Milner Library, in collaboration with campus and community partners, will hold a variety of events in conjunction with the Pressing Plants exhibit. Pressing Plants, available through November 10, features selections from the Vasey Herbarium, artworks created by Illinois State University faculty, and selections from the Library’s collections, all inspired by nature. Explore stories brought to you by plants and people told through centuries’ old books, plant specimens, and works of contemporary artists. Pressing Plants invites visitors to discover an engaging and reflective botanical confluence of interests through the lens of botany, history, and art. All events are free and open to the entire community.
Pressing Plants events
Pressing Plants Exhibit Reception
Tuesday, October 1
4:30 p.m.
Milner Library, main floor
Light refreshments provided
A Confluence of Botanical Interests Panel Discussion
Eric Godoy, Department of Philosophy, will moderate a free public panel discussion with contributors to Milner Library’s Pressing Plants fall exhibition. Faculty from the School of Biological Sciences, Department of History, School of Art and Milner Library will share insights and perspectives on plants and their transdisciplinary influence on art, place and history.
Tuesday, October 1
5 p.m.
Milner Library, main floor
Panel participants
- Joe Armstrong, professor emeritus, School of Biological Sciences
- Angela Bonnell, associate professor, Milner Library
- Eric Godoy (moderator), assistant professor, Department of Philosophy
- Jin Lee, professor, Wonsook Kim School of Art
- Melissa Oresky, professor, Wonsook Kim School of Art
- Keith Pluymers, assistant professor, Department of History
After John Wesley Powell: ISNU and the Foundations of State-Supported Scientific Research
Tuesday, October 8
4:30 p.m.
Milner Library, main floor
Presented by: Bill Kemp, McLean County Museum of History librarian
In the half-decade or so after the Civil War, John Wesley Powell served as curator for an impressive natural history museum on the Illinois State Normal University campus. After Powell left the Normal campus—becoming in the process the famed explorer and defender of the arid lands of the American West—the museum, under the guidance of Stephen Alfred Forbes and others, became a pioneering center for biological research and education. As such, ISNU played an indispensable role in the formation of the Illinois Natural History Survey and other state-supported science programs.
About Milner Library Exhibits Program
Milner Library’s Exhibits Program provides a platform for campus and community partners to host and present diverse works of art, science, and culture. Milner Library pursues informative, interactive, and educational programs that support the University’s educational mission and reflect our vibrant community. View the entire fall exhibit lineup.
If you need an accommodation to fully participate in any events, please contact Erin Link. Please allow sufficient time to arrange the accommodation.
