2021–2022 Annual Report

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The mission of the Putnam Museum and Science Center is to bring to life a sense of place, time and purpose to ignite human potential and inspire our diverse community to learn about and care for our world and all its people.

MUSEUMS FOR ALL

We are committed to ensuring that everyone has access to our incredible collection. Through Museums for All, those receiving food assistance (SNAP benefits) can visit the Putnam for $1 and access free or reduced admission at more than 700 museums throughout the United States simply by presenting their EBT card. We are thrilled to be able to serve the greater Quad Cities in this way!

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BOARD OF TRUSTEES

OFFICERS

David A. Johnston

Kerry Smith

MEMBERS

Nancy Ballenger

Richard A. Clewell

Jason Gordon

Kelli Jacque Grubbs

Tim Hanley

Gale Hoff

Joe Judge

Frank J. Klipsch

Janet S. Masamoto

The Honorable Mike Matson

LEADERSHIP TEAM

Rachael Mullins, President/CEO

Amanda Crowell

Mike Poster

A MEMBER OF

Ben Palmer

Lori Pappas

Jenny Parvin

Michael Reyes

Leo R. Schubert

Monica M. Smith, DSW

Torri Smith

Aaron Tennant

The Honorable Mike Thoms

Dana Wilkinson

Drue Curry, Vice President of Operations

Betsy Matt Turner, Vice President of Strategic Advancement

Sarah Kern, Vice President of Finance

Leslie Klipsch, Vice President of Marketing & Sales

Ben Johnson, Vice President of Museum Experiences

Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce

Greater Quad Cities Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

Eastern Iowa Tourism Association

Visit Quad Cities

Midwest Art Conservation Center

Mississippi River Parkway Commission

Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs Cultural Leadership Partner Program

Silos and Smokestacks National Heritage Area

Iowa Museum Association

Association of Midwest Museums

Museum State Association

Giant Screen Cinema Association

Greater Muscatine Chamber of Commerce & Industry

AN AFFILIATE OF

Smithsonian Institution

NASA/Iowa Space Grant Consortium

Rube Goldberg International

Association of Science and Technology Centers

American Alliance of Museums ACCREDITED BY

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CONNECTING IN NEW & CREATIVE WAYS

In the midst of the lingering pandemic, FY22 continued to bring both challenges and opportunities to the Putnam Museum and Science Center. These times continue to require reflection on how to connect in new and creative ways. For us, this has meant further development of online platforms to encourage learning, exploring, and celebrating. From July 2021 to June 2022, we continued to use a hybrid of innovative virtual curriculum, home activity kits, behind-the-scenes moments in our cherished collection, and new tools to grow our mission and serve the world.

As we navigated uncertain times over the past years, we were thrilled to welcome back our staff to full capacity and to see museum attendance steadily increasing to pre-pandemic levels. Guests are coming back to a Putnam experience that is better than ever! We’ve redesigned our entrance, expanded our Science Center, and built a new gallery dedicated to world cultures. Through broadened community partnerships, new offerings, and visitor input, we’ve expanded representation and access to the museum. We continue to innovate to meet the moment, shaping new ways to serve the Quad Cities while transitioning some favorite events and offerings back to the museum and our GIANT Screen Theater.

We care deeply about responding to the needs of the community. We believe in our mission, and we work every day to ignite human potential and to inspire every last Quad Citizen. When I began my tenure as CEO and President of this incredible institution in 2019, I couldn’t have imagined the challenges in store. The resilience and dedication of our community, our staff’s daily commitment to hope and hard work, and the impact of our mission in the region has me convinced that the best is yet to come.

With sincere gratitude,

Rachael Mullins President Dave Johnston Board Chair

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104,332 PEOPLE SERVED

55,387 KIDS SERVED

VISITORS FROM 48 STATES

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REGIONAL HISTORY UPDATE

Through vibrant community feedback and co-curation, the process of updating our regional history exhibit is underway! Bolstered by a prestigious grant award by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and dedicated community partners, we are engaging people from across the region to assure that the exhibit reflects the modern era, our shared experience as Quad Citizens, and the rich cultural diversity of our community. The update underway is slated for completion in 2023 and will bring the exhibit to the current day, including the extraordinary accomplishments and challenges of our time, and will reflect new stories, people, and images in the storyline of our community.

