This free program is virtual. Donations are appreciated.

Registration is required. Eventbrite will provide you with a link to join the live virtual program via email- keep an eye on your spambox.

We are pleased to offer an in-person option for the viewing of this program. Interested patrons may register for an in-person ticket at check out and come to the GAHC on May 23rd at 2pm to watch the program streamed on the big screen in the community room on the 4th floor. Seating is limited and socially distanced. Masking is required.

About the program:
In Nazi Germany, female fashioning was political. If it is true that clothes are “a poster for one’s act,” then the Third Reich put several fashion posters on display – the folk costume (Tracht), the uniform, the latest modern fashion tied to international trends, or an often conflicting conglomeration thereof. Examining the Third Reich through the window of women’s clothing is revelatory. Clothing served as a means to visibly convey many of the notions spewed by the Nazis’ propaganda machine. Women’s clothing was utilized to support and implement Nazi gender ideology and anti-Semitism. It was employed to enhance the power and status of the regime, as well as to consolidate society and manipulate behavior. Additionally, women’s clothes provided a tangible sign of inclusion in and exclusion from the racially-constructed national community. What women wore or were required to wear and how they chose to fashion themselves spoke volumes in Nazi Germany.

About the presenter:
Irene Guenther specializes in 20th-century American and European history. She received her doctorate from the University of Texas. Her teaching interests include genocide and human rights, the construction of ‘race’ and the consequences of systemic racism in the United States, Nazi cultural policies, and comparative Second World War home fronts. She has published on the Nazi takeover of the German-Jewish fashion industry; the contested politics of women’s clothing in the four occupied zones of Germany after World War II; Magical Realism from 1920s Germany to 1940s Latin America; and the German anti-war artists of the First World War. Her first book, Nazi ‘Chic’? Fashioning Women in the Third Reich, won the Costume Society of America’s Millia Davenport Award for ‘best fashion history book’ of the year and the Sierra Prize, given by the Western Association of Women Historians. Her second book, Postcards from the Trenches: A German Soldier’s Testimony of the Great War, was published in late 2018 and was accompanied by a centennial exhibition of WWI soldiers’ art, which traveled to Washington, DC, Houston, New York, and Berlin. She has received the Ross Lence Teaching Award, the Wong Student Engagement Award, the Lerner Family Faculty Award, the Honors College Dean’s Master Teacher Award, and the UH Provost’s Teaching Excellence Award.

For the past 75 years, Germany has been synonymous with war, tragedy, oppression, and yes, beer and parties. Hannah Hogue spent the past 6 months on a journey to reclaim her heritage and honor her German ancestors with a project through the Illinois State University Honors Program. Coming from a long line of seamstresses, Hannah chose to research traditional German dress; studying the cultural origin of these pieces of clothing, the use of traditional dress in Nazi propaganda, and how we can reclaim these symbols to show our pride in being German. This research project cumulated in the creation of her own unique dirndl.

This virtual program is free, but donations are appreciated.
A link to the event will be sent via Eventbrite. Please check your spam box.
Limited tickets are available for in-person viewing of the virtual program at GAHC. If you are interested in this option, please select an In-Person ticket.

Join Rozz-Tox and the German American Heritage Center every first Friday at Rozz-Tox in downtown Rock Island for a German language film streamed outside in the Rozz-Tox “Kinogarten.”

Friday May 7th, GAHC + Rozz-Tox will stream "Free Fall" directed by Stephen Lacant (2013). 18+.

Each film streaming is free and features English subtitles. No registration needed. Film will start at 8pm or sundown.

To keep our audience safe, film streaming will be socially distanced and guests are required to wear a mask.

Food and beverage will be available for purchase from Rozz-Tox (no outside food or drink please!)

