The Putnam Museum and Science Center in Davenport, Iowa announces the opening of “Anne Frank: A History For Today,” Friday, September 2, 2022. The opening of the exhibit marks the launch of programming in the community-wide initiative called Out of Darkness: Holocaust Messages for Today. Out of Darkness: Holocaust Messages for Today is a collaborative effort of cultural organizations, educators, libraries and sponsors working together to promote dignity, diversity, equity, democratic values, human rights, and the power of the human spirit that are so badly needed today. The project includes... Read More

The Putnam Museum and Science Center, 1717 W. 12th St., Davenport, will host a “Gateway to Space Weekend” on June 12-13, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event will feature the Iowa State University FLEx, a mobile learning program including virtual reality, 3D printing, augmented reality and more. The weekend will include expert speakers including Dino Milani (Vice President of Popular Astronomy Club) and Dr. Paul Sipiera (Professor Emeritus of Geology and Astronomy from William Rainey Harper College). Visitors outdoors will be able to explore the Popular Astronomy Club Mobile Observatory, while... Read More

The Putnam Giant Screen Theater – 60 feet tall by 70 feet wide – will finally reopen Saturday, May 15, featuring a spectacular 40-minute documentary, “Into America’s Wild,” that was supposed to open in March 2020, when the pandemic shut down life as we knew it. “So it’s one of those wonderful, soaring 3D American landscapes,” Rachael Mullins, president/CEO of the Putnam Museum & Science Center, said Tuesday. “It’s so wonderful — kind of through the eyes of an explorer and adventurer and through the eyes of an astronaut. So it’s a wonderful film that we think... Read More

Wednesday was a day not only for national celebration, with the inauguration, but for the Quad Cities Cultural Trust. The organization gathered its six funded partners in person for the first time since the pandemic started, to mark exceeding its 2021 fundraising goal; record-breaking allocations in 2020 for the partners, and a new Quad City Arts mural that bursts with color and purpose on the west side of the River Music Experience building at 2nd and Main streets, Davenport. Over the last 13 years, QCCT has provided annual unrestricted funds (over $11 million total) to the Figge Art Museum, Putnam... Read More

The Putnam Museum & Science Center’s virtual Mad Scientist Ball, on Saturday, Oct. 17, raised $26,735, with donations still coming in. “I am THRILLED with the success of the event,” Nisha Ladlee, the Putnam’s vice president of development, said Monday by e-mail. “Everyone really seemed to enjoy themselves. Eric Sorenson was a phenomenal emcee and Emily Calandrelli was wonderful as our celebrity guest. This was the Putnam’s first time holding a virtual fundraiser and we are grateful for the support from our community locally, but also to those who tuned in and supported from different... Read More

After 11 weeks being closed due to the coronavirus, the Putnam Museum & Science Center is taking longer to reopen than many other Iowa businesses and organizations, in order to present a new visitor experience. The 153-year-old Davenport institution, at 1717 W. 12th St., has been closed since March 16, and is planning to reopen for small summer camps July 6, for members July 8 to 12, and to the general public July 15, with new safety precautions. Putnam president/CEO Rachael Mullins says the summer camps July 6-8 will be limited to just 10 kids each, to allow for more social distancing. When... Read More