Over the course of the project, the Putnam will strive for important outcomes:

• Collaboration with our local history partners and across the entire community will assure that the Putnam’s regional history exhibit, River, Prairie and People, reflects the modern era, our shared experience as Quad Citizens, and the rich cultural diversity of our community.

• The update will bring the exhibit to the current day, including the extraordinary accomplishments and challenges of our times, with important stories, milestones, and iconic images and artifacts of our modern era. Through oral histories, digital submissions, and artifacts donated by members of our community, future generations can endeavor to understand this turbulent period.

• Collaboration with the Science Museum of Minnesota and other partners from the Race exhibit will infuse stories that are missing from the exhibit, including those that reflect the diversity of our region throughout history.

• Expanded oral histories and digitization of historic films with partners such as the Azubuike African American Council for the Arts and Fourth Wall Films will allow for the creation of video vignettes and integrate multimedia storytelling and engage visitors in telling their stories.

• Youth activities and lesson plans developed in partnership with LULAC, Friends of Martin Luther King Interpretive Center, and others will align with the exhibit update and broaden the reach and impact of the collaboration, helping youth see themselves as members of the community who can make a positive difference and shape its future.

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INSTITIUTE OF MUSEUM AND LIBRARY SERVICES GRANT AWARD

The grant — the only in the state of Iowa — provides $245,000 for communitybased regional history projects, including a significant update to the Putnam’s regional history exhibit, River, Prairie and People:

The commitment to transparency and consistency articulated in [the Putnam’s] proposal is wonderful to see. Multiple studies tell us that representation matters and so does inclusivity. The construction of this project to ensure true representation, accessing and empowering stakeholders who can bridge trust gaps within communities, engaging directly with the community and providing them skills that empower those same communities to continue to collect and preserve their own narratives as well as share them, and then to intentionally prioritize youth … this is an amazing project …

— IMLS review comment in response to the Putnam’s successful grant application

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SERVING THE KIDS OF THE QUAD CITIES

We continue to offer a year-round schedule of high-interest, hands-on learning with a targeted audience of thousands of area youth, families, and area educators!

SUMMER CAMPS

The Putnam’s summer camps allow campers to take a behind-the-scenes journey through the museum, complete science experiments, and create memories. Dozens of campers spent the summer discovering, inventing, and engaging in amazing learning experiences with Putnam educators.

STEM COLLABORATION

Our work exploring science, technology, engineering, and math skills and careers continue to thrive. Battle of the Bridges (a partnership with the QC Engineering and Science Council) was back in person this year, as was the First Lego League! We also hosted over two dozen weekend science demonstrations in partnership with the American Chemical Society.

EXPLORERS, EXPLORERS JR., AND DESTINATIONS WORKSHOPS

The Putnam continues to offer high-interest workshops for preschoolers and school-age children alike. Our Explorers programs take on the mysteries of science with topics ranging from space to matter to electricity, while our brand new Destinations workshops celebrate the people who have contributed to our community (and the world!) through innovation and invention.

STUDY TRIPS ARE BACK!

Educators from throughout the region were once again able to bring learning to life by giving their students exciting experiences in science, history, culture and beyond at the Putnam! We were thrilled to welcome school groups back in person and witness students apply science concepts as they explored the power of electricity, allowed their imagination to soar

with art and animation, tested their engineering and design skills at the gravity wall, and more!

PATHWAYS ACADEMY

Pathways Academy provides educational assistance to elementary-age English Language Learners. Along with free passes and memberships for households as well as family events, a major component of Pathways Academy is an intensive out-of-school program which focuses on educational experiences, vocabulary development, and preparation for high school career academies through Putnam resources.

VIRTUAL IMMERSE

The pandemic continued to impact our flagship IMMERSE program in which teachers integrate our resources into their curricula and then bring their students to the Putnam for a week of high-impact, in-person learning. However, we continued virtual IMMERSE—five free, curriculum-aligned outreach units on high-interest science topics like space featured in our Gateway Galleries! Used with 2nd–6th graders in Rock Island, East Moline, and Davenport schools, each unit featured a booklet with written activities, a list of related books for kids who wanted to delve deeper, a 20-minute video on the topic with content provided by our staff, and materials and activity cards so kids could complete the videoed activities themselves.

