Keweenaw Report Your Source for Local News and Sports
The Quincy Mine Hoist Association, Keweenaw National Historical Park, and Keweenaw National Historical Park Advisory Commission are jointly hosting a National Endowment for the Humanities traveling exhibit. The exhibit, Jacob A. Riis: How the Other Half Lives, will be on display at the Calumet Visitor Center from September 3 – October 20.
Jacob Riis (1849-1914) was a pioneering newspaper reporter and social reformer in New York City at the turn of the twentieth century. His then-novel idea of using photographs of the city’s slums to illustrate the plight of impoverished residents established Riis as a forerunner of modern photojournalism. Jacob A. Riis: How the Other Half Lives features photographs by Riis and his contemporaries, as well as his handwritten journals and personal correspondence.
Visitors to the exhibition will experience a Riis presentation–immersive life-size photographs, as well as artifacts and personal documentation. The exhibition is made possible by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Jacob A. Riis: How the Other Half Lives is adapted from the exhibition Jacob A. Riis: Revealing New York’s Other Half, organized by the Museum of the City of New York. The exhibition was curated by Bonnie Yochelson and co-presented by the Library of Congress. It was adapted and toured for NEH on the Road by Mid-America Arts Alliance. To learn more about this exhibit, visit https://nehontheroad.org/exhibition/riis/.
Exhibit preparations include public meetings and the development of satellite exhibits, workshops, presentations, and open houses. If you would like to learn more about the traveling exhibit and how you or your organization can be involved, please attend a public meeting on Friday, February 15. The meeting will be at the Calumet Visitor Center from 10:00 – 11:00a.m. During this time, we will share exhibit details and brainstorm program and supplemental exhibit ideas.
