Danville Woman’s Memoir On Exhibit In Lockport Gallery

A Danville woman’s childhood has inspired a State-sponsored history exhibit. History Curator Erika Holst of the Springfield-based Illinois State Museum read Sybil Mervis’s memoir on growing up in Central Illinois and over the course of several months succeeded in creating an exhibit that opened on Sat., Oct. 18 at its Lockport, IL, gallery. In the book titled, In the Middle, Sybil Mervis reflects on her childhood in Bloomington, IL, throughout the Depression and World War II. After seeing Ms. Mervis’s book, Ms. Holst contacted the Danville native to urge her to share her story with the Museum. As Ms. Holst says, “For quite some time, we had been looking to produce an exposition on Jewish life in Illinois. What Sybil created in her book—with her words and pictures—has become the touchstone for this amazing exhibit.” The exhibit is titled “In the Middle: Growing up in the Middle of America, in the Middle Class, in the Middle of the 20th Century” and is showcased throughout the Illinois State Museum’s gallery in Lockport, IL, as well as on the Illinois State Museum’s Web site. More than 30 stations include excerpts from Ms. Mervis’s book along with photographs and artifacts from Ms. Mervis’s childhood years. As Ms. Mervis says, “When I wrote the book, my editor emphasized the value of stories, my recalling vignettes from my life as a little girl so that my words and pictures from 80 years ago would be relatable and relevant to people today.” During the exhibit’s opening ceremony, Ms. Mervis praised the Illinois State Museum. “What Erika has done in bringing my book to life has been remarkable—not only for me but for anyone seeking a deep and emotional understanding of how middle-class people, Jewish people, and little girls and boys lived during the Depression and war years in a Midwest city.” The exhibit is located at the Lockport Gallery at 201 W. 10 th St. in Lockport, IL 60441. The Museum is open from Tues.-Sat., 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. The telephone number is (815) 838-7400. According to Ms. Holst, “In the Middle” will remain at the Lockport Gallery until April 2026, and then “travel to another gallery in the State,” she says. One alternate location may be Bloomington, the County seat for McLean County. Ms. Holst is also open to moving the exhibit to Danville. The exhibit supports the Museum’s plan for supporting the Illinois 250 anniversary celebration in 2026.