History museum celebrates 1960s

Pre-opening exhibit pays homage to tumultuous time

Susan Schell

of the Gateway

A photo on the wall at the Harbor History Museum shows a young man holding up two fingers in a peace sign. Blood streams down the sides of his face and pools in a dark stain on the front of his shirt.

The picture says it all.

In 1968, people were speaking up, demanding change and willing to put their bodies in harm’s way to have their voices heard.

The museum, at 4121 Harborview Drive in Gig Harbor, is celebrating the pivotal year in the country’s history with the “1968 in America” exhibit, which will be on display through March 16. The exhibit offers visitors not only a glimpse at the dramatic era but a sneak peek at the new-look museum, which has not officially opened.

“Back then, people were protesting with sit-ins,” said Jennifer Kilmer, the museum’s executive director. “In 1968, there was a convergence of social forces pulling people in different directions. There were counter-cultures, and people were not so homogenized. It was a hands-on culture with different ways of thinking about the world.

“Today, with the Internet, it’s more of a virtual following. If we want to vent, we get on a blog.”

The exhibit creates an odd kind of energy. Older people gaze at photos of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. in remembrance; young people feel as though they’ve missed something.

Visitors at the exhibit’s premier last Friday night were encouraged to dress in ’60s style. Guests from tweens to senior citizens obliged, with colorful psychedelic patterns, wigs, bellbottoms and jewelry.

“It was fun coming in our costumes to celebrate such a unique time period,” said Kilmer, dressed in a smart-looking Jackie Onassis-style sleeveless black dress and a pillbox hat. “There was a lot of new music, the hippies and the power of idealism.”

The exhibit displays dramatic photos of the political turmoil and grief that the nation experienced with the Vietnam War and assassinations of beloved leaders, alongside images of musical figures like the Beatles and Jefferson Airplane, who personified the era.

Museum volunteer Clair Bunker, who is new to Gig Harbor, was impressed by the museum and the quality of the exhibit.

“It capsulizes how important and significant this time period was and all that was happening,” she said. “The music, politically and socially. Synthetic fabrics were becoming popular and helped shape the way people were dressing.”

Bunker said there’s a revival of the 1960s style among the younger generation.

“The peace sign is coming up again,” she said. “If I wanted a costume for tonight, I should’ve raided my daughter’s closet.”

Kilmer said the history museum is the only West Coast venue to obtain the traveling exhibit, which is part of the National Endowment for the Arts.

“In planning for the new museum, it’s hard to find traveling exhibits that match with our mission,” Kilmer said. “This places Gig Harbor in a greater context of what was going on back then.”

Construction continues

Through continued support of both public and private donors, the Harbor History Museum will continue construction on its 14,500-square-foot facility.

The museum received a donation from an anonymous donor worth in excess of $100,000, plus a $200,000 appropriation from the Institute for Museum and Library Services, a federal agency, last month.

“It’s a variety of different sources from different levels,” museum executive director Jennifer Kilmer said. “There’s a lot of individual gifts that are getting us to the finish line, and we like that because we don’t have to rely on just one person.”

For more information, call 253-858-6722.