron Meyers, a woodworker and sawmill owner/operator, contacted the park district the day after the storm, convincing them to save any usable wood for consideration to be used in design efforts to revive the now devastated park. Together, Ron and architect Jeff Perkis have been heading up the design efforts with students from the Illinois Institute of Technology.
IIT architecture professor Paul Pettigrew’s Architecture & Furniture classes, have designed and fabricated rings, tables, benches, lamps and more using wood from the damaged trees from this storm. Many of these objects are on display at WCCM. Architecture students of IIT and community members from West Chicago hope to demonstrate to visitors that although the trees of Reed Keppler Park are gone, their ability to contribute to the community is very much alive and well.