What's more important to the creative mind than art and literature?
With convenient accessibility to the internet and social media it is to common to forget about the wonders of tangible art and literature! Seeing an aesthetic picture is nice, listening to an e-book is convenient, yes, but it pales in comparison to the experience of interacting with an artwork or book in the round. We all have a core memory associated with a childhood book that has contributed to our appreciation of book arts or literature, in one way or another. Fairytales, graphic novels, historical fiction, if you can think of it, then chances are there is a book written about it that has encouraged a young reader at some point to love books. This is a universal experience! And we should cherish our relationships to art and literature; without them the world would be absent of hundreds of thousands of inspirational bodies of work.
Art and literature truly go hand in hand and here at MCLA's Freel Library this is an idea our Learning Resource Specialist, Laura Dear is very passionate about! Laura works diligently to curate book displays that feature themed content that vary from month to month. Each display celebrates relevant causes and holidays that MCLA students care about. For years Laura has created book displays for Women's History Month, Pride Month, Native American Heritage Month, and many more.
For the month of February, Laura has designed a beautiful display for Black History Month (BHM) featuring all kinds of genres, well-known and immerging writers, graphic novelists, and film makers.
She hand selects these materials not simply based on what the library has in their catalog, but with consideration of what books will spark the most engagement with the student body.
Each book in this month's display collection features a compelling story about the lived experiences of Black men and women, both fiction and non-fiction. Many of the selections are accompanied by visually compelling graphic designs on the cover; highlighting the overall creativity housed in the minds of all of the literary and illustrative artists being featured.
At the Freel Library, and all across the MCLA community there are dedicated students and admin working to make Black voices and stories more visible. Using the literary arts to accomplish this is just one way that students, staff, and faculty of color can have a way to feel seen and represented during BHM and throughout the rest of the year! What books written by Black authors or about the Black experience have inspired you? Will you share your own story someday? Here, at the Sm[ART] Commons Blog we would love to hear it.
From the inspirational mind of Laura Dear, "Stay Woke!"
Comments