Browse Exhibits (39 total)
CENSORED: Wielding the Red Pen
Books, films, music, and works of art have been suppressed, altered, expurgated, bleeped, blackened, cut, burned, or bowdlerized. Writers and artists have been imprisoned, fined, fired, or silenced. Wearing many masks, censorship has appeared in our living rooms under the names "national security," "classification," and "selective inclusion." Books have been removed from shelves or never been published at all. Artistic visions have been circumscribed or lost. Scientific and official state documents, positing objectivity, have not remained immune from the red pen. Cloaked in the voice of authority, they have advanced particular viewpoints and biases to the extent that other voices have been silenced. In a context where the Bible has been censored, dictionaries edited, and histories rewritten, we have all been affected on a daily level. Even in the new millennium, we confront the censorship debate. On computer screens throughout the world, questions regarding access to information on the Internet are defining the next battleground for the debate about freedom of speech.
This exhibition hopes not so much to judge censors and censorship but instead to provoke questions. Every day some form of censorship occurs in the United States. This prevalence of the red pen in a country founded on the Bill of Rights suggests that most people consider some things or ideas too dangerous or offensive to be made widely available. Is there a line in the sand? And if so, where do you stand? Where are your limits of tolerance? As you move through the exhibition, we invite you to consider whether or not there are restrictions which you might impose on the First Amendment. Are there situations in which you might support the suppression of materials or ideas? Note, also, the silence which accompanies your journey through the exhibition, a poignant reminder of the voices suppressed through the ages.
"An Army of 100,000,000" Celebrating 100 Years of Government Information at U.Va.
The U.S. federal government depository library program distributes government publications to libraries which make the information available to the public and assist with its use. Alderman Library was designated a federal depository library in 1910 – a more exact date is lost to history.
Shortly after Alderman became a depository World War I broke out. Through publications and posters the federal government promoted support for our Allies and a spirit of sacrifice on the part of every American. The Committee of Public Information (CPI) commissioned, and the Government Printing Office (GPO) printed and distributed posters, thrift flyers, educational materials, ads for Liberty Bonds, and other materials to encourage the “Army of 100,000,000” that would eventually win the war. Posters and publications promoted and supported women’s and workers’ roles in the war effort, Liberty and Victory Loan drives, and food and fuel conservation. While some of these propaganda efforts were crude, brutal, and racist, others truly inspired a feeling among Americans that “we are all in this together.” The mission of the federal depository library program is to preserve all of these publications. Many, though not all, of the materials in this exhibit are drawn directly from the Alderman federal depository collection.
From Village to Grounds: Architecture after Jefferson at the University of Virginia
The University of Virginia has presented the same challenge to many eminent architects: how does one build on a masterpiece? As the University has grown, Jefferson's architectural ideals have been tried and tested, adapted and interpreted. This exhibition explores the wide range of solutions to the architectural and planning problems posed by adding to a growing university. From the picturesque of the 19th century, to the classicism of McKim, Mead & White, to the modernism of the 20th and 21st centuries, architecture at the University of Virginia reflects national trends and responds to Jefferson's unique vision.