Kinogarten film schedule is as follows:
4/2 The Edukators (2004)
Dir. Hans Weingartner
5/7 The Tin Drum (1980)
Dir. Volker Schlöndorff
6/4 Free Fall (2013)
Dir. Stephan Lacant
7/2 Mephisto (1982)
István Szabó
8/6 Transit (2018)
Christian Petzold
9/3 Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974)
Rainer Werner Fassbinder

To learn more about Kinogarten, please our websites or give us a call:

GAHC: 563.322.8844
www.gahc.org

Rozz-Tox: 309.200.0978
www.rozztox.com

The first picture postcards were published for the 1889 Paris Exposition, celebrating the completion of the Eiffel Tower. In America, the first picture postcards were printed for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago — making Illinois the birthplace of the American picture postcard. Since those flowery Victorian originals, uncountable billions of postcards of every aspect of life have been printed, depicting: train stations and bandstands; street views and cartoons; ads for products and services; beauties and freaks; social history both whimsical and dark; and everything in between. An early mention of postcards is in the late nineteenth century diary of a Welsh curate, who called them ”a happy invention.”

In 2016, the world’s largest public collection of postcards and related materials, the Curt Teich Postcard Archives, was given to the Newberry Library by the Lake County Forest Preserve District. Katherine Hamilton-Smith, the founding curator of the Teich Archives, presents a look at the documentary power and significance of picture postcards. She touches on the Curt Teich Company of Chicago, the role Illinois played in the history and development of postcards, and on the picture postcard as a cultural icon.

This presentation is a lavishly illustrated PowerPoint of about 50 minutes in length, plus questions/answers at the conclusion of the prepared remarks. Each presentation is tailored to the town or area in which it is being given, by weaving examples of postcards from that town into the program.

For the German-American Historical Society, Katherine will emphasize Curt Otto Teich (1877-1974), who was born in Lobenstein, emigrated to the United States in 1894, settled in Chicago, and founded the Curt Teich Company.

This program is free to the public. Donations are appreciated.
This program will stream live through eventbrite. Please use the link supplied by eventbrite to join the event- keep an eye on your spam box!

About the presenter
Katherine Hamilton-Smith is Director of Public Affairs and Development for the Lake County Forest Preserve District in Chicago’s north suburbs.

Ms. Hamilton-Smith has maintained career-long professional activity in archives and museums, including service on the Illinois Historic Sites Advisory Council, the Illinois State Archives Advisory Board (former chair), the Visual Materials Section of the Society of American Archivists (former chair), the Society for Commercial Archeology (Board of Directors; journal editor), and the David Adler Art Center (Board of Directors). She is a recipient of the Curator of the Year Award for the State of Illinois. She studied art history and music history at St. Andrews University in Scotland, holds a B.A. in art history from the University of Nebraska, an A.M. in art history from the University of Chicago, and is a Certified Archivist. She was a contributor to the American Alliance of Museums’ National Research Demonstration Project to Expand Education in American Museums.

Ms. Hamilton-Smith was responsible for creating and developing the Curt Teich Postcard Archives for the Forest Preserve District. For over three decades, she managed its growth, working with private collectors and other institutions to create the magnificent and unparalleled assemblage that was acquired by the Newberry Library in October 2016, and is now one of the Newberry’s 11 core collections.

Ms. Hamilton-Smith is a native Nebraskan and lives in Libertyville with her two sons.

The cost of this program is $5 for non-members, free for members.*

This program will be streamed virtually via eventbrite.

Eventbrite will send you a link to the program- keep an eye peeled on your spambox.

The GAHC is proud to offer the option to view the live-stream in-person. This in-person live stream is socially distanced and masking is required. Seats are limited. Registration is required. If you are interested in watching this program in-person, please select an "In-Person" ticket upon check out.

About the program:
By the mid-nineteenth century, Germans were among the largest immigrant populations in New Orleans. They were part of every level of society, and both condemned slavery in the most active slave trading city in the US and served the Confederate army in the Civil War. Eventually, Yellow Fever dramatically reduced the population, and German names and heritage gradually integrated into the Cajun culture that originated in French-speaking Canada.
This presentation explores the many roles that Germans played in the thriving city of New Orleans, and also refers to the settlements surrounding New Orleans that still celebrate Germanic culture, like the German Coast and Roberts Cove. Nineteenth century German societies and periodicals provide insight into the point of view of this group of New Orleanians.

