Polish Museum of America

Polish Museum of America

Established	1935
Location	984 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago Chicago, Illinois 60622 United States
Director	Malgorzata Kot
Website	www.polishmuseumofamerica.org

The Polish Museum of America is located in West Town, in what had been the historical Polish Downtown neighborhood of Chicago. It is home to numerous Polish artifacts, artwork, and embroidered folk costumes in its growing collection. Founded in 1935, it is one of the oldest ethnic museums in the United States and a Core Member of the Chicago Cultural Alliance, a consortium of 25 ethnic museums and cultural centers in Chicago.

Each year, the museum organizes several exhibitions, publishes accompanying bilingual catalogs, and conducts a wide range of public programming, frequently in collaboration with other museums, educational institutions, and cultural centers. It promotes the knowledge of

The museum serves as the focus of official commemorations of

History

After a fire wiped out the Polish Library and National Museum at

The Polish Museum of America was established in 1935 as the "Museum and Archives of the Polish Roman Catholic Union of America". Miecislaus Haiman was appointed its first curator, archivist and chief librarian. The museum officially opened its doors on January 12 of 1937.

Building

The Polish Museum of America is located within the headquarters of the

• The Entry Hall stairwell is lined with works by Polish and Polish American artists focusing on poster art dealing with war relief for Poland by the likes of
  Wladyslaw Benda
  .
• The art gallery on the third floor, closed for some five years, was completely rebuilt and opened to the public on November 5, 2011. It is now named the Stephen and Elizabeth Ann Kusmierczak Art Gallery and displays an array of paintings and sculptures from some of Poland's finest and most well-known artists. Much of the collection traveled to the New York World's Fair in 1939. After the September 1939 invasion of Poland by both Nazi and Soviet forces, it was purchased and preserved by the Polish Roman Catholic Union and transferred to Chicago.
• The Folk Costumes exhibit highlights Polish folk costumes from various regions of Poland.
• The Folk Crafts displays are a collection of antique traditional Polish folk crafts. This unique collection also includes ceramics, metalwork, and decorative wood-carved objects from the 19th and 20th centuries. In addition, the museum holds an impressive collection of
  pisanki
  (Polish Easter eggs).
• The Tadeusz Kościuszko Collection is composed of 73 handwritten letters, as well as medals, sketches, and other artifacts dealing with
  Battle of Saratoga
  .
• The Maritime room is a collection of model ships and memorabilia focusing on Poland's Interwar period.
• The Military collection is a display featuring uniforms, medals, and materials showing the participation of Poles and Polish Americans in conflicts both domestic and foreign throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.
• The
  Polish-American Shakespearean actress Helena Modjeska
  that were donated by Chicago journalist Anthony Czarnecki in 1947.
• The Paderewski Room is an annex to the main portion of the museum highlighting the life of the composer and Polish statesman Ignacy Jan Paderewski, holding the largest collection of Paderewski memorabilia worldwide. On display are the pen with which he signed the Treaty of Versailles, a Steinway piano specially constructed for the pianist, and furnishings from the suite he had occupied for the last two years of his life in New York City's posh Buckingham Hotel.
• The
  stations of the cross
  from the first church built by Poles in North America.
• The Pope John Paul II collection shows objects and artifacts dealing with Pope John Paul II, The exhibit focuses on memorabilia dealing with Pope John Paul II in Chicago, particularly his official visit to the city in 1979 as Pope.
• The Casimir Pulaski collection is composed of letters and artifacts dealing with General Casimir Pulaski.
• Stained Glass, Kossak & de Rosen exhibits
• Model train collection