Public Engagement Visit 2: Polish Museum of America

This historic institution is located just up the road along Milwaukee from Intuit on Augusta off of the Kennedy, in today’s Noble Square or West Town neighborhood, the historic home of Chicago’s Polish community. I arrived a good hour early before they opened, but the lovely lady at the front desk suggested a spot down the road where I could get a nice omelet and a cup of coffee while I waited, a sweet suggestion that led me to a stroll around the neighborhood and part 1 of this blog trilogy. I happily returned after my stroll and was welcomed warmly once again.

The Polish Museum of America is a core member of the Chicago Cultural Alliance, a consortium of ethnic museums and cultural centers across the city birthed out of the Field Museum’s Cultural Connections program in the early 2000s. Although I had driven by the PMA for my whole life, growing up on the Northwest Side, it was through learning about the CCA that I was really inspired to visit, but I was still surprised by the size of the space and the awesome collection once I got inside. I was given a short, informal tour by a young history major named Adam, who had worked for the museum for about a year after graduating, as collections assistant and educator.

The museum shares the building with the Polish RomanCatholic Union of America, which was founded in the late 19^th century, and sparked the museum in 1935. The museum started in one room on the second floor, but grew into its own entity on the second and third floors of the building. During the 1939 world’s fair in New York, the first in which Poland officially participated, a huge collection of artistic works were gathered in the US from across Poland, featuring a wide variety of art, from wood, to paintings, to clothing, stained glass, and folk art. When Hitler invaded Poland, they didn’t want this collection of art destroyed, so the country donated it to US Poles in the hopes that it would remain safe. The collection found its way to the newly established PMA in Chicago, and still forms the majority of the stunning collection.

The third floor was once the great hall for the Roman Catholic Union, so the bones of the auditorium space, the stage and arched windows, were still noticeable behind the layers of vitrines and artworks. The center of the room held folding chairs pointing towards the stage, where the PMA hosts much of their public programming. The PMA is the hub for Pulaski day events, holiday celebrations, film screenings, and other events throughout the year. Adam and another worker were in the middle of setting up for an upcoming caroling event by putting out a new temporary exhibit of winter themed objects around the seating area. The PMA hosts school groups and community members, individuals and families, but the small number of visitors on an average weekday visit made for a nice intimate experience with a large and impressive museum.

Highlights of the collection include photos of historic Polish Chicago, folk art, costumes, and paintings, and an art deco poster collection from the 1930s and 40s on the main 3rd floor space. There was a sled ridden by an 18th century Polish princess, who became a French queen, and a massive stained glass window that blew me away walking in. In additional rooms, one found an impressive art gallery, and the Paderewski room, dedicated to the pianist and prime minister of Poland, who spent many years in Chicago. I didn't realize how large the museum would be, so I ran out of time to fully explore these other two spaces, but I definitely want to return and bring friends, and hopefully catch a public program to see the space alive with community.