During the spring and summer of 2020, I served as a curatorial research assistant at the Chicago History Museum. This Lilly Endowment-funded position was part of a larger ongoing project at the CHM to improve the Museum’s representation of the topic of religion in its collections and exhibits.
My primary task was to survey the entirety of the Museum’s collections and archival holdings for materials pertaining to religion and spirituality’s connections to Chicago’s social, cultural, and political history. While some objects and documents in the Museum’s holdings held obvious religious value (such as church photos, worship attire, etc.), I prioritized those which offered multi-layered views into religion’s connections to Chicago’s past beyond the walls of the church or synagogue. I created several databases using the program Airtable to record my findings and evaluate their storytelling potential. At the end of my tenure I wrote a lengthy summary report and a gap assessment of areas where the collections were lacking. In the end, my work was used by the CHM to apply for future Lilly grants for curatorial positions.
This project necessitated considerable research into Chicago’s various religious and spiritual groups and their histories within the city. To complement my independent research, I frequently reached out to various Chicago-based religious leaders as well as prominent religious scholars like Dr. Paul Numrich of Ohio Methodist Theological School and Dr. Peter Manseau of the Smithsonian. Working with CHM historian Peter Alter, I consulted with several of these contacts for input on how the Museum could improve its collections, exhibitions, and community relationships.
