| Contact:
Jeff Morgan, Jeff.Morgan@iowa.gov,
(515) 281-3858
(DES
MOINES) – The State Historical Museum
today said it is seeking photos of presidential candidates
for possible inclusion in “Caucus Iowa,”
a $1 million, 9,500 square-foot project scheduled
to open in October.
“Caucus Iowa” will be an information
headquarters, media center and issues forum project
that offers a first-hand look at Iowa’s first-in-the-nation
caucuses – how they work, why they work, how
they affect candidates and their campaigns, and how
they differ from every other step to the White House.
The project will be a caucus training headquarters
for world-wide media and provide an issues forum where
campaign organizations, presidential candidates and
the public can host events, deliver speeches and hold
other activities.
“In keeping with the spirit of the caucuses,
we are asking the public to participate in creating
the content of this exhibit,” said Cyndi Pederson,
director of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs.
“Ideally, we’re seeking photographs of
Iowans with presidential candidates at gatherings
from caucus campaigning across the state since 1972
to today.”
Digital photos can be submitted to “Caucus
Iowa” Project Manager Mark Holub at mark.holub@iowa.gov.
Iowans may also mail non-returnable copies of print
photographs to Holub at the State Historical Museum
600 E. Locust Street, Des Moines, Iowa 50319.
“We’ll review the photos that are submitted
and notify the owners if theirs are chosen for the
exhibit,” Holub said.
Iowa’s traditional first-in-the-nation caucuses
focus the eyes of the nation and world on the state
every four years, with intensive media scrutiny showcasing
all aspects of Iowa life, promoting the state, its
people and resources in a manner that is unrivaled
by any other single event.
“Caucus Iowa” will define and explain
the caucus method from a historical sense and create
specific environments to experience this unique political
process firsthand. It will be a rare opportunity to
demystify citizen-democracy at work and celebrate
it as a viable and necessary step in our presidential
process.
With its emphasis on technology and electronics,
the project will tell the story of the Iowa caucuses
– their rise to national significance in the
1970s, coffee shop campaigning, living room politics
and the impact severe winter weather, special interest
groups and the media have on them. The project will
also track the whereabouts of 2008 presidential candidates
as they campaign throughout the state.
The Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs is responsible
for developing the state’s interest in the areas
of the arts, history and other cultural matters with
the advice and assistance from its two divisions:
the State Historical Society of Iowa and the Iowa
Arts Council. DCA preserves, researches, interprets
and promotes an awareness and understanding of local,
state and regional history and stimulates and encourages
the study and presentation of the performing and fine
arts, and public interest and participation in them.
It implements tourism-related art and history projects
as directed by the General Assembly and designs a
comprehensive, statewide, long-range plan with the
assistance of the Iowa Arts Council to develop the
arts in Iowa. More information about DCA is available
at www.culturalaffairs.org.
The State Historical Society of Iowa is a division
of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs and is
a trustee of Iowa’s historical legacy and an
advocate for understanding Iowa’s past. It identifies,
records, collects, preserves, manages and provides
access to Iowa’s historical resources. Its dual
mission of preservation and education serves Iowans
of all ages, conducts and stimulates research, disseminates
information, and encourages and supports historical
preservation and education efforts of others throughout
the state. Visit www.iowahistory.org
or call 515-281-5111 for more information.
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