80 feet in diameter, the Omni's domed theater was the first in the Southwest.
IMMIGRANTS THROUGH GALVESTON REMEMBERED IN
FORGOTTEN GATEWAY, OPENING DECEMBER 2011 AT
THE FORT WORTH MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND HISTORY.
Exhibition Covers History of Galveston Island as a Trans Oceanic Port of Immigration and the Socioeconomic Impact of Immigrants on Texas Between 1845 and 1924
Dec. 17, 2011 – April 1, 2012
Join us for Special Programs celebrating Forgotten Gateway:
March 31, 2012 - 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Symposia:”Still Forgotten?” - Oak Room
In collaboration with the Texas Jewish Historical Society, Dr. Suzy Seriff, Cynthia Salzman Mondell and Allen Mondell will explore the impact that print, film and museum exhibitions have had in bringing forward the stories of immigration through Galveston.
FORT WORTH, TX – For many students of history, Ellis Island is synonymous with American immigration. Forgotten Gateway, a new traveling exhibition opening Dec. 17, 2011, at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, recalls an equally important island that served as a point of entry for hundreds of thousands immigrants even before Ellis Island opened its port. The new exhibit chronicles The Port of Galveston’s largely forgotten history as a major gateway to American immigration from 1845 to 1924. Forgotten Gateway builds on a growing scholarly and public interest in the history of migration patterns to America and Galveston’s place (as one of the nation’s top immigrant ports) in that history.
“This is the first time that Galveston’s legacy as a port of entry has been fully explored on a national scale,” said Van A. Romans, president of the Museum of Science and History. “Everyone knows the role that Ellis Island played in American history. Few people know that long before Ellis Island processed its first immigrant, Galveston had been the port of entry to hundreds of thousands of people who helped settle Texas and the American Midwest. Texas’ growth and development would have been very different without the impact of immigrants who came through Galveston.”
While New York’s Ellis Island’s location made it a natural port for Europeans, Galveston attracted a diverse group of people from Europe, Mexico, South and Central America and even Asia. In addition, before the Civil War, it was a major port for forced migration – the sale and transport of slaves from Africa and other points in the United States to Texas.
The exhibit highlights enduring humanities themes in the history of immigration including: the dangers of the journey; making a life in a new land; navigating bureaucracy; confronting discrimination; and becoming “American.” These trials and tribulations are illuminated through personal stories, dynamic visitor interactive kiosks, engaging media pieces, and more than 200 original artifacts and documents.
Forgotten Gateway was truly a team effort, created by the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum. The guest curator and visionary for the exhibit is Dr. Suzanne Seriff, a museum consultant and anthropologist, and senior lecturer at the University of Texas at Austin. She brought the idea for the project to the Bob Bullock Museum in response to a comment from a 10th-grader she had chaperoned on a heritage trip to Ellis Island. “Why do we need to go to New York?” asked the student. “My grandparents came through Galveston.”
In addition to Seriff, a team of humanities scholars—archeologists, historians, anthropologists, designers, novelists, evaluators-- advised on content every step of the way, as did a group of community partners who met quarterly throughout the planning period of the exhibit. In addition, the Bob Bullock Museum worked with over 40 collaborating arts and culture institutions throughout the Greater Austin area to develop original art, film, theatre, and cultural events which will premier around the city during the exhibit’s ten month run in Austin.
Please note, photography is not permitted in the Forgotten Gateway exhibition space.
GALLERY TOURS
Docent-led exhibition tours are offered Wednesdays and Saturdays at 2:00 p.m.
Tours begin at exhibition entry. To arrange a docent-led exhibition tour, contact mvancleve@fwmsh.org
Admission to Forgotten Gateway is included with Museum of Science and History exhibition admission: $14 for adults, $10 for children (2-12) and seniors (60+). Museum members are free. The exhibition will be on display Dec. 17, 2011, through April 1, 2012. For more information, call 817-255-9300 or visit www.fortworthmuseum.org. The Museum is located at 1600 Gendy Street in Fort Worth’s Cultural District.
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