About the presenter:
Caroline Huey is Associate Professor of Germanic Studies at the university of Louisiana at Lafayette.

*The GAHC is dedicated to providing access to quality educational and cultural programming. The GAHC has recently decided to resume charging for programs. We apologize for any confusion or inconvenience. As always, GAHC members receive free admission to all programming. To learn more about memberships, visit https://gahc.org/joingive/memberships/

Join Rozz-Tox and the German American Heritage Center every first Friday at Rozz-Tox in downtown Rock Island for a German language film streamed outside in the Rozz-Tox “Kinogarten.”

Friday July 2nd, GAHC + Rozz-Tox will stream "Mephisto" directed by István Szabó (1982). 18+.

Each film streaming is free and features English subtitles. No registration needed. Film will start at 8pm or sundown.

To keep our audience safe, film streaming will be socially distanced and guests are required to wear a mask.

Food and beverage will be available for purchase from Rozz-Tox (no outside food or drink please!)

Kinogarten film schedule is as follows:
4/2 The Edukators (2004)
Dir. Hans Weingartner
5/7 The Tin Drum (1980)
Dir. Volker Schlöndorff
6/4 Free Fall (2013)
Dir. Stephan Lacant
7/2 Mephisto (1982)
István Szabó
8/6 Transit (2018)
Christian Petzold
9/3 Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974)
Rainer Werner Fassbinder

To learn more about Kinogarten, please our websites or give us a call:

GAHC: 563.322.8844
www.gahc.org

Rozz-Tox: 309.200.0978
www.rozztox.com

Join Rozz-Tox and the German American Heritage Center every first Friday at Rozz-Tox in downtown Rock Island for a German language film streamed outside in the Rozz-Tox “Kinogarten.”

Friday August 8th, GAHC + Rozz-Tox will stream "Transit" directed by Christian Petzold (2018). 16+.

Each film streaming is free and features English subtitles. No registration needed. Film will start at 8pm or sundown.

To keep our audience safe, film streaming will be socially distanced and guests are required to wear a mask.

Food and beverage will be available for purchase from Rozz-Tox (no outside food or drink please!)

Kinogarten film schedule is as follows:
4/2 The Edukators (2004)
Dir. Hans Weingartner
5/7 The Tin Drum (1980)
Dir. Volker Schlöndorff
6/4 Free Fall (2013)
Dir. Stephan Lacant
7/2 Mephisto (1982)
István Szabó
8/6 Transit (2018)
Christian Petzold
9/3 Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974)
Rainer Werner Fassbinder

To learn more about Kinogarten, please our websites or give us a call:

GAHC: 563.322.8844
www.gahc.org

Rozz-Tox: 309.200.0978
www.rozztox.com

Join Rozz-Tox and the German American Heritage Center every first Friday at Rozz-Tox in downtown Rock Island for a German language film streamed outside in the Rozz-Tox “Kinogarten.”

Friday September 7th, GAHC + Rozz-Tox will stream "Ali: Fear Eats the Soul" directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder (1974). Unrated.

Each film streaming is free and features English subtitles. No registration needed. Film will start at 8pm or sundown.

To keep our audience safe, film streaming will be socially distanced and guests are required to wear a mask.

Food and beverage will be available for purchase from Rozz-Tox (no outside food or drink please!)

Kinogarten film schedule is as follows:
4/2 The Edukators (2004)
Dir. Hans Weingartner
5/7 The Tin Drum (1980)
Dir. Volker Schlöndorff
6/4 Free Fall (2013)
Dir. Stephan Lacant
7/2 Mephisto (1982)
István Szabó
8/6 Transit (2018)
Christian Petzold
9/3 Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974)
Rainer Werner Fassbinder

To learn more about Kinogarten, please our websites or give us a call:

GAHC: 563.322.8844
www.gahc.org

Rozz-Tox: 309.200.0978
www.rozztox.com

The cost of this program is $5 per person (non-members). Free admission for members.*

This program is virtual.

