There’s a wonderful exhibit (actually two wonderful exhibits) at the Hillstrom Museum of art, just down the hall from the Book Mark. One of them, Come On! American Posters from World War I, is close to our hearts for two reasons. One, the posters are from the College Archives. Two, the exhibit brochure, commentary, and general arrangement are the fruit of a Presidential Faculty-Student Collaboration Grant undertaken by Laura Behling (English) and student Chelsea Kramer – and we’re always excited about research done by our students and faculty.
Take the time to experience these posters and to read the informative commentary. As the exhibit brochure says,
though these posters may seem but a quaint reminder of a different time, for a United States that now finds itself engaged on the battlefields of Kabul and Kandahar, Basra and Baghdad, they can offer us perspective. They ask their audience to consider the rhetoric and practice of humanitarianism within war, and to examine the nature of sacrifice and democracy. They ask us to regard the relationship between art and politics, and to bear in mind the enormous expenses of battle – measured in money and life . . . On balance, these American posters from World War I give us liberty to contemplate our patriotism, our nationalism, and our humanity.
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