DES MOINES – Coming up: a look at the past. A new lunch-hour lecture series called Iowa Stories will revisit several overlooked chapters of Iowa history over the next few months.
The free series of four one-hour events is presented by the State Historical Society of Iowa, which will host the first two events at the State Historical Society of Iowa Research Center, at 402 Iowa Ave in Iowa City.
The society will co-host the second two events at the Iowa City Public Library, 123 S. Linn St., as part of a symposium called “Misfitting: Disability Broadly Considered” presented by the University of Iowa’s Obermann Center for Advanced Studies.
Here is a quick look at the upcoming Iowa Stories:
“Nuclear Power on Trial: The Acquittal of the Palo 13”
Feb. 22, 12:00-1:00 p.m.
State Historical Society of Iowa Research Center
402 Iowa Ave., Iowa City
With a sampling of original news footage from KCRG-TV, historian Sharon Lake will discuss why 13 protesters were arrested in 1979 at the nuclear power plant in Palo, Iowa, and why a jury found them not guilty. Lake’s grant-funded research on the topic was recently published in The Annals of Iowa, a quarterly journal of the State Historical Society of Iowa.
“Musical Iowana: Iowa Women’s Clubs and the Promotion of Iowa Composers”
March 14 , 12:00-1:00 p.m.
State Historical Society of Iowa Research Center
402 Iowa Ave., Iowa City
Marian Wilson Kimber, who teaches musicology at the University of Iowa, will discuss why local music clubs across Iowa – especially women’s clubs – enthusiastically promoted and performed music by Iowa composers from the 1920s through the 1940s.
“Sounding the Feeble Mind: Eugenic Depictions of Feeble-mindedness on Screen and in Music”
March 26, 12:00-1:00 p.m.
Iowa City Public Library
123 S. Linn St., Iowa City
Andrew Tubbs, a graduate student in musicology at the University of Iowa, will discuss how some early 20th century music and movies reinforced the eugenics movement, which promoted the “purification” of the human race by eliminating certain genetic groups that were considered inferior.
“Life of Tti ka me ge a”
April 2, 12:00-1:00 p.m.
Iowa City Public Library
123 S. Linn St., Iowa City
Sarah Young Bear-Brown, whose Meskwaki name Tti ka mi ge a translates to “woman who stands along the river’s edge,” will discuss her life as a profoundly deaf mother, artist and environmental advocate on the Meskwaki Settlement near Tama, Iowa. Please note: Her presentation will be interpreted into American Sign Language for the hearing impaired.
For more information, please call 319-335-3911.
The Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs and its three divisions – the Iowa Arts Council, Produce Iowa - State Office of Media Production and the State Historical Society of Iowa – empower Iowa to build and sustain culturally vibrant communities by connecting Iowans to the people, places and points of pride that define our state. The department’s work enables Iowa to be recognized as a state that fosters creativity and serves as a catalyst for innovation where the stories of Iowa are preserved and communicated to connect past, present and future generations.