WIN-R students visit new Dallas museum: first facility dedicated to celebrating women
by Tiffany Davis south news editor

     The paths of more than 3,000 women were viewed recently when South Campus Women in New Roles (WIN-R) students visited The Woman’s Museum: Institute for the Future in Dallas.
     The Women’s Museum began its weeklong celebration Monday Sept. 25 starting with a performance from the living legend Patti Labelle, Grammy award winning solo artist.
     The museum occupies the former Hall of Administration, which also served as Dallas’ first coliseum at Fair Park.
    Built in 1910, it has recently undergone an extensive renovation, restoring the 20th century treasure into a 21st century technological marvel, according to information supplied by the museum.
     Triesha Light, WIN-R coordinator, scheduled a tour so her students could be furthered educated and inspired to fulfill their own dreams.
     “I think that the Women’s Museum is a grand innovation to our future, and I intend to implement the tour throughout the WIN-R program for the upcoming semesters,” she said.
     The museum is associated with the Smithsonian Institution and is the first national history museum dedicated to celebrating the accomplishments and contributions of American women.
     The mission of The Women’s Museum is to educate, enrich and inspire all visitors by celebrating women’s history and providing a public forum for the communication of women’s contributions to society.
     It enlightens its visitors with the history of some of America’s favorite artists, such as Maya Angelou, Margaret Fuller, Gwendolyn Brooks, Eleanor Roosevelt and Charlotte Perkins Gilman.
     The museum showcases inspirational quotes by American women, including Helen Keller’s “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all” and Jovita Idar’s “Educate a woman and you educate a family.”
     The museum hopes to shape the future through educational and enrichment programs of The Ronya Kozmetsky Institute for the Future, which is a 2,773 square foot facility, complete with a 30-station computer laboratory.
     The institute conducts programs designed to provide people with the resources and technological competencies necessary to succeed in the 21st century workforce.
     Johnson & Johnson sponsored Pathways to Health, an interactive women health sampler. This exhibit will help museum visitor explore issues in women’s health.
DVD-enhanced presentations are available with a wide range of topics from a historical look at women’s health.
     Pathways to Health is designed to empower and encourage people to begin taking charge of their own health, according to brochures.
     The Women’s Museum hopes to touch the lives of women and to motivate them through captivating the success and everlasting triumph of women.
     For more information on The Women’s Museum call 214-915-0867. For more information on the WIN-R program, contact Light on South Campus at 817-15-4740 or at triesha.light@tccd.net.