A new exhibit called ILLUMINATION opens this Friday at the Springfield History Museum. It highlights the stories of immigrants from past and present day Springfield residents.
Community Outreach and Engagement Specialist Mindy Linder said the exhibit is part of the museum’s mission to link the past to the present while acknowledging underrepresented histories.
“There are a lot of gaps in our history, and there are also a lot of gaps in the relationships, and the trust in our community for us to be stewards of all of the other stories that have so far been untold in our institution,” Linder said.
For modern perspectives, the museum commissioned community organizer Johanis Tadeo and photographer Ofelia Guzman.
Together they documented the oral histories of local immigrants along with video and photos. Tadeo said he hopes these stories can help foster a sense of belonging and understanding.
“It’s not so much showcasing the struggle but more the strength and the power of these individuals working hard to just live and be,” he said. “But just happen to be some of the most beautiful and amazing people that have so much culture and so many more stories to share with the folks and share with the community.”
Both Tadeo and Guzman said the project was personal because of their own immigration experiences. Guzman said she was honored to be given the opportunity to highlight Springfield’s Latino community.
“When people probably see us, Latinos or brown people, that’s just it, Latino, Brown people. But there is so much more to that because we are human beings and each one of us has a special story,” she said.
These contemporary stories will be displayed along with stories including one of a man and his wife who immigrated from New Brunswick, Canada in the 1880s. They ended up in Fall Creek, and were a big part the school district. The man’s grandson would become the mayor of Oak Ridge in the 1930s.
“These are really cool stories of people that came here from a variety of different places and became part of what we think of as this historical makeup of this area,” said museum curator Madeline McGraw. “I really wanted to highlight that when we talk about immigration stories we’re not just talking about people coming from South Central America.”
McGraw added that immigration has always happened in this country and it’s important to give equal weight to different accounts.
The exhibit runs through Feb. 12, but McGraw said the stories gathered by Tadeo and Guzman will stay with the museum.
“I’m so excited that we can make those [stories] part of the permanent collection so that future researchers and future citizens of Springfield can access those and get a much more balanced view of our citizenry and our history,” McGraw said. “It’s a big thing to say that we’re adding those perspectives to the museum collection.”
In addition to the exhibit, three outdoor events are planned where images will be projected onto the museum’s building during Springfield’s 2nd Friday Art Walks on Dec. 10, Jan. 14, and Feb. 12. The museum opens Saturday’s from 11 am-4 pm, but the public can view the display from the window at all hours.
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