She's So Fly! (Ohio)

Logo of the IWASM of a glass window

My first official museum gig (if you haven't learned by now, museum (and other cultural non-profit) work is what I do for a living) was at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.  I didn't grow up with any inherent interest in planes or military history, but my nearly two years there certainly sparked one. It's amazing how beautiful not only the air and space craft can be, but also interesting to see the pop culture that sprang up around aviation and space travel. I (being a black woman) am particularly interested in how women and racial minorities have contributed to our ever developing knowledge of flight and space. I'd heard about the International Women's Museum of Air & Space Museum doing some research at work at the time, and said that if I ever got the chance, I wanted to take a gander at what they had to offer.

Illustration of a purple flight suit worn by Harriet Quimby-
not very practical now, but pretty dope she wore pearls to fly in!

If you are ever in Cleveland, you HAVE to check this place out! It's right down the street from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (which I didn't visit because per my own rules set forth in the first few entries, I'd already visited there in 2006 or 2007 with some friends), the Cleveland Science Center, and the Browns' football stadium. That whole stretch of lake front touristy stuff could take your entire day up easily, but make sure you keep trodding down along the road to the Burke Lakefront Airport, that is the host building to this wonderful collection.

I was confused at first, because there is no clear marked "entrance" to the museum (it literally takes up the lobby/waiting area of most of the airport) so it was difficult to learn where to start. I eventually just picked an end and worked my way down, taking notes and pictures as I went. Of course you have your "celeb" aviatrixes like Bessie Coleman and Amelia Earhart who are among the more famous of their peers, but there was a lot of detailed information about the personal lives and accomplishments of not-as-well known women such as Amy Johnson and the Mercury Women. I loved that next to the Quimby flight suit (yes, they re-created it using the above picture as a guide) was the launch/re-entry suite worn by Wendy Lawrence. It sort of juxtaposed the past with the present to show how far women in flight have come.

Wendy Lawrence's launch/re-entry suit

Of course, every aviation based museum has at least one plane on display, and the IWASM doesn't disappoint. The absolute cutest plane, the "Pretty Purple Puddy Tat" is on display. It took me back to my time at NASM, when you are just amazed at the craftsmanship of these machines, and stand in awe next to them. There are also "retro" flight simulators on display as well.

The Pretty Purple Puddy Tat

Now, to be fair, the museum does need a little upgrading. Betty Skelton and Sally Ride both have passed within the last two years, and no mention of that is in the museum. It also was VERY hard to photograph some of the displays because of the smooth and rounded cases they were in. But a woman (I regretfully forget what her name was!) told me that not only are they aware they are in need of some exhibit improvements, but they had four interns helping them out to get the improvements done. Kudos!

The tiny gift shop was jammed packed with neat trinkets related to aviation and women, but also had some hefty sized plane models (which I think were a part of the offices also located there and not for sale) and a case full of old aviation trophies. While I didn't purchase anything (I was on a super tight budget for my day trip) I would think anyone would be able to find something they'd like to have.

All of my pictures are up on Facebook so you can see what else I saw at the museum and in the rest of the city. More blogs coming soon!

See you on the next adventure!