The exhibition space in this museum is extremely small but they use it to good effect. We had previously visited the museum to view an exhibition of the work of artist Philip Juras, which we also enjoyed. On both occasions, our visits were brief - perhaps an hour or so. Sometimes you don't have all day to devote to visiting a museum so a quick visit is nice.
Free street parking is plentiful in Lockport. Now that I live in the south suburbs of Chicago, this doesn't stand out to me as much, but when we lived in Oak Park, free and plentiful street parking was a big deal. [On a side note, the street parking situation in Chicago was something that took me a long time to adjust to, coming from southern California. I can't tell you how many parties we went to in the first few years of living here where people would tell us that there was "plenty of street parking". If I have to drive around for 20 minutes and end up parking a half mile away from your place, that is not "plenty" of parking.] The ISM is right on the I&M Canal Trail, which I also recommend visiting. We took a walk along the train last Autumn and found it delightful.
On both visits to the museum, we were greeted warmly by staff as we entered and then left on our own to move through the exhibitions at our own pace, which I personally appreciated. In this small space, it would be all too easy for an over-eager staff member to hover during your entire visit. I know some people enjoy that, but I do not. It was obvious that the staff was there to answer any questions that we might have but otherwise, they left us alone. Perfect.
Within the exhibition itself, items were grouped thematically: fashion, telephones, music, toys and games, music.
The final portion of the exhibit was a fake living room which felt extremely realistic, so great was their attention to detail.
If I had a complaint about the exhibition it was that the curated text at the exhibits was a little overly dramatic. It didn't feel objective in any way - it felt like it was trying to pander to me. (In true GenX fashion, my response was to roll my eyes.)
While this exhibition is now closed, I recommend keeping an eye on what's coming next. Both of the exhibition we have seen have been well done and highly enjoyable. And, while you can't really say that two of anything supplies a great deal of variety, these two exhibitions certainly weren't much like each other. According to their website, the next exhibition will explore frailty and desire through the lens of the circus sideshow. I'm looking forward to it!
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