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Cedar Valley Seminary Foundation: Leeman Education Center
Inspiring future generations through
the incredible stories of real people.
For over 150 years, the Cedar Valley Seminary has been a cornerstone for the town of Osage, Iowa. Once serving as home to a junior college, historical society, and even a museum, the building is rich with cultural significance and holds a deep connection to residents of the community.
With the acquisition of an old newspaper publishing building, the Cedar Valley Seminary Foundation (CVSF) sought to create an experience that showcased its storied history and inspire future generations by highlighting Mitchell County's influential leaders. That’s when they turned to Dimensional Innovations for its exhibit design expertise and to help bring their vision to life.
What began as an exhibit honoring Gerald “Germ” Leeman, Osage native and Silver medal wrestler in the 1948 Olympic Games, grew into so much more: ten individual exhibits that highlight incredible stories stemming from this tight-knit community. DI’s team worked closely with the foundation’s directors to ensure that the stories held true to historic veracity and paid proper homage to the community’s heroes, who have made both local and international impacts. Those exhibits include:
“It doesn’t matter where you come from—you can make a difference.” This is the thread that wove the community and its many incredible stories together. The dedicated DI Content Team collaborated with Seminary leaders and conducted detailed research to develop an encyclopedic volume of content to support these stories. In keeping with the values of the Seminary founders, in-depth educational programming is interspersed throughout the exhibits, supported by a robust K-12 teachers’ guide that adheres to the Iowa state curriculum standards, making the learning center a popular new destination for the surrounding school districts.
K-12 Curriculum
Supported through the exhibits and programming
3Ft
Replica of Germ’s silver medal with a sculpted facsimile of the ribbon
Testimonials
"Thanks to DI, we are now at a place where we have our physical exhibits, yes, but the potential is unlimited. We are able to continue to tell stories in different categories and timelines. And that's just the beginning..."
Joyce Ruehlow, Board President, Cedar Valley Seminary Foundation
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Carole Hollman
Practice Director - Cultural
With over 13 years of experience in the museum design/build world, Carole has successfully led and facilitated large-scale exhibit and interpretive projects of national importance around the country for over a decade. Carole’s passion... more about Carole Hollman
