Literature lovers don’t want to miss Put It on Paper – a special exhibit running now at the Michigan Historical Museum in Lansing! Mary Dettloff of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources fills us in on what visitors can expect.
Hand-written manuscripts by Laura Ingalls Wilder. A piece of short fiction by a young Ernest Hemingway. The original architectural drawings for the WorldTradeCentertwin towers. What do all these items have in common? They are part a special exhibit at the Michigan Historical Museum in Lansing called Put It on Paper.
The exhibit highlights the various stages of the creative process used by writers, artists, architects, musicians and designers with a Michigan connection, such as the hand-written manuscripts of Laura Ingalls Wilder. The famed author, a native of Wisconsin, began her Michiganconnection in 1937, when she spoke at the Detroit Book Fair hosted by the J.L. Hudson Department Store. In 1949, the Detroit Public Library named its branch on Seven Mile Road after her, and in a show of gratitude Wilder donated two manuscripts – The Long Winter and These Happy Golden Years – to the library.
An early Ernest Hemingway handwritten manuscript for his story Sportsman’s Hash, which he wrote while visiting Michigan as a young man.
Hemingway spent time in Michigan as a young man, and while here, he penned a short piece of fiction called Sportsman’s Hash. The original document, written on his father’s stationery, is part of the exhibit and shows Hemingway’s work before he went on to become one of the iconic writers of the 20th century.
Minoru Yamasaki came toMichiganin 1945 as a young architect and in just a few short years would help usher in theMichiganmodern design movement. He designed several important buildings at the height of his career, but perhaps none as well-known as the former World Trade Center twin towers in Lower Manhattan, which would later be destroyed in the terrorist attacks on 9/11. Yamasaki’s original drawings for the twin towers, along with other materials, are housed at the Archives of Michigan, and select items from the collection are on display as part of this exhibit.
The original architectural drawings of the World Trade Center Twin Towers by Michigan-based architect Minoru Yamasaki. Yamasaki was based in the Detroit area and is one of the celebrated architects of Michigan modern design movement. He also designed several buildings in Michigan, including One Woodward Avenue in Detroit.
Other items in the exhibit include conceptual car design drawings and models, art from contemporary Michigan artist and illustrator Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen (best known as a children’s book illustrator, including The Legend of Sleeping Bear), and music compositions by Michigan performers. An interactive area allows visitors to create their own masterpieces, including an area for kids who want to dabble in landscape architecture.
Put It on Paper is on exhibit until August 25, 2013. For more information about the exhibit, hours of operation and admission fees for the museum, go to www.michigan.gov/museum. While at the museum, check out its permanent exhibits about the history of our great state – The First People to 1900 and Michigan in the Twentieth Century. The museum also has a gift shop stocked with interesting Michigan-related items, including several books about different aspects of the history of the state. Group tours are welcome at the museum, and please note that spring school field trip season is the busiest time of the year.
Mary Dettloff is senior advisor for communications for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and a native of Northern Michigan.
