About the Exhibit
“A picture is worth a thousand words.” Visual Storytelling: The Art Behind the Archives explores the truth behind that statement. Visuals have been a part of storytelling since early human civilizations. From cave drawings and Greek vases to photographs and film, visuals are an important aspect of how humans tell stories. Visuals have offered people a universal way to communicate, connect, and share ideas.
This exhibit examines visual storytelling in the archives from various mediums, including cartoons, comics, advertisements, public art, and music. Archives are often considered places for old documents. They are seen as places filled with paper covered in words. This exhibit offers a different side to the archives. It highlights the multitude of visuals that can be found and their role in storytelling.
Visual Storytelling: The Art Behind the Archives uses materials from a variety of collections in the archives including the Comic Books collection, Southern Visual Storytelling collection, the Alan Dion Collection of comic books and comic art, Maria Helena Dolan papers, the Wayne Daniel Collection, Great Speckled Bird, 19th– and Early 20th-Century Labor Prints, Jeff Cornett papers, and more.
This exhibit hopes to showcase the significance of visual storytelling to history and archives’ efforts to preserve the historical record.
To see the physical exhibit, visit the Exhibit Gallery on the 8th floor of Library South.
Exhibit created by
- Michelle Viard, Student Ambassador
- Brittany Newberry, Music and Pop-Culture Archivist
- Michelle Asci, Illustrator Designer
- Hilary Morrish, WordPress Designer
- Lydia Brown, Reference Archivist