Mike and Carol Peterson are shown in the new "Civics in Action" exhibition at the State Historical Museum in Des Moines prior to its opening last week.

Mia Peterson, who grew up in Webster City, has been named one of 10 “Iowans of Action” in a new exhibition at the State Historical Museum in Des Moines.

Other honorees, selected from across Iowa and throughout its history since statehood, include Gertrude Rush, first black attorney in Iowa; Greenville Dodge, chief engineer of the Union Pacific Railroad and confidant of Abraham Lincoln; and Joseph and Mary Beth Tinker, who fought for greater student rights, taking their case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The exhibition, whose debut coincides with the museum’s reopening after a five-year, $13.3 million renovation, is called “Civics in Action.” The State Historical Building of Iowa, Museum and Research Center all officially reopened to the public Saturday, October 13.

The building, at 600 E. Locust St., Des Moines, suffered from leaking skylights since it opened in 1987, threatening artifacts in exhibits, and those stored in the building’s basement.

Improvements, including a new roof — without skylights — enlarged windows on the building’s east side, and new flooring, can all be seen from the main floor atrium.

Civics in Action explores the history of the U.S. federal and Iowa governments, and the tradition of responsible citizenship in Iowa. More than 60 historic artifacts are displayed in the exhibition, including Ding Darling cartoons, election tickets from the 1860s and ’70s, and memorabilia from the Iowa caucuses from their 1972 debut to the present.

The State Historical Museum of Iowa is open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday to Friday, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. Admission is free. Donations are accepted.