In conjunction with Women's History Month, the Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center at Northern Michigan University will open its “Extraordinary Women of the U.P.” exhibition at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 23, in its Gries Hall gallery. Admission is free. The exhibition will remain on display through Saturday, July 27, and begin touring the Upper Peninsula in fall 2024.
The Beaumier Center will commemorate 60 influential women native to the Upper Peninsula or who settled in the area later in life, and their significant contributions in the fields of education, the arts, politics, medicine, activism and public service.
Some individuals to be included are:
Pioneering accordionist Viola Turpeinen
Anishinaabe poetess Jane Johnston Schoolcraft
Medical Researcher Kathleen Shingler Weston
Politician Connie Berube Binsfeld
Labor organizer Annie Clemenc
Black rights activist and suffragette Blanche Williams Stubbs
Daredevil/wing walker Sarah Kalishek
Early disability rights advocate and publisher Nettie Steffenson Thorborg
Many more iconic women who have made the world a better place will be featured, from household names to lesser-known yet fantastic women of the region. All share in common great accomplishments in their careers, volunteerism, community service and positive impacts on national or local communities.
Much of the research for this exhibition was conducted by students in Northern Michigan University professor Emily Romeo's fall 2023 women's history course. Nominees to be included in the exhibition were submitted by local historical societies and individuals, with a committee deciding which figures to include.
The final list was determined by a committee consisting of: Lisa Cromell, director of the Munising School Public Library; Kathleen Long, director of the Iron County Historical Museum; Elise Nelson, director of the Carnegie Museum of the Keweenaw; Dr. Emily Romeo, assistant professor of history, Northern Michigan University; and Daniel Truckey, director/curator of the Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center.
The exhibition is funded in part by a grant from the Michigan Humanities Council, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.