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EVENTS Build! Create! Innovate! Exhibit Opening Polar Express Pajama Parties E-Sports Tournaments

Battle of the Bridges First Lego League American Cruise Line Tours

EXHIBIT HIGHLIGHTS

We’re grateful to all those who supported our exhibits, events, and films over the course of the year!

Nature’s Blueprints: Biomimicry in Art and Design

A look at design and environmental science using artifacts and photography along with interactive learning stations and items from the Putnam’s collection.

Mother Nature: Modern Muse

An extension of Nature’s Blueprints, this exhibit uses artifacts from the Putnam’s collection to continue education of design and environmental science at work.

Winter Wheels: A History on Two Wheels

This original, crowd-pleasing, community-curated exhibition featured vintage, classic, and antique motorcycles of all makes and models.

Build! Create! Innovate!

A brand new exhibit at the Putnam featuring KEVA Planks! Equally appealing to children and adults, KEVA Planks require very little instruction and allow guests to unleash their creativity.

Pollination Investigation

Visitors could explore the essential role that pollinators play in the natural world in the Smithsonian poster exhibition Pollination Investigation.

Hall of Mammals Update

This permanent natural history exhibit was refreshed to incorporate information on climate change and indigenous peoples. Additions include new bilingual signage, a display of items created by indigenous peoples of the arctic, and an array of bones from artic animals.

A sensory kit is a collection of items that may help calm over-stimulating situations. Including headphones to reduce noises, fidgets, and conversation cards, the packs promote relaxation for visitors when the sensory inputs interfere with attention and concentration or cause them to become anxious and overwhelmed. Putnam visitors can now check out a sensory pack from the ticketing counter for use in the museum.

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1717 W. 12th Street | Davenport, Iowa 52804 563.324.1933 | www.putnam.org Bu ld! Create Innovate! wi l be at the Putnam Museum and Sc ence Center unt l August 14th 2022 The exhib t is made poss ble with the support of the sponsors l sted be ow We are so grateful! FREE ADMISSION FOR ONE This card is good for one general admission to the Putnam Museum and Science Center. ID Code: Sponsor. Expiration: 12/31/2023.

On the GIANT Screen!

MOVIES

Into America’s Wild 3D

A visually stunning cross-country adventure into the hidden wonders of the natural world.

Kaluoka’hina: The Enchanted Reef

A beautiful story of an enchanted reef, a lunar riddle, and two fish on a mission brought to life on the GIANT Screen.

ALSO PLAYING: Superpower Dogs 3D

Jerusalem

Back from the Brink: Saved from Extinction 3D

A wide range of support makes the Putnam Museum and Science Center offerings possible. We thank our donors, patrons, and institutional funders for supporting our mission and our work!

THANK YOU TO OUR CONTRIBUTORS

GRANTORS, TRUSTS, AND GOVERNMENTAL FUNDERS

3M

Arconic Foundation

Amy Helpenstell Foundation Fund at The Quad Cities Community Foundation

The Bechtel Trusts

BJ & Mabel Palmer Memorial Trust

Burrows Trust

City of Davenport

Doris & Victor Day Foundation

The Hubbell-Waterman Foundation

Institute of Museum and Library Services

Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs / Iowa Arts Council

John Deere Classic-Birdies for Charity

Louise McCarty Trust

Prichard Family Charitable Trust

Quad Cities Cultural Trust

Rauch Family Foundation I

Regional Development Authority

Rock Island Community Foundation

Roger L. Kornder Trust

Royal E Rostenbach Foundation

Scott County Regional Authority

Shuttered Venue Operator Grant Program (SBA)

United Way Quad Cities

IN-KIND SUPPORT

American Cruise Lines

AmeriCorps (City of Davenport)

Isabel Bloom

Estes Construction

Isle Casino

Hotel Bettendorf

ISU Scott County Extension

Master Gardeners

K&K Hardware

Microsoft

Sharp Consulting, LLC

Nick Stoynoff

WVIK Quad Cities Dubuque NPR

Marie Ziegler

CAPITAL CAMPAIGN INSTITUTIONAL DONORS