Upcoming Programs
These progr ams represent a sampling of
the projects we have recently funded in communities across Iowa. Please visit our website (www.humanatiesiowa.org) for a complete and current listing. We are always forging new partnerships and writing grant proposals to be able to fund even more programming.
“Tattoo: Identity in Ink”
Museum of Danish America Elk Horn, IA May 27 – October 22, 2022
The history of tattooing stretches
back over 5,000 years—even Egyptian mummies have been found with tattoos. Today, close to one in three Americans has at least one tattoo. Body modification is deeply entwined with both the cultural and the personal, from cultural tattoos documenting a young person reaching adulthood, to tattoos as a punishment for crimes, to tattoos paying tribute to a favorite movie or hero. For Nordic countries, the interest in tattooing is twofold: each Nordic country has its own tattooing culture that has been shaped by both historical and contemporary influences. Nordic, particularly Viking-related, imagery is very common in tattooing today for people both with and without Nordic heritage. To explore the larger context of tattooing in Scandinavia, North America, and the world, The Museum of Danish America is borrowing a traveling exhibition called, “Tattoo: Identity Through Ink” from Vesterheim: The National Norwegian-American Museum and Folk Art School. This exhibition will explore the history and process of tattooing and the historical meaning of tattoos, with additional focus on Nordic cultures. Artifacts from guest curator Lars Krutak will be featured, including ethnographic tattooing tools from a variety of cultures, as well as silicone arms tattooed by contemporary Scandinavian artists in traditional styles. The primary sections of the exhibition will be as follows:
image: Japanese-style back piece, in progress. Tattoo by Brock Swenson / Brock’s Valhalla Tattoo, Decorah IA, 2019.
• Global History of Tattooing How tattoos have evolved over time, particularly among indigenous groups • The Making of Identity How many groups use tattooing as a way to reinforce group identity • Tattoo Aesthetics and Styles How cultures use different motifs and styles of tattooing to represent different ideas or bring about specific outcomes • Tattooing in Europe The history of tattoos in Europe with a more in-depth exploration of the history of tattooing in Scandinavia • Tattooing in America North American tattoo traditions from indigenous tattoo culture to prison and gang tattoos Smaller areas of the exhibition will cover how tattoos work, what happens when tattoo artists make mistakes, and what a tattoo studio experience entails. In every section, visitors will explore different aspects of tattooing culture. The Museum of Danish America will host “Tattoo: Identity Through Ink” in the Kramme Gallery of the museum from Friday, May 27, 2022, through October 22, 2022. The museum will coordinate related public programs in the Danish Villages of Elk Horn and Kimballton and will partner with peer institutions in nearby metro areas, including Council Bluffs, Omaha, Des Moines, and Kansas City. Please visit the Museum website for details: www.danishmuseum.org
See you at these dynamic, Humanities Iowafunded events!
“Vietnam: The Real War”
Dubuque Museum of Art, Dubuque, IA Exhibit, series of programs, and a theatrical production: now through February 6, 2022
This e x hibit and series of events ask,
“How do we tell the truth in war?” The experience centers on an exhibition of Associated Press photographs that documented and changed history. Lectures, screenings, and book discussions will expand guests’ understanding of the role photojournalists play in shaping history. Plans include conversations with Tim O’Brien and historian Teri Van Dorston, M.A., and filmmaker Aaron Matthews. The exihibit: “Vietnam: The Real War” explores the separation of powers; the war’s impact; politically charged violence; freedom of the press; tensions between advancing civil rights, public safety, and accountable governance; and the moral imperatives of leaders, soldiers, journalists, and artists in a democratic society. Museum guests will explore artifacts inspired by Tim O’Brien’s acclaimed book The Things They Carried. Concurrent exhibitions add perspectives including the war photography of Dubuque journalist Bob Woodward and of Ron Testa, an official Navy photographer. DuMA has also partnered with the Grout Museum of History and Science and Fall/Winter 2022 · 3
