Foundation seeking Iowans’ artifacts from Obama’08

DES MOINES — Representatives of the Obama Foundation have been in Iowa this week, looking for artifacts from Barack Obama’s 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns in Iowa.

“Obviously Iowa in 2008 played a huge role in the Obama campaign,” said Sam Michel, a spokesman for the foundation, “and as the museum team was designing the Obama Presidential Center they wanted to highlight the role of Iowa, the role of the people who were volunteering and working on the Obama campaign in telling the story of President and Mrs. Obama.”

Earlier this week, the foundation hosted events in Mason City and North Liberty for Obama campaign volunteers to share their stories and their memorabilia.

“Yard signs, campaign pamphlets, photos as well as things that are personal mementos to people who worked on the campaigns, things that mean a lot to them,” Michel said, “things that help explain why they decided to work for then-Senator Obama.”

There’s an event tonight in Des Moines for more story telling and memorabilia sharing.

“Right now, we’re just trying to get a good understanding of what all is out there,” Michel said. “We’ll cataloge it this week, we’ll record it and then go back to Chicago, figure out what we want to display in the Presidential Center Museum and go from there.”

Tonight’s Obama Foundation meeting starts at 5 p.m. at the headquarters of the Isiserettes, a drill and drum corps made up of Des Moines kids. In November of 2007, the group led Obama, his wife and Obama supporters on a march up a Des Moines street to the Iowa Democratic Party’s annual fall fundraiser.