Current Exhibits
Gardening in Greensboro
April 15 - September 1, 2013
Greensboro has a number of garden clubs that work to keep the area beautiful and to encourage interest in gardening. These clubs have helped Greensboro Beautiful with the creation of the Greensboro Arboretum and the Bicentennial Park. They also hold events throughout the year, including workshops, flower arrangement displays, a home and garden tour, and a Christmas tree decorating contest.
Two such clubs-- the Sedgefield Garden Club (est. 1953) and the Tar Heel Garden Club (est. 1954)-- have donated their records, photographs, and scrapbooks to the Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives. Materials from both collections make up this exhibit. The exhibit focuses on the volunteer work and flower arrangements that have made up the bulk of the clubs' activities.
The exhibit is located in the Elliott University Center Connector case.
“A fine suit of clothes:” American Publishers’ Bindings, 1880-1920: A Progressive Exhibition
March 18 - August 30, 2013
Have you ever considered how artistic trends have influenced the design of book covers? Drawing on its extensive collection of American publisher bindings, Special Collections and University Archives has mounted an exhibit highlighting the “golden age” of book cover art before the advent of dust jackets. With the display of over a hundred covers, this exhibit reveals the strong and persistent influence of the Arts and Crafts movement and Art Nouveau. Along with offering a study of artistic and publishing trends in the late nineteenth century, the exhibit also encourages the rediscovery of a number of influential women designers such as Amy Sacker, Sarah Whitman, and Bertha Stuart.
Given the richness of the collection and the topic, the curators will be rotating content and introducing new topics and artists throughout the exhibit’s six month installation. This “progressive” exhibit approach offers the viewer the opportunity to return to discover new items and make new connections. The exhibit is located in the Hodges Reading Room and is open to the public Monday through Friday (9-5). In addition to the physical exhibit, the exhibit team also encourages people to access UNCG’s online digital collection of American Publishers’ Trade Bindings.
What They Were Wearing While They Were Reading: 1940s
January 22 - May 15, 2013
The events of the 1940s utterly transformed the foundations of American society. Impelled by World War II, the influx of immigrants fleeing Europe and the relocation of American soldiers to European and Asian war fronts led to the dissemination of new ideas, encouraged technological innovation, and altered traditional gender roles within American culture.
Forcing the United States from isolationism on to the world stage, WWII motivated the advancements of science and technology to support the war effort, both in terms of enhanced weaponry and modernized medicine. On the home front, the availability of automated home appliances liberated women to fill jobs previously only performed by men who had left to war, subsequently changing the overall structure of the American family.
With the return of service personnel at the end of the war, the repercussions of these changes were not fully understood. As the population began to recognize it could not restore its pre-war way of life, the conflict arising from the realization continued into the following decades.
This collaborative exhibit of clothing, artifacts, photographs, posters, and books is presented by Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections & University Archives and Dr. James V. Carmichael, Library and Information Studies Department, UNCG. The exhibit is housed across from the reference desk on the main level of Jackson Library.
Spartan Evolution: A History of Basketball on the UNCG Campus from the 1890s to Today
February 25, 2013 - April 15, 2013
From its founding in 1891 as the State Normal and Industrial School, the school now known as UNCG emphasized physical activity and personal health. A new exhibit from the Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives explores the introduction and evolution of basketball on campus from the 1890s to today. Featuring images ranging from the women of the Athletic Association in 1900 to current head coaches Wes Miller and Wendy Palmer, this exhibit highlights key events and people in the development of intramural and intercollegiate basketball on campus.
The exhibit is housed next to the reference desk on the main level of Jackson Library. An online exhibit features additional information as well as a number of images used in the exhibit.