Registration is required.

Eventbrite will provide a link to join the program via email- keep an eye on your spambox please!

For those interested in an in-person experience- the GAHC is happy to offer a screening of the event in-person. The screening will take place on the 4th floor at the exact time of the program. Seating is limited and socially distanced. Masking is required. To select this option, please purchase an "In-Person" ticket at check out.

About the program:
This presentation examines the activism methodologies of women* hip hop performers in Germany to address the question, "In what ways does German hip hop activism contribute to and/or realign the social and political landscape of contemporary Germany?" Promoting their chosen socio-political issues through their social media presence and live performances, these artists also affiliate with public demonstrations against racial and gender discrimination, urban gentrification and LGBTQIA+ inequities. By analyzing the platforms women* hip hop performers align themselves with, their motivations for public association with their issues, and the particular ways they utilize their art as support, this talk explores the ways these artists' activism furthers their chosen causes while simultaneously exposing tension regarding gender and feminist politics.

About the presenter:
Amy Makota is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, USA. She obtained her 2013 B.A. in English with minors in West European Studies, German, Medieval Studies, and Creative Writing, and her 2017 M.A. in West European Studies. Her interest in Germany began in her youth with the discovery that her paternal ancestors were German American immigrants. To date, she has resided in Berlin during multiple stages of her fieldwork process, with the most recent being in late 2020 and mid-2021. Amy's forthcoming dissertation focuses on Gender and Activism in German hip hop.

*The GAHC is dedicated to providing access to quality educational and cultural programming. The GAHC has recently decided to resume charging for programs. We apologize for any confusion or inconvenience. As always, GAHC members receive free admission to all programming. To learn more about memberships, visit https://gahc.org/joingive/memberships/

Join us in-person at the GAHC on October 3rd at 2pm for a book talk and signing with author and historian David T. Dixon. He will discuss his new book "Radical Warrior: August Wilich's Journey from German Revoltuionary to Union General" (University of Tennessee Press, 2020). Copies will be available for purchase.

Ticket Costs:
Free for Members
$5 per person for non-Members

This program will be socially distanced. Masking is required. Hand sanitizing stations will be available throughout the GAHC.

About the program:
Radical Warrior: August Willich’s Journey from German Revolutionary to Union General (University of Tennessee Press 2020) is the biography of a Prussian army officer who renounced his nobility and joined in the failed European revolutions of 1848. He emigrated to America, edited a daily labor newspaper in Cincinnati, and became one of the most accomplished generals in the Union Army. This story sheds new light on the contributions of 200,000 German-Americans who fought for the Union in the Civil War.
In an age of global social, economic, and political upheaval, transatlantic radicals helped affect America’s second great revolution. For many recent immigrants, the nature and implications of that revolution turned not on Lincoln’s conservative goal of maintaining the national Union, but on issues of social justice, including slavery, free labor, and popular self-government. The Civil War was not simply a war to end sectional divides, but to restore the soul of the nation, revive the hopes of democrats worldwide, and defend human rights.

About the presenter:
David Dixon earned his M.A. in history from the University of Massachusetts in 2003. His first book, The Lost Gettysburg Address, told the unusual life story of Texas slaveholder Charles Anderson, whose speech followed Lincoln’s at Gettysburg, but was never published. It turned up 140 years later in a cardboard box in Wyoming.
David has given nearly 100 talks to audiences across the country. He appeared on Civil War Talk Radio and other podcasts. He hosts B-List History, a website that features obscure characters and their compelling stories. You may download free pdf versions of his published articles on that website at www.davidtdixon.com.
David’s new book, published by the University of Tennessee Press, is the biography of German revolutionary and Union General August Willich. His work highlights the contributions of approximately 200,000 German-American immigrants to the Union effort in the Civil War. Transatlantic radicals like Willich viewed the war as part of a much larger, global revolution for social justice and republican government.