A new exhibit opens at the Elmer L. Andersen Library on Friday, March 29, "Calling to Question: 150 Years of Liberal Arts Education at the University of Minnesota," part of a year-long celebration, "Shattering Expectations." The exhibit, created by the University of Minnesota Twin Cities Campus, College of Liberal Arts in conjunction with the University Libraries, was culled from the archives to bring forward the rich heritage and personal stories from this 150 year legacy.
The work of unearthing the human interest stories stored away in 208 boxes of CLA archives fell on one very dedicated graduate student in the Heritage Studies and Public History program, Noah Barth. He joins us here on Radio Gallery.
In curating the exhibit Barth focused on unique stories of moving and removing barriers and of questioning. A favorite is from 1969 about the first Ojibwe language teachers in the newly formed American Indian Studies Department.
Led by women who were not traditional academics but instead were seminal experts in the field, the Ojibwe language degree at the U of M today rests on the shoulders of these pioneering women. "These women really exemplify what it means to have a liberal education," says Barth.
"The exhibit explores the challenges they have faced. Through their struggles we see how liberal education promotes questioning as a way to strive for the betterment of the human condition." ~ Exhibit website
Fnd the exhibit on the West Bank of the U of M campus at the Elmer L. Andersen Library, March 4 through June 14. The opening reception with hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar is on Friday, March 29 at 6 p.m., with the curator talk by Noah Barth at 6:30.
