Elmhurst History Museum receives two Illinois Association of Museum awards

The Emhurst History Museum has announced it received two awards from the Illinois Association of Museums—The 2024 Award of Superior Achievement (Conservation/Collections) and the 2024 Award of Excellence (Special Projects).

The Award of Superior Achievement recognizes the museum’s restoration of a historically significant painting by George Peter Alexander Healy, depicting Jennie “Jane” Byrd Bryan, a distinguished figure in Chicago and Elmhurst history.

Bryan and her husband Thomas Barbour Bryan were early Elmhurst residents who built one of the town’s estates. Best known for his portraits of several U.S. presidents and other politicians and celebrities in the U.S. and Europe, Healy lived in Elmhurst during the Civil War under the “By All Accounts: The Story of Elmhurst” exhibit.

The Award of Excellence was received for supporting programs and events tied to the museum’s 2022-23 exhibit, “In Pursuit of Happiness: Immigrants in Our Communities.”

The Elmhurst History Museum is open to all ages and offers free admission. Its is open from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday and Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and closed Monday. For additional information on exhibits or programs, visit elmhursthistory.org.