“Reflection of History: Luminating History of Black Fort Dodge” shows a slice of life in the Black community in 1977 with a series of photographs, newspaper clippings and artifacts. The exhibit opened Dec. 2 and will run through Feb. 17, 2024. A reception is scheduled for 2 to 4:30 p.m. Dec. 16.

The exhibit was the “brainchild” of Sherry Washington, president of the local NAACP chapter, and local historian Roger Natte, according to Blanden Director Eric Anderson.

“They approached me a year or two ago about the idea of having some type of historical-based exhibit that focuses on the Black community in Fort Dodge,” Anderson said.

Anderson’s vision for the exhibit was to use images, newspaper articles, physical objects and even testimonies from long term residents to reflect what Washington and Natte wanted to share about the Black community.

-Photo courtesy of the Blanden Memorial Art Museum
"Man in the Mirror" features a young boy circa 1977 in Fort Dodge.

Earlier this year, Anderson said, he was given a box from the Webster County Historical Society that was filled with photo slides that came from Washington’s mother, Charlene Washington, from when she ran the Urban Ministries program in Pleasant Valley in the 1970s.

“It was a community-based organization that acted not only as a community center, but also a place to learn or for places for kids to gather to keep them out of trouble,” Anderson said of Urban Ministries. “Charlene was at the center of that.”

Most of the photos on the slides were made by Charlene Washington, he added.

In curating the exhibit, Anderson took the box of 300 slides and picked out the ones he felt were most visually interesting. After narrowing it down to 80, and then to 40, he invited Sherry Washington to further narrow them down to the 25 photos that are now on the walls of the Second Floor Gallery at the Blanden.

With the selected slides, Anderson said he worked with local photographer Hans Madsen to scan the images into a digital format, which he then took to Iowa Central Community College to have the prints made.

-Messenger photo by Kelby Wingert
"Reflection of History: Luminating History of Black Fort Dodge" is being exhibited in the Second Floor Gallery of the Blanden Memorial Art Museum through Feb. 17, 2024. A reception will be held Dec. 16 from 2-4:30 p.m.

The Webster County Historical Society lent a few black and white prints from its collection for this exhibit.

“It was a collaborative effort between Sherry Washington, Roger Natte and myself,” Anderson said.

Sherry Washington was able to help identify some of the individuals in the photos, but not all, he said.

The images in the exhibit present just a sliver of time in the Black community’s history — the year 1977. The power of the images, Anderson said, are that their subjects are timeless — a group of children on a playground merry-go-round, a couple of teenage girls striking a pose in front of a car, a little girl on a park swing, a teacher helping a young student with a writing assignment.

“Hopefully visitors that come here, they can find connections, no matter what race they are, they can find connections,” Anderson said. “Like they can say, ‘Oh, yeah, that seems like something that my kids would have done,’ or ‘I remember doing that stuff when I was a kid.'”

-Messenger photo by Kelby Wingert
These prints featured in the "Reflection of History: Luminating History of Black Fort Dodge" exhibit at the Blanden Memorial Art Museum belong to the Fort Dodge Historical Society.

“The story of Black Fort Dodge is a testament to the enduring strength of culture, preserved through heritage and community,” the curator’s statement for the exhibit reads. “It is a legacy that inspires and enriches the very fabric of Fort Dodge’s history, reminding us of the indomitable spirit of those who have contributed immeasurably to the town’s vibrant tapestry.”

IF YOU GO

“Reflection of History: Luminating History of Black Fort Dodge”

Exhibit Dec. 2 – Feb. 17, 2024

Reception Dec. 16

-Messenger photo by Kelby Wingert
A handmade doll and an old fashioned hot comb are a few of the artifacts included in the "Reflection of History: Luminating History of Black Fort Dodge" exhibit in the Second Floor Gallery of the Blanden Memorial Art Museum through Feb. 17, 2024. A reception will be held Dec. 16 from 2-4:30 p.m.

2-4:30 p.m.