After a visit to the Dublin Writers Museum in Ireland, Dr. Malcolm E. O’Hagan who was then CEO of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, came back to the states and found himself asking colleagues where he could find the American counterpart of that institution. The only problem was that it didn’t exist.
Learning that there were no national institution honoring American writers, O’Hagan set out in late 2009 to bring an American Writers Museum to the people. According to Carey Cranston, President of the American Writers Museum:
“He set out to create a place that would be celebratory of American writing because he thought it would be so important to the country and what we’re about. He found like-minded people who also wanted to make it happen.”
In 2011, they announced that Chicago would be the home of the museum. The wisdom of this location can be documented by citing the Pantheon of American Writers which this city claims as its own:
“Sandra Cisneros, Ernest Hemingway, Gwendolyn Brooks, Harriat Monroe, Shel Silverstein, Roger Ebert, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Floyd Dell,Scott Turow, Richard Wright, Henry Blake Fuller, Carl Sandburg,and Sherwood Anderson”. .
In May 2017, the ribbon was cut for the museum on the second floor of the 180 N.Michigan Avenue building. President Cranston continued:
“It was a long process with a lot of people involved. We were living on design renderings, pictures and ideas for a very long time; so when those things started becoming a reality and people started coming in and interacting with displays and getting excited about it, it felt amazing.”
The museum’s convenient location on north Michigan Avenue provides an opportunity for it to become a staple of Chicago’s lively downtown. As you step off the elevator onto the transformed second floor, the first thing one notices is that hard cover books arch across the ceiling. There are six permanent exhibits:
The Stead Family Foundation Writers Hall, John and
Cathie Estey: A Nation of Writers, The S. Leigh Pierson and Douglas R. Conant Readers Hall, The Mind of a Writer, Wintrust Chicago Gallery, and The Negaunee Foundation Children’s Literature Gallery.
One display which has garnered much attention is the Word Waterfall, a gift of James and Carol Hansen. This presentation provides visitors a contemplative and meditative experience as the animation of words, imagery and soundscape serve as a reflection upon the American writers who’ve made an impact on our city and the world beyond.
While most of these exhibits capture the digital age with an interactive touch, historic pieces of writing are fully integrated, giving you a sense of the past meeting the present. Ranging from Tupac Shakur’s song “Dear Mama” to Louisa May Alcott’s “Little Women” the museum showcases this rich diversity for an expected 120,000 annual visitors.
826 Chicago is a non-profit organization created to uplift students through writing and publishing. President Kendra Curry Khana declared:
“We are a place where students can share their experiences in the City of Chicago through a really unique and creative writing process. They’ll see their writing published in a book that is distributed far and wide across the city and beyond.”
826 Chicago is dedicated to supporting students with creative and expository writing skills. Its’ fundraising event at the Museum of American Writers was arranged with the group Prologue. Second Year Chairman of Prologue’s Associate Board, Jeffrey Levine explained:
“This year we wanted an event that matches the caliber and the excitement of the venue, so we were thrilled to have it take place in this brand-new space in a fully rounded museum. We couldn’t thematically think of a better museum with which to partner.”
Founder Dr. Malcolm E. O’Hagan went in search of an American counterpart to Dublin’s Writer’s Museum. His vision and determination have given us that counterpart with the American Writer’s Museum right here in Chicago..
Creative Credits
- Written by
- Jodelle Maglaya
- Creative Credit
- American Writers Museum
