by Ricardy Herard
Though I haven’t been to Chicago for a long time, I believe the museums the city has to offer have gone underappreciated for a long time. While they may not interest everybody, museums can always be a fun and educational way to spend your time, which is why I’ve visited some recently. Wanting to change my surroundings and do something interesting, I took time out of my day to check out two museums in Chicago’s south side and hopefully learn something new. I visited the DuSable Museum of African American History and the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures, or ISAC for short. Come with me as I describe the experience and why you should consider going to one of these museums yourself. I promise you it’s worth the trip.
The first stop in my museum tour was the DuSable Museum of African American History. What stood out to me there was the interesting art, historical artifacts, and more surprising displays such as an interactive animatronic of Harold Washington, the first Black mayor of Chicago. There was a lot to see when I went around, so I’ll just keep it to what was most moving or interesting to me. Starting on the upper floor, one exhibit at which I spent a lot of time was the history of African Americans in the military. This exhibit featured old military uniforms, gear, letters, and plenty of information about Black men and women in World War I and more. What I really loved about this exhibit was that it didn’t just focus on Black Americans, but people of African heritage in all sides of war throughout many years. There’s so much to say about this one, but I think it should be experienced firsthand if you want to understand what the significance of war is in Black history.
Next, I looked at an exhibit that featured African sculptures and promoting an interesting documentary called Equiano.Stories, which would tell the story of an African boy in 1756 through the medium of Instagram posts. While wondering how historical figures would have used Instagram is jarring, I still appreciate them trying to convey a serious subject matter in an accessible way. My last stop in DuSable was the exhibits that told the history of the slave trade and civil rights movement which mentioned important figures like Emmet Till and the Black Panther Party. Overall, I enjoyed all the exhibits, and it was clear that there was great pride in being one of the oldest, independent museums of African American history. They dare to be unique and are apparently expanding their exhibits to stay up to date with recent history. I’d like to come back one day and see what else DuSable will have in the future.
After lunch, I then headed to the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures, or ISAC for short. I’ve always liked ancient history as a subject, so I was really excited about this one, and it’s safe to say it didn’t disappoint. They had a few molds of artifacts just so they could have proper visuals, but most of what I saw were genuine articles with thousands of years of history behind them. They had pots from Mesopotamia, murals from Assyria, statues and sarcophagi from Egypt, and so many more from a multitude of ancient civilizations that were mainly in West Asia and North Africa such as Persia or Nubia.
It would take a while to talk about everything that was there, but I would like to point out some of the grander exhibits or just what interested me most. If you ever visit the museum, you’ll find it hard to miss the giant statues they have displayed. In the Egypt exhibit, the first thing you’re met with is a giant King Tutankhamun statue placed right in front. Out of everything in the museum, I don’t think there was anything as cool as that, though, a close second would have to be the winged bull carving displayed in the exhibit for Neo-Assyria. While not as big as the King Tut statue, it still filled me with awe to be in front of something of such stature from so long ago.
Aside from those, a few things that I saw which really captured my attention were ancient clay tablets with writing on them. It may not be as exciting as giant statues, but there was something fascinating about seeing how close people back then were to us now. They told stories, had legal disputes, used receipts, did homework, and probably more that shows you how humans don’t really change, really just technology does. The ISAC Museum put a lot of things into perspective for me, and I would recommend this one for any history lovers that want to see old things.
These are just a couple of the many museums in Chicago, but at the same time they were quite special. Each museum experience had something different to offer and not just in the exhibits. They were filled with great people who were passionate about their fields and quite pleasant to talk to. I believe this would be the same for most museums, so I implore you to think about visiting one when you have the time. Not just these ones, but whatever you think might spark a certain interest in you. Maybe you want to see the Chicago History Museum or go to the Field Museum of Natural History. Whether you love history, art, culture, or science, Chicago probably has something for you. If any of that sounds appealing, go to museums!
