Hear the voices of the Women’s Center in a new exhibit at the Libraries

The NC State Women’s Center is celebrating its thirtieth year. The Hill Library’s Innovation Studio opened barely a year ago. The nascent Libraries space helps honor one of our campus’ hallowed ones with an interactive exhibit and event on Wednesday, March 30 from 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.

Featuring a wealth of audio interviews, the Women’s Center exhibit “Our Stories Matter: Redefining HERstory and the Meaning of Empowerment Through the Times” highlights women who have paved the way for others by breaking barriers, opening the doors of possibility, and inspiring students to make a change. 

During the opening night of the exhibit, an intergenerational panel will share their perspectives on the past, present, and future of the Women’s Center. The Libraries’ Special Collections Research Center will display rarely-seen materials from their archive of Women's Center materials, such as event flyers and  articles from the Technician and other campus media. The opening night event is free and open to the public and takes place in both the Innovation Studio and the North Forum in the Hill Library.

“The Innovation Studio provides interactive tables that allow information to be displayed in a visual and auditory style,” says Bri Elum, assistant director for the Women’s Center. “We thought this collaboration would allow us to tell our story in an innovative manner.”

The interviews highlight the stories of impactful women from the past, present and future who have contributed to the advancement of the Women’s Center’s work. They also give an idea of how Women’s Center figures have spread across campus over the years. Voices include Angela Gay-Audre, current assistant director of the African American Cultural Center and a former assistant director at the Women’s Center; Zakiaya Covington, current academic success coordinator for TRIO Collegiate Programs and former Women’s Center student programming intern; and Dani Dalton, currently in Student Leadership and Engagement after serving as Women’s Center student programming intern.

In addition to these first-hand stories, the exhibit will remain on display on the tables at the Innovation Studio until July 31. Table themes include “Herstory at NC State: Women's Integration into the Wolfpack,” “Programs by Women for Women,” and “Storytelling: Lived Experiences of Powerful Women.”

“The library staff's knowledge, skills, and awareness around research and curation played a pivotal role in telling the story of the impactful work of women and the Women's Center on NC State's Campus,” Elum says. “Having physical and digital artifacts allowed us to honor the past, celebrate the present and envision the future.”