Leaders and Heroes 2: The Arts is Special Collections’ newest digital exhibit, curated by Courtney Gillie and John Henry Adams. A continuation of the 2020 exhibit Leaders and Heroes, we continue to spotlight art, articles, and monographs by historically excluded people. Starting with the LGBTQIA icon Sappho, the exhibit was created to reflect the openly diverse world we live in now. Explore beautiful, hand-crafted wood engravings in Shall we join the ladies? and then dive into the community and culture that expelled Japanese American families built in Tanforan Racetrack horse stalls in Citizen 13660.

Leaders and Heroes exist in good times and bad. Pulling from Mizzou’s many libraries on campus, our further reading section is full of primary and secondary sources for additional contextual information on the history and identity of each fascinating creator featured in Leaders & Heroes 2. We hope you will be entertained by the wit of William Woo and Zora Neale Hurston, moved by the art of Miné Okubo and the Kiowa 5, then inspired by the poetry of Sappho and relentless writings of Lydia Maria Child to advocate yourself.