The Putnam: Re-Imagined Capital Campaign that began nearly 10 years ago as a masterplan is now reaching its conclusion, and a new permanent exhibit reveals more of the Davenport museum’s quarter-million-piece collection.

The major renovation project started with breaking through walls to allow for more accessible routes into the museum, at 1717 W. 12^th St., Davenport. Two long-time exhibits — Rivers, Prairie, & People and the East Asian Gallery, now Common Ground: Our Voice, Our Stories and the World Culture Gallery — saw major updates in inclusivity, modernization, and expansiveness. The World Culture Gallery has additional space for temporary exhibits, and currently hosts The Indigenous Roots of Mexican Americans alongside its permanent displays.

The creation of Quad City Innovators was included in the Capital Campaign, which required complete renovation of what was once the Hall of Gems & Minerals and part of the Palmer Gallery.

Section of updated Science Center

The crown jewel of the project is the Vault, which marks the end of major changes brought on by the Capital Campaign, according to a Putnam release on Thursday. The unique, innovative open storage allows parts of the museum’s 250,000-item collection into public view, with large glass cases and visible shelving. Throughout the exhibit there are interactives which allow visitors to search the database for objects that have come from around the world and create their own exhibit.

“The Vault is an incredible, unique feature that brings one of our collection storerooms into view for the public.” Putnam president/CEO Cindy Diehl Yang said in the release. “This is one of the final pieces in our years-long Capital Campaign, which invited donors to Re-Imagine the Putnam Museum. We’ve broken down walls to add doors and we’ve created new, permanent exhibit spaces while updating older ones. This has been such a massive team effort, and I’m impressed by all the work put forth by our staff, community partners, contractors, and the Board of Trustees for making this happen.”

Section of Quad City Innovators

Other areas of the museum that have been remodeled and updated since the start of the Re-Imagined Capital Campaign include The Science Center, Black Earth | Big River, The Fab Lab, the Grand Lobby including Ticketing & the Museum Store and an added Activity Room.

The Putnam is not releasing the total dollar amount raised in the capital campaign, as it’s still waiting to hear from outstanding grant applications by early fall, said Scott Peake, the museum vice president of marketing.

Indigenous Roots of Mexican Americans in the World Culture Gallery

Major grants that have gone to the campaign include from Destination Iowa, the national Institute for Museum and Library Studies, Quad City Bank & Trust, MidAmerican Energy, the Arconic Foundation and an anonymous donor, Peake said Thursday.

Showcasing items for The Vault will triple the amount of objects in the Putnam collection on permanent display, from 3 percent to about 10 percent, he said.

Japanese Shrine, originally in the East Asian Gallery, now in The Vault

“The Capital Campaign is wrapping up and we are so excited to be able to offer so many new experiences and interactives to our community.” Kelly Lao, vice president of museum experiences, said about the updates. “The Science Center had a major renovation and is such a blast to explore at any age. Also, there are new ‘Imagine Yourself’ stations throughout the building which guide guests through different paths to learn how people contribute to museums. Our exhibits team has really pulled through to make this all possible, and we can’t wait to share the Re-Imagined Putnam Museum with everyone.”

The Vault will be open to Putnam members only from July 13th-July 18th, and fully open to the public starting on July 19th. Members at the Putnam Museum have additional benefits, including free or discounted entry into 290+ science and technology centers across the nation.

For more information, visit putnam.org.

The Vault at the Putnam Museum and Science Center, 1717 W. 12th St., Davenport.

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Jonathan Turner

Jonathan Turner -- who has called the Quad Cities home since 1995 -- has decades of experience as a professional journalist and pianist. His experience writing for daily newspapers, public radio and local TV encompasses a wide range of subjects, including the arts, politics, education, economic development, historic preservation, business, and tourism.

Jonathan most loves writing about music and the arts (which he now does as a freelancer for the River Cities Reader and Visit Quad Cities). He has a passion for accompanying musicals, singers, choirs and instrumentalists, including playing for QC Music Guild's 2023 productions of RENT and SWEENEY TODD. He is assistant music director and accompanist for the spring 2025 Music Guild show, ESCAPE TO MARGARITAVILLE. He wrote an original musical based on The Book of Job, which premiered at Playcrafters in 2010. Jonathan penned a 175-page history book about downtown Davenport, that was published by The History Press in 2016, and a travel guide about the QC published by Reedy Press in 2022.