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Sam Fox School of Design's Visual Arts students work in the MFA Illustration's Visual Culture’s Roxanne H. Frank Design Studio
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John M. Olin Library, Level 1, Kagan Grand Stair

Illustrated History: Selections from the MFA-IVC Students’ Work in Special Collections

The Illustrated History exhibition presents selected works from the Master of Fine Arts in Illustration and Visual Culture (MFA-IVC) students’ digital exhibitions completed as a part of their Exhibition & Engagement course requirement this spring.

Students gather around an open, floor-to-ceiling exhibitions display case outside of the Olin Library Julian Edison Department of Special Collections.
MFA-IVC students installing the physical portion of their exhibitions outside of Olin Library’s Julian Edison Department of Special Collections.
Students discussing exhibition material placement in front of an open, floor-to-ceiling exhibitions display case.
MFA-IVC students discuss material placement for the physical installation of their exhibitions.

The class focuses on the planning and development of exhibitions and programs that serve as a critical form of scholarly investigation and as a vehicle for public engagement in special collections practice. Students participating in the class conduct research with materials from the Dowd Illustration Research Archive and organize exhibitions to gain an understanding of practical and theoretical issues related to studying and displaying collections.

Digital Exhibitions from the MFA-IVC Illustrated History Exhibition

Select from the following image block links to explore the digital versions of individual exhibitions from the Master of Fine Arts in Illustration and Visual Culture (MFA-IVC) students’ Illustrated History exhibition.

Image card for the American Orientalism exhibition. The image depicts a comic book page.
American Orientalism Digital Exhibition
Image card for the The Anti-Semitic Roots of Modern Monsters exhibition. The image is the movie poster for A. Merritt's 1962 film Burn Witch Burn.
The Anti-Semitic Roots of Modern Monsters Digital Exhibition
Image card for the Conflicting Narratives exhibition. The image is a news article titled "The Girls I Knew."
Conflicting Narratives Digital Exhibition
Image card for the Flying High exhibition. The image is from a Holiday magazine page with the words "Said Cleveland, 'Let's Celebrate'" and an illustration of airplanes depicted.
Flying High Digital Exhibition
Image card for the From Morals to Mirth exhibition; image shows two, small illustrated people standing on plate holding a knife and fork, respectively, with a "Table Manners" poem on the side.
From Morals to Mirth Digital Exhibition
Image card for the "Give Romance a Chance!" exhibition. Image is of a newspaper with the heading: Directory of Active Clubs.
“Give Romance a Chance!” Digital Exhibition
A mother with children looks into the camera from behind a service desk.
Gordon Parks: Looking Through LIFE Digital Exhibition
Image card for the "No Boyfriend? Skip One Turn" Gender Representation in Board Games exhibition. The image is of the 1960 Barbie Queen of the Prom Game by Mattel.
“No Boyfriend? Skip One Turn” Digital Exhibition
Image card for the Parenting Through Picture Books exhibition. The image shows the front cover art of Pinocchio with Geppetto painting the details on a wooden boy.
Parenting Through Picture Books Digital Exhibition
Image card for the The Purpose and Meaning Behind Grotesques in Medieval Europe 5th-15th Century exhibition. Image is of a page from an illustrated manuscript depicting Mary with the infant Jesus meeting the three wise men.
The Purpose and Meaning Behind Grotesques in Medieval Europe 5th-15th Century Digital Exhibition
Image card for the Queer Comics of the Underground exhibition. The image is of a Gay Comix no. 7 comic cover featuring a male fairy with wings sitting in front of an angry father who exclaims "Not my son! No son of mine could be a fairy!" while a worried mother's thought bubble laments "I thought he was just a sensitive boy."
Queer Comics of the Underground Digital Exhibition
Image for the Tales Not By Sight exhibition; image shows Hansel and Gretel wandering the woods.
Tales Not by Sight Digital Exhibition
Image card for the Things Terrible and Unguessable exhibition. The image shows a woman cautiously creeping down stairs with a lit candle.
Things Terrible and Unguessable Digital Exhibition