ILHMEC *Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center*

This time of year is so very exciting at the museum as we are installing two brand new exhibitions. The first, which was completed last week, is the Art of Gaman Exhibit.

http://www.ilholocaustmuseum.org/pages/special_exhibitions/21.php

The Art of Gaman is dedicated solely to the rememberance of those individuals, Japanses in decent, that were forced into internment camps during WWII. It is an absolutely beautiful exhibit curated by a women whos family members were contained during the war. Throughout the exhibit there are pieces of art work that range from small hand made pins to very large water color canvas paintings. The exhibit is rather small but it houses 100's of beautiful artifacts!

The other exhibit that we are launching this month, October 16th to be exact, is the Make a Difference: The Miller Family Youth Exhibit. This exhibit is designed for grades 3-8, but I enjoy it just as much as the 3rd graders! The exhibit has been in place for a while but we are now installing the finishing touches to make it spectacular. It is a character building/anti-bullying focused exhibit where kids have an opportunity to learn hands on and visually about the risks of bullying/discrimination against others regardless of the origin.

http://www.ilholocaustmuseum.org/pages/make_a_difference__the_miller_family_youth_exhibition/19.php

There are so many great people that get involved here at the museum and help to develop a world renowned institution. Today we had a seminar that I attended for all the volunteers that help to run the tours along with our docents who lead our tours. Many of these people are retired and older individuals who love being involved in what our museum represents. People are mislead by the term "holocaust" and what the word represents on an international level. The museum is representative for all historys holocausts and genocides. It is not strictly a Jewish museum as much of our staff is not either. I have learned while working here that places like the ILHMEC are a major source for further prevention of these grotesque acts against the worlds people!