The History Center of San Luis Obispo County exhibit “Hidden Voices,” created by Cal Poly alum Zoë Levit and history senior Jess O’Leary, highlights and honors the contributions of four women from four different eras to the local community.
The exhibit describes Jeanette “Nettie” Sinsheimer, a local humanitarian whose work led to steel industrialist Andrew Carnegie donating $10,000 to fund the construction of SLO’s first public library in 1897; Maxine Lewis, the founder of Grassroots II, who provided the unhoused community in San Luis Obispo with the support and resources they needed, like childcare programs and adult literacy classes; Stella Louis, the daughter-in-law of famed Chinese merchant Ah Louis, who co-founded the Chinese Students Association at Cal Poly and Alice Mae Martin, a civil servant and U.S. military aircraft mechanic.
According to museum guide Ariel Waterman, Martin was the first Black female airplane mechanic during WWII.
Waterman also spoke about Stella Louis, who came to SLO with her husband Young Louis at a time when the Chinese community was unwelcome by the residents at the time. Waterman said Louis was a staunch supporter and advocate for Chinese immigrant rights.
“Each of these women made amazing contributions, in her own way, in her own time,” Waterman said.
Capturing the history of these local female heroes, however, was a years-long process.
Thomas Kessler, the executive director of the History Center, had been in talks with O’Leary and Levit about the exhibit for over two years.
“It was a very long process of identifying resources and doing the research,” Kessler said. “Multiple, multiple, multiple drafts of exhibit panels.”
According to a university news release, Levit and O’Leary began their research for “Hidden Voices” by researching Nettie Sinsheimer and Stella Louis, which was described by O’Leary as a “daunting task.”
Many of the artifacts displayed in the exhibit, like Louis’ wedding shoes, were stored in one of the History Center’s many warehouses, Waterman said. The History Center’s artifact collections are so large that most artifacts are not stored on-site, and many are contained in off-site warehouses.
“Hidden Voices” also collaborated with Cal Poly’s Special Collections and Archives, a space for preserving primary research materials, for access to artifacts, according to Kessler. Martin’s items, including her plaque in recognition of her outstanding achievement in the military, are on loan from Special Collections.
As for researching information, Waterman said news archives are a great place to start. Levit and O’Leary used Cal Poly’s Special Archives during their project to research Martin.
“You’d be surprised what you can find in the newspapers,” Waterman said. “There’s all kinds of stuff in the newspapers. They archive them, and now everything’s digital—you just go into the computer and find everything.”
The research and creation of “Hidden Voices” involved the work of directors and curators, but was almost entirely student-led.
“We were really happy to be able to work with Zoë and Jess, and they were just absolutely phenomenal curators and researchers,” Kessler said.
During his time as executive director, Kessler has worked with other Cal Poly students, but this is the first time the History Center has showcased a student-led exhibit like “Hidden Voices.” It is the first exhibit visitors see upon entrance into the History Center.
Cal Poly students have participated in the History Center’s internal exhibits committee, while some student interns have created smaller exhibits that are housed on the History Center’s lower level. However, “Hidden Voices” is the largest-scale Cal Poly student exhibit.
“Hidden Voices” can be viewed at the History Center of San Luis Obispo County. The exhibit will be up until the end of this year, but no official date is set.