Steelmakers Exhibit at Griffin MSI Celebrates the Material and Workers that Built Chicago
Chicago — Griffin Museum of Science and Industry will debut Steelmakers, a brand-new exhibit exploring the science and stories behind one of the world’s most essential and versatile materials, on March 6. Through hands-on experiences, a collection of wide-ranging artifacts and oral histories, this exhibit highlights how steel became an indispensable part of our modern world, contributing to expansive industrial growth and creating deeply rooted steelworker communities right here in Chicago and the Calumet Region.
Steelmakers will teach guests about the science and metallurgy of steel at tactile tables featuring different versions of the alloy. Local steelworkers past and present will share their first-hand experiences through oral histories. Interactives like an “Is It Steel or Not?” quiz and a Museum-wide scavenger hunt will illuminate the ubiquity of steel in the world around us. The exhibit will highlight the future use and sustainability of steel. And the versatility and prevalence of steel will be on display through a series of artifacts including:
- Beams from Chicago’s Home Insurance Building (1885-1931), considered the world’s first skyscraper
- Olympic torch made of recycled and renewably produced steel (© 2023 – International Olympic Committee – All Rights Reserved, design created by Mr. Mathieu Lehanneur)
- Richard Hunt sculpture, Angle Form (1968)
- Inland Steel Skyscraper Model, displayed at the Century of Progress World’s Fair (1933)
- Steel plate signed by women steelworkers during World War II (1943)
Steelmakers was made possible by a grant from the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation and created in partnership with Steelworkers Organization of Active Retirees (SOAR), Calumet Heritage Partnership (CHP) and Southeast Chicago Historical Museum (SECHM). For more information, visit www.msichicago.org/steelmakers.
Photos: Steelmakers Exhibit 2025
Credit: Griffin Museum of Science and Industry
About the Kenneth C. Griffin Museum of Science and Industry
The Kenneth C. Griffin Museum of Science and Industry (Griffin MSI) offers world-class and uniquely interactive experiences that support the Museum's mission: to inspire the inventive genius in everyone. As one of the largest science museums in the world featuring award-winning exhibits and hands-on activities, a visit to the Griffin MSI is guaranteed to connect fun and learning. Griffin MSI is committed to offering comprehensive educational programs for students, administrators, teachers and families that make a difference in local communities and contribute to MSI's goal to transform and illuminate STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) pathways for people of all ages. The Museum is grateful for the support of its generous donors and guests who make its work possible. The Griffin MSI is also supported in part by the people of Chicago through the Chicago Park District. For more information, visit msichicago.org or call (773) 684-1414.
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[Photo credit: Griffin Museum of Science and Industry]
[Photo credit: Griffin Museum of Science and Industry]