Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum “For the People” Series

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – It’s no simple thing to bring together family treasures, painful memories and beautiful photographs, but Arielle Weininger and Jim Lommasson managed it when they created the “Stories of Survival” exhibit now at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.

The duo will explain why they took on the challenge and how they pulled it off during a special online event May 5 at 7 p.m. It will be available on the ALPLM Facebook page and YouTube channel.

Weininger is chief curator at Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center, which created “Stories of Survival: Object. Image. Memory.” Lommasson is an award-winning photographer. Together they developed the exhibit for Illinois Holocaust Museum in Skokie.

“Stories of Survival” focuses on objects that people took with them when they fled atrocities such as the Holocaust, the killing fields of Cambodia and Rwandan genocide. The objects – from teddy bears to typewriters to recipes – are displayed along with photos on which people have written their stories of survival.

Weininger and Lommasson will discuss how the project was inspired by an earlier Lommasson book, “What We Carried: Fragments from the Cradle of Civilization,” about Iraqi and Syrian refugees. They’ll explain the Holocaust Museum’s collection and the process of finding survivors (or their descendants) willing to share painful memories. They’ll also take questions from the online audience.

Their online presentation is part of the ALPLM’s “For the People” series that puts the spotlight on bold thinkers with unique insights into the people of yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Oher upcoming “For the People” events include:

• June 2, Christopher Browning, a Holocaust expert whose books include “Remembering Survival: Inside a Nazi Slave Labor Camp”
• Sept. 8: Alexander Heffner, host of the PBS series “The Open Mind”
• Oct. 18: Jason Benetti, Chicago White Sox broadcaster with cerebral palsy.

“Stories of Survival” will be at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum through Jan. 22, 2023. The exhibit is included with the regular museum admission price.

The mission of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is to inspire civic engagement through the diverse lens of Illinois history and sharing with the world the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln. We pursue this mission through a combination of rigorous scholarship and high-tech showmanship built on the bedrock of the ALPLM’s unparalleled collection of historical materials.

For more information, visit www.PresidentLincoln.Illinois.gov or follow the ALPLM on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Illinois Holocaust Museum is dedicated to preserving the legacy of the Holocaust by honoring the memories of those who were lost and by teaching universal lessons that combat hatred, prejudice, and indifference. Learn more at www.ilholocaustmuseum.org.