The Putnam Museum and Science Center will unveil a surprise discovery at its 2024 fundraising gala, Mysteries of the Museum, on Saturday, Feb. 24.
The mystery object, originally from Asia, was acquired by Charles Ficke in the early 1900s and has been hiding in plain sight in the Putnam storerooms ever since, the Davenport museum at 1717 W. 12th St., announced in a news release.
It is one of only three of its kind known in the United States – one of its sisters is currently housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The gala will feature this discovery and a selection of other mysterious objects rarely seen from the collection, the museum said. Guests will learn about the history, significance and science of these items.
“This is an incredibly exciting discovery for the Putnam Museum,” Curatorial Project Coordinator Nora Moriarty said in the release. Ms. Moriarty, who made the discovery, added, “This artifact has been hiding in plain sight in our collection for over 100 years, and it’s finally being recognized for what it is. We’re very excited to share it with the community.”
The Mysteries at the Museum will be in the Putnam Grand Lobby. Cocktail hour will begin at 6 p.m. and the rare artifact reveal will take place in the GIANT Screen Theater at 7 p.m. The live auction event will begin at 9 p.m. Heavy hors d’oeuvres and drinks will be available to guests throughout the evening.
Tickets to this event are $90 per person or $720 for a full eight-person table. All information about the event can be found at putnam.org.
The gala will also feature a wine pull, silent and live auctions that include a variety of interesting items and experiences, including a Dinosaur Dig. The highest bidder will join Dr. Marcus Eriksen at an active dig site in Montana, with the goal of finding Triceratops’ bones and other prehistoric discoveries.
For attendees and those unable to attend, the silent auction will be held in person at the gala and online. It will open to the public online on Monday, Feb. 12; the link can be found on the Putnam website.
Event sponsors are Genesis Health System, One Step and KWQC 6.
