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 will illustrate and celebrate eight years of exhibits and programs across the three Morgantown campus libraries, showcasing their scope and impact on the campus and community. The exhibit will expose and engage 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.
The programming and display will 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. From addressing environmental concerns to exploring food justice, ethics, voting, healthcare, contemporary art, literature and beyond, this exhibit promises to explore a broad spectrum of pertinent subjects. It represents the best of the Art in the Libraries initiative and celebrates the impact on the campus, community, and beyond.
A multi-disciplinary panel discussion will celebrate the exhibition including panelists: Renee Nicholson (WVU Humanities Center), Joshua Lohnes (WVU Food Justice Network), Nicole Fuller (WVU Office of Accessibility Services), Jason Lee (WVU Sculpture), Danielle Emerling (WVRHC Government Archives), Lara Farina (WVU English), and Beth Royall (WVU Libraries Arts Librarian).
The Retrospective will draw from the following past exhibits, themes, and initiatives:
- 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!
Were you part of any of these projects, or did you attend? We’d love to hear from you about your experience. Fill out this form or email Exhibits Coordinator Sally Brown with any reflections on why art in the libraries is important to you and/or your community.
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.