Experience a selection of highlights from our current and past special exhibitions virtually. To view the full collection of our current exhibition, please visit us in-person. Virtual exhibits will not open in Internet Explorer or Microsoft Edge Legacy.
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Ready, Set, Go!
Lake County’s Racing History
Whether behind the handle bars of a bicycle, the wheel of a souped-up car or the flying hooves of a horse, nothing compares to the thrill of the race!
Attracting spectators and participants alike, these tests of speed, endurance and skill played an important role in Lake County’s history. In the Dunn Museum’s Ready, Set, GO! Lake County’s Racing History special exhibition, explore photographs and artifacts of boat races on the Chain O’ Lakes, harness racing at the Lake County Fair, motor racing at Half Day and Waukegan Speedways, runners at 5Ks and the Lake County Races, and more.
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Lake County's Involvement
in the Underground Railroad
Before the American Civil War (1861–1865), antislavery sentiment inspired abolitionists to work for the immediate emancipation of all enslaved people and to end racial discrimination. As part of abolitionist efforts, they aided fugitives from slavery by providing them with food and safe passage to freedom in Northern states and ultimately Canada.
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses, which used railroad terminology, but was not actually a railroad. The routes were “lines,” those who helped fugitives were “conductors,” and safe houses were “stations.”
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Our Voice is Black History
Our Voice is Black History is a collaboration between the Dunn Museum and the College of Lake County's Black Student Union. It offers a unique look at a representation of the African American voice of Lake County. The exhibition examines and explores multigenerational stories and experiences through graphic design, poetry, writing, art, and video interviews that portray the voice of the African Americans' past and reality, which becomes Our Voice.
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Reima V. Ratti: Life and Art in the Great Depression
Reima V. Ratti (1914–1945) was born in Waukegan to Finnish immigrants and came of age during the Great Depression when he labored as a rock crusher with the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). The back-breaking work became an inspiration for his art, and led to his acceptance as an official artist of the CCC Art Program. Ratti’s love of art guided his life as he documented the world around him in sketches and paintings of landscapes and his community, until his untimely death at the age of 31.
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*This virtual exhibit is not compatible with iPhone mobile devices.
Color & Light:
Charles Warner's Miniature Cathedrals
Experience Mundelein resident Charles Warner’s (1884–1964) hand-carved folk art cathedrals, created in remembrance of his childhood in Poland. Each of Warner’s five models capture his impressions of the architecture and vibrant colors of the Old World. Ranging from three to five feet in height, the cathedrals are painted in a rainbow of hues with towers, spires and colorful windows. In Color and Light: Charles Warner’s Miniature Cathedrals, enjoy 360-degree views of the cathedrals and, for the first time, take a virtual look inside at the meticulously decorated interiors, filled with light and color.
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Breaking Barriers:
Women in the Military
For centuries, women have helped to defend the nation in times of war and conflict. In this tribute to those who served, the Dunn Museum shares unique Lake County stories and explores women's roles as nurses, auxiliary personnel, enlistees, and officers in the U.S. military. The nation's struggle was their struggle, and women wanted to have a larger role, equal to men in responsibility and risk.
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