“A new exhibit on the history and future of steel, shaped by locals who worked in steel mills and have preserved that history for decades, is now open at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry.

“‘Steelmakers,’ an exhibit exploring the science behind steel and the experiences of those who made and continue to make it, opened Thursday at the museum, 5700 S. DuSable Lake Shore Drive in Hyde Park. The museum will host the exhibit for three years, head curator Voula Saridakis said.

“The exhibit’s debut is ‘very significant’ for the ‘many people who have been preserving, archiving and doing the work of tracking the history’ of steel in the Calumet region, David Vance said. Vance is a retired steelworker who for years has helped lead the charge for a steel-focused exhibit at the museum.

“The local chapter of the Steelworkers Organization of Active Retirees, or SOAR, the Calumet Heritage Partnership and the Southeast Chicago Historical Society partnered with the museum to create the exhibit. It was funded by a grant from the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation.

“‘Steelmakers’ is open during regular museum hours, 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. daily.

“With stories and artifacts across three centuries, ‘Steelmakers’ is an entry point into the expansive history of steel in the Calumet region, said Emiliano Aguilar, a political and labor historian and professor at the University of Notre Dame.

“It’s also timely, as steelworkers who experienced the industry’s heyday are still around to tell their stories and inform projects like this exhibit, Aguilar said.

“’It’s important to preserve and invite folks to share these stories now,’ Aguilar said. ‘People like David [Vance] or Bea Lumpkin … offer such eternal lessons about the struggles of the workplace, the struggles of unionization, the struggles of dignity behind work.” (Evans, Block Club Chicago, 3/7/2025)

Read the full story at Block Club Chicago

• “‘Steelmakers’ Exhibit At MSI Tackles The Struggles And Victories Of A Historic Chicago Industry; The three-year exhibit is centered on the humanity behind the steel industry, sharing stories known to Southeast Siders and Calumet Region residents with a wider audience of tourists and science buffs, supporters said, Maxwell Evans, Block Club Chicago, 3/7/2025
• Steelmakers Exhibit at Griffin MSI Celebrates the Material and Workers that Built Chicago, Griffin Museum of Science and Industry