Tag Archives: exhibits

Lift Every Voice: Celebrating 250 Years of African American Poetry

LiftEveryVoice

LiftEveryVoiceThe University of Delaware Library, Museums and Press announces a new online exhibition:

Lift Every Voice: Celebrating 250 Years of African American Poetry

https://exhibitions.lib.udel.edu/lift-every-voice/

Lift Every Voice is a year-long, nationwide celebration of the 250-year tradition of African American poetry, its richness and diversity, and its central place in American poetry. The initiative is directed by Library of America in partnership with the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture and with libraries, arts organizations, and bookstores in all fifty states. It is supported by funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and Emerson Collective.

Curated by English and American literature librarian Aimee Gee and launched in December 2020, this exhibition highlights materials from the collections of the University of Delaware Library, Museums and Press and draws upon several past UD exhibitions. Lift Every Voice encourages visitors to reflect upon five intersecting themes that emerge from a close examination of the African American poetic tradition: The Freedom Struggle, Black Identities (Assertion & Protection), Black Experience in History & Memory, Black Language & Music, and Family & Community. Contact: AskSpec

Exhibit Opportunities and Student Learning

La guerra civil en el arte y el cine -Photo credit: Carmela Ferradans

In November, the four exhibit cases and interactive wall in the library’s entry level showcased research done by students in SPAN 314: Iberian Culture & Civilization (follow link for more images). The focus of the exhibit was on four aspects related to The Legacy of the Spanish Civil War.

Exhibits are listed among the Association of American Colleges and Universities’ (AAC&U) high-impact practices. This is a creative process, involving a deep understanding of one’s subject in order to distill it to brief but informative elements.

On December 2nd, students in ENGL 243: Survey of English Poetry, 1500-1700 will be installing an exhibit on the practice of Commonplace books.

Anyone in IWU’s community may use these spaces to promote student work, class
projects, guest speakers, organizations, events, achievements or any topic of interest you’d like
to share with the campus community. Contact Meg Miner (mminer@iwu.edu or x1538) to reserve a space!

Native Voices: Native American Civil War Soldiers

Please join us tonight for a special program from IWU alum Quita Verban Shier (’60), who will be speaking about Company K of the 1st Regiment Michigan Volunteer Sharpshooters in the Civil War. This all-Native American company is the subject of Shier’s recent book Warriors in Mr. Lincoln’s Army: Native American Soldiers Who Fought in the Civil War. Attendees will learn from the soldiers themselves as Shier reads from their letters home about the effects that the war and even the long absences from home had on their health and healing. The program will take place in Beckman Auditorium in The Ames Library from 6:00–7:00p.m, and is free and open to the public.

P.S. You can also check out Shier’s book from The Ames Library afterwards.

Image courtesy the National Park Service.

Happy 100th Birthday, Jackie Robinson!

Today marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Jack Roosevelt “Jackie” Robinson, the first player to break the color barrier in baseball. His Major League debut occurred with the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947 and his career as a professional ballplayer lasted just over nine years.

Jackie’s tremendous accomplishments can only be fully understood if we are clear-eyed about the racism that white people, from fellow Dodgers to baseball spectators to the United States military, subjected him to throughout his life.

We invite you take to take a deeper look at Jackie’s life and career through our exhibit “Against the Most Tremendous Odds,” which will be up through February on The Ames Library main floor.

Native Voices: Medicine Wheel Teaching Event

Tonight, The Ames Library, Office of Diversity and Inclusion, and Sociology & Anthropology Department are co-sponsoring a medicine wheel teaching event conducted by Eliida Lakota Knoll and the Reverend Carol Lakota Eastin. Said Washington Post writer Evelyn Porreca Vuko in a 2001 article, “The medicine wheel symbolizes the circle of life in many different Native American cultures. Paths and circles outlined with stones mark passages and changes in people’s lives.”

The event, which consists of a station of activities in each of the four directions, will be held from 6:30–8:00 p.m. in the library’s entry level rotunda. Participants will be instructed to move sun-wise (a.k.a. clockwise) from station to station, and will be guided through a set of craft-making activities at each one creating a set of power-objects to put into a medicine bag.

 

Native Voices: Native Hawaiian Healing Event

Ho’oponopono is the Hawaiian concept of forgiveness, characterized as “to make right, orderly, correct” in a 1985 Culture, Medicine & Psychiatry article by Karen Ito.

Francine Dudoit-Tagupa, Director of Native Hawaiian Healing at Waikiki Health, will speak on this topic tonight from 6:00–7:30 p.m. in Room C102 of the Center for Natural Sciences. The event is free and open to the public. We hope to see you there!

Native Voices: Exhibit Opening Event

Please join us tonight from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. in the entry-level rotunda for the opening ceremony of the library’s traveling exhibition Native Voices: Native Peoples’ Concepts of Health and Illness. Featured guests will include Butch McCamy and the Spirit of the Rainbow drum singers. If the weather cooperates, the singers will hold a pipe ceremony at the end of the event for anyone who wants to participate.

El Día de Muertos

Today is El Día de Muertos, a Mexican holiday celebrated on November 1st that honors deceased loved ones. In commemoration of the day, SALSA and Shaela Phillips (’20) have constructed an altar de muertos on The Ames Library first floor. You are invited to learn more about El Día de Muertos through posters at the altar and to leave offerings for your own dead or write their names on the sheets of paper illustrated with skulls.

At 7 p.m., SALSA and Carmela Ferradans will be screening the film Coco in Beckman Auditorium on the library’s lower level. All are invited to come.

Library Exhibition on Transgender Issues

On September 5th, Amy Ellis Nutt, author of Becoming Nicole, will speak at the Illinois Wesleyan University President’s Convocation. Becoming Nicole is the university’s Summer Reading Program selection and follows the story of the Maines family and their transgender daughter Nicole, who was born male.

After the convocation and throughout the month of October, we invite you to view our exhibition “Changing Climates: Born this Way,” which includes eight books from The Ames Library collection about transgender issues. There are also handouts that explain how to be a trans ally and the spectrum of sex and gender. You can check out any of these books at the Library Services Desk if you’re interested, and grab a handout or two as well!

Viewing The Saint John’s Bible at IWU

Ruth and Naomi

Ruth and Naomi

Ruth and Naomi, Suzanne Moore, Copyright 2010, The Saint John’s Bible, Saint John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Through May 2018, IWU will have the Heritage Edition of The Saint John’s Bible Gospel and Acts on campus.  From June – December 2018, we will have the Pentateuch Heritage Edition.

Public viewings of Gospel and Acts Heritage Edition are available in the First Floor Rotunda, The Ames Library on Mondays 12-1 p.m. and Saturdays 11 a.m.-1 p.m. through February 26th.

During these times, docents will be available to guide your viewing of the beautiful illuminations and calligraphy and to answer questions about the making of this hand-written, hand-illuminated manuscript.

For more information, including a calendar of other events, visit www.iwu.edu/chaplain/saint-johns-bible-at-iwu.html.

To learn more about the Heritage Edition Program or to schedule a visit of The Saint John’s Bible for your campus organization, class, civic organization, school, or faith community, please contact University Chaplain Elyse Nelson Winger at 309-556-3179 or email her at chaplain@iwu.edu.