Persistent Narratives within Campus Collections

Movements and stories appear and disappear throughout the human timeline, often transformed by subsequent generations. Many of these stories are shared through the lens of underrepresented populations or their allies, in a multitude of forms preserved by archives and collections such as those at the University of Missouri. 

Collective Voices includes art, archival, and textile objects from three campus collections - Missouri Historic Costume and Textile Collection, University Archives, and Special Collections – that reveal historically repeating narratives relevant to today: marginalized voices, Mizzou student activism, thoughtful citizenship, civil rights, political tensions, and climate & environmental concerns. These accounts, while simultaneously local, national and global, emerged as common themes shared across time. This exhibition is a gathering of these persistent narratives and an acknowledgement that so many voices still need representation and amplification within our campus collections and across cultural institutions.

[description from MHCTC]

The Missouri Historic Costume and Textile Collection also has an online exhibit, with a larger focus on the textiles used in Collective Voices. We hope you will enjoy both!