PEORIA, Ill. – The Peoria Riverfront Museum is celebrating its 11th anniversary with new exhibits to help the public learn about figures from the city’s history, and make you think.
One of the exhibits features Annie Malone, the first female Black millionaire in America who was a Peoria resident. The exhibit’s debut comes days after a portion of State St. was renamed in her honor.
The museum’s Everley Davis is the curator of the exhibit, and says it tells a story of perseverance.
“Annie was an orphan, didn’t finish her schooling, was a black woman in the beginning of the 20th century trying to be an entrepreneur, and she still achieved and succeeded,” Davis said. “So anyone, no matter your background, if you put your mind to it, you can do it.”
“Life and Legacy of Annie Malone” features stories and artifacts about Malone, including rings she gave to employees who had worked for her for five years, a pocketbook with contacts from Malone’s business and philanthropic efforts, and a copy of the newspaper that Malone published.
The history of Peoria is told in another one of the new exhibits, “DURYEA: America’s First Car Company.”
The exhibit explores the history of the Duryea Motor Wagon Company, co-founded by Peoria-area natives and brothers Charles and Frank Duryea.
The museum’s Renae Kerrigan says the inventions and contributions of the brothers, which also included bicycles, paved the way for what today’s cars would be.
“Henry Ford is quoted as saying the Duryea car was a masterpiece, it did more to start the automobile industry than any car ever made,” Kerrigan said. “Without them, the automobile industry would’ve been different.”
A Peoria Motor Trap, a three-wheeled open-air vehicle invented by Charles Duryea, is one of the items on display in the exhibit. It also features a driving outfit that women wore in open-air vehicles, and a bicycle invented by the brothers.
The third exhibit is one that makes observers think. “Nicolas Africano: Themes and Variations” features works from the Bloomington-Normal-based artist, whose works have been featured in art galleries all over the world.
The exhibit features two glass busts, based on Africano’s wife, and a painting from the artist.
The busts show different emotions, which Chief Curator Bill Conger says leaves it up to interpretation by the viewer.
“Art has this incredible ability to reach places that you really can’t describe,” Conger said. “You can’t quite write them, and if you could, you would. They are the acknowledgement of things that don’t exist in the world, not things that do.”
Conger says the artworks are part of the museum’s permanent collection, after being purchased with funds from its anniversary fundraising effort.
