Exhibition Assembled by Museum Studies Students on View at Karpeles Museum
Students from the museum studies graduate certificate program have assembled Selections from The Madeline Davis Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Archives at Buffalo State College, an exhibition of documents showcasing the GLBT movement in Western New York and Southern Ontario. The exhibition is on display at the Karpeles Manuscript Library, 220 North Street, through July 10. The public is invited to a free reception, Friday, June 3, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Under the direction of Nancy Weekly, head of collections and the Charles Cary Rumsey curator, Burchfield Penney Art Center, and lecturer of museum studies, History and Social Studies Education, 14 graduate students divided into five groups, each focusing on a different aspect of Davis’s archives—donated to E.H. Butler Library’s Archives and Special Collections in November 2009.
“The students chose what interested them in the collection to be their focus,” said Weekly. “They really dug their teeth into this project. They had a lot of freedom to form their own ideas on how to exhibit the objects, which led to a unique way of designing the exhibition.”
Subgroups of the exhibition were based on the students’ study of the archives and their own interests and talents: “Empowerment and Community” focused on the documentation of activism; contrasting documents formed “Love and Acceptance Versus Hate and Discrimination”; the literature of “Regional Support Groups” were collected; legal papers with a focus on “Employment Discrimination” were investigated; and the project was promoted through a Facebook page, press release, and brochure.
Buffalo State’s Archives and Special Collections was entrusted to preserve Davis's archives—a valuable piece of Western New York history. The archives house records and manuscripts from more than 50 diverse organizations.
According to archivist Daniel DiLandro, most of the materials are unique and not accessible via the Internet, which makes the Archives and Special Collections a valuable resource at Buffalo State.
“We try to focus on collections that will benefit the university and the students,” said DiLandro. “Focusing on local and Buffalo State history sets E. H. Butler Library apart from other area libraries—especially now, with the GLBT collection.”
Weekly believes the Buffalo State archives are a great resource for the community and that the GLBT archives are just the “tip of the iceberg” for anyone interested in historical documents. “It’s special to have a place that helps preserve Western New York history in addition to national history—it’s all here, in one place.”
The Karpeles Manuscript Museum is open Tuesday–Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. For more information about the archives, visit E.H. Butler Library Archives and Special Collections. For more information about the exhibit, visit the exhibit's Facebook page.
Under the direction of Nancy Weekly, head of collections and the Charles Cary Rumsey curator, Burchfield Penney Art Center, and lecturer of museum studies, History and Social Studies Education, 14 graduate students divided into five groups, each focusing on a different aspect of Davis’s archives—donated to E.H. Butler Library’s Archives and Special Collections in November 2009.
“The students chose what interested them in the collection to be their focus,” said Weekly. “They really dug their teeth into this project. They had a lot of freedom to form their own ideas on how to exhibit the objects, which led to a unique way of designing the exhibition.”
Subgroups of the exhibition were based on the students’ study of the archives and their own interests and talents: “Empowerment and Community” focused on the documentation of activism; contrasting documents formed “Love and Acceptance Versus Hate and Discrimination”; the literature of “Regional Support Groups” were collected; legal papers with a focus on “Employment Discrimination” were investigated; and the project was promoted through a Facebook page, press release, and brochure.
Buffalo State’s Archives and Special Collections was entrusted to preserve Davis's archives—a valuable piece of Western New York history. The archives house records and manuscripts from more than 50 diverse organizations.
According to archivist Daniel DiLandro, most of the materials are unique and not accessible via the Internet, which makes the Archives and Special Collections a valuable resource at Buffalo State.
“We try to focus on collections that will benefit the university and the students,” said DiLandro. “Focusing on local and Buffalo State history sets E. H. Butler Library apart from other area libraries—especially now, with the GLBT collection.”
Weekly believes the Buffalo State archives are a great resource for the community and that the GLBT archives are just the “tip of the iceberg” for anyone interested in historical documents. “It’s special to have a place that helps preserve Western New York history in addition to national history—it’s all here, in one place.”
The Karpeles Manuscript Museum is open Tuesday–Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. For more information about the archives, visit E.H. Butler Library Archives and Special Collections. For more information about the exhibit, visit the exhibit's Facebook page.
Media Contact:
Lindsay Hawkins, Public Relations Student Assistant | 7168784201 | hawkinla01@mail.buffalostate.edu