West Virginia University Libraries, in collaboration with the WVU Humanities Center, is excited to present the first Art in the Libraries Retrospective exhibit. The retrospective illustrates and celebrates years of exhibits and programs across the three Morgantown campus libraries, showcasing their scope and impact on the campus and community. The exhibit exposes and engages students, faculty, staff, and community members in the work of the program, which is to enrich the connection between WVU Libraries' collections, and services and new ways of seeing, learning, and understanding. In recent years the Art in the Libraries program has forged ongoing connections and collaborations with the WVU Humanities Center.
Fall 2024/Spring 2025: WVU Downtown Campus Library
Summer/Fall 2025: WVU Beckley Campus Library
Special Event: Oct. 8, 2024, WVU Downtown Library Milano Room:
Multi-disciplinary panel discussion to celebrate the exhibition including panelists: Renee Nicholson (Health and Humanities Scholar), Joshua Lohnes (WVU Food Justice Network), Nicole Fuller (WVU Office of Accessibility Services), Jason Lee (WVU Sculpture), Danielle Emerling (WVU Modern Congressional and Political Papers Archivist), Lara Farina (WVU English), and Beth Royall (WVU Collections Strategist Librarian).
The programming and display present an opportunity for both campus and community involvement. This involvement spans across disciplines, fostering interactivity and generating heightened interest and awareness regarding the pivotal role of the humanities in meaning-making, inquiry, and social justice. This exhibit explores a broad spectrum of pertinent subjects, from addressing environmental concerns to exploring food justice, ethics, voting, healthcare, contemporary art, literature, and beyond. It represents the best of the Art in the Libraries initiative and celebrates the impact on the campus, community, and beyond.
Find the full exhibition design on the WVU Research Repository here.
Reflections from faculty, staff, and students included in the exhibit, build context around the programs, as well, including:
Linda Blake, WVU Librarian Emeritus
Sally Brown, WVU Art in the Libraries Curator
Chansotheary Dang, PhD Candidate, Department of Microbiology
Lara Farina, WVU Professor of English
Nicole Fuller, Captioner, WVU Accessibility Services
Dana Gray, WVU School of Medicine Grants Administrator
Dan Grossman, WVU Associate Professor of Economics
Nathan Harlan, WVU Executive Director, Office of Student Wellness
Stephanie House-Niamke, WVU Sociology PhD Candidate
Jason Lee, WVU Associate Professor of Art/Sculpture
Brian Lemme, WVU Environmental Health and Safety Specialist, Stormwater Specialist
Beth Ann McCormick, WVU Program Specialist, Department of Pathology
Annie McFarland, WVU Assistant Professor, Art Therapy + Therapeutic Arts
Jennifer Momen, WVU School of Medicine Program Director, Physicians Assistant Studies
Colleen Moretz, WVU Associate Professor of Fashion, Dress & Merchandising
Lemley Mullet, WVRHC Photo Manager
Misbah Muzaffer, WVU DDS Graduate, 2021
Renée Nicholson, Health and Humanities Scholar
Stewart Plein, WVRHC Curator of Rare Books and Printed Resources
Qazi Arka Rahman, PhD Candidate, Department of English
Michael Sherwin, WVU Professor of Photography
Jamie Shinn, Environmental Scholar
Frankie Tack, WVU Program Coordinator, Mental Health and Addiction Studies
Manuel Vallejo, WVU Associate Dean, Professor of Medical Education, Anesthesiology, Obstetrics & Gynecology
Ruth Yang, WVU BFA Graduate, 2021
Sheila Price, WVU School of Dentistry Professor and Associate Dean for Admissions, Recruitment, and Access
The exhibit panels can be found on the WVU Research Repository here.
The Retrospective draws from past exhibits, themes, and initiatives, including:
- Art in the Libraries Beginnings
- Looking at Appalachia, Looking at Morgantown
- Fractured Spaces: an exhibit by Lois Raimondo
- Hollow: an interactive documentary exhibit by Elaine McMillion Sheldon
- Permanent Installations of works by Betty Rivard, Max Hayslette, Bernie Peace
- Unseen, Unknown: An Augmented Reality Exhibit
- The Question stations by Sharon Ryan
- A Knowing Intimacy: Curated Exhibition of Women Photographers by Elaine McMillion Sheldon
- WVU’s Jackson Hole Photography Workshop: 10 years in the making
- The Divide: Raymond Thompson’s photo series documenting Appalachian prison visits
Student Projects in collaboration with the West Virginia & Regional History Center:
- Recovering the Classics: graphic design students redesign Appalachian book covers
- Painting students create paintings from WVRHC collections' photographs of Helen Holt
- Old Enough to Fight, Old Enough to Vote: public history students exhibit on 26th amendment
- Divergent Perspectives on Appalachia: history students exhibit on regional stereotypes
- After the Plague Years: history students exhibit on plagues throughout history
Evansdale Library exhibits:
- Community Engagement in Science through Art (CESTA) installations, 2017-19
- Ceramics club displays
- Permanent installations: Bernie Peace
- Fashion design and merchandising displays
- Face of Homelessness: exhibit of Kofi Opoku
- Student art displays: Ruth Yang, Patrick Bayly and more
- Passion & Obsession series: Gordon Gee’s ties, KISS memorabilia, classic toys, banjo heads, hammers, and more
Health Sciences exhibits:
- Life: Magnified back-lit images of cells
- Permanent installation of Allan Jones Photography
- Bodies of Truth: Art by Lacy Wallace
- People of Color in Healthcare in WV: History and Today
- Health Sciences Professional Create! Craftwork by Healthcare workers
- Excellence in Interprofessional Education Awards exhibits
- Addiction: photo series by Rebecca Kiger
- TRAUMA: a campus read inspired exhibit
- National Library of Medicine exhibits
Annual multi-disciplinary exhibits:
- Water
- Appalachian Futures
- Undefeated: Voting rights and suppression
- Food Justice in Appalachia
- Indigenous Appalachia
- Hacking the Library
Exhibit Awards:
- Annual Dean of the Libraries BFA Awards
- Faculty/Staff exhibit awards: Dime novels racialization, video games and identity, botanical literature, insect origami, sustainable fashion
- Graduate student exhibit awards: The Evolution of Microbial Ecology, Rectifying New Digital Record
Other Art in the Libraries’ Initiatives:
- First Morgantown Public Art Guide (in collaboration with the Art Museum of WVU, the Greater Morgantown Arts Council and ….)
- Online exhibitions
- Virtual program series
- Inclusive Portrait Project
- WV Murals by student painters
- International Games Day (partner)
- Art + Feminism Wikipedia Edit-a-thon (partner)
- Campus Menstrual Equity Coalition (partner)
- Art in the Libraries intern created exhibits: A Celebration of Chris Sarandon, the History of Banned Books, Laptop Art, and more
- WVU Press Exhibition Space
- WVU Libraries sticker
- Traveling exhibits
And more!
What ideas do you have for the future of our programs? Fill out this form or email Exhibits Coordinator Sally Brown with any thoughts.
This project is supported by:
This project is presented with financial assistance from the West Virginia Humanities Council, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations do not necessarily represent those of the West Virginia Humanities Council or the National Endowment for the Humanities.