Uncommon Plants from Our Unique Places. Images of the Great Lakes Gardens
January 11 - March 1, 2020
Matthaei Botanical Gardens
With its plants and habitats, the Great Lakes Gardens at the University of Michigan Matthaei Botanical Gardens celebrate the natural history of the region. As part of the winter 2020 LSA theme semester, the exhibition "Uncommon Plants" offered a rare glimpse of the diverse plant life and ecosystems of the Great Lakes through the lens of photographer Laura Mueller. Mueller's photos capture a side of the region beyond water to show how plants play an integral role in the complex web of life in and around the Great Lakes.
Waterways to Motorways: Traversing the Great Lakes
January 9 - March 9, 2020
Clark Library
The Stephen S. Clark Library’s exhibit, Waterways to Motorways: Traversing the Great Lakes, was a visual tribute to the famed lakes, celebrating their unique role in the history and development of the surrounding areas. The exhibit delved into the history of exploration and cartography in the Great Lakes, allowing audiences to witness the changing depictions of the lakes through historical maps. Similarly, the exhibit examined the modern role of tourism and motorized travel through pictorial and road maps, as well as artistically explored the lakes themselves.
Cooking Around the Great Lakes
February 11, 2020
Hatcher Graduate Library, Special Collections
Strawberry shortcake, Chili Mac, and buttered parsnips: these and many other delights from the Great Lakes region, were showcased at the Special Collections Research Center. On display was a tasty selection of 20th century charity and heritage cookbooks from the states surrounding the Great Lakes: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. They even snuck in a few examples from the Canadian side of the border!
The Great Lakes in Children's Literature
March 10, 2020
Hatcher Graduate Library, Special Collections
This exhibit ecnouraged visitors to look at the Great Lakes region through the eyes of Michigan children’s authors, including Tom Pohrt, Nancy Willard, and Joan Blos. In addition to published works, it also displayed selected archival materials and artwork.
The Great Lakes represent the largest body of freshwater in the world and are surrounded by diverse ecosystems and communities, from the rust belt steel mills that sit on Indiana's sand dunes to the protected forests of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Nonetheless, from Western New York to Eastern Minnesota, to grow up in the Great Lakes region means to grow up anchored to a landscape shaped by water, and to a social and economic environment built on a history of using (and often abusing) this abundant water source.
Survivor: The Long Journey of Lake Sturgeon
Winter Semester, 2020
Museum of Natural History
Lake sturgeon are a uniquely meaningful species in the Great Lakes and a vital part of the ecosystem. Historically common, but endangered by human encroachment and exploitation, the species is being revived through successful partnerships in environmental restoration. This exhibit encouraged visitors to explore the many facets of this fascinating ancient species, and visit with live juvenile sturgeon in the gallery fishtank.
