Grant helps highlight influential women of the U.P.

What's happening: The Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center, a historical museum at Marquette’s Northern Michigan University, has been awarded a grant of $8,500 from the Michigan Humanities. This funding will help create a mobile exhibit named "Extraordinary Women of the Upper Peninsula," showcasing influential women from each of the 15 counties in the U.P. Whether it be through politics, science, international affairs, indigenous rights or literature, the display will show the impact these women have had at regional, national, and global levels.

What is the project: The display will feature numerous women from across the U.P., including former Lieutenant Governor Connie Binsfield of Munising and Finnish American icon Viola Turpeinen of Champion. Research will be a joint effort between the Beaumier Center and the women’s history class at NMU, which is taught by Emily Romeo, associate professor of history. The goal is to have the project ready for Women’s History Month in March. 

What they're saying: “It’s stories like those that we want to share,” said Dan Truckey, director and curator of the Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center. “One, to let others know more about these people, but also to inspire young people—especially young women—to say that just because they grew up in a small town in the U.P., it doesn’t mean they can’t go on to achieve some really significant things and make an impact on the world.”

What's next:  After the completion of the exhibit and an initial showing at the Beaumier Center, the display is planned to move to other museums and libraries across the region. The display has already been booked for the Iron River Museum and the Carnegie Museum in Houghton.