Friday, March 5, 2004 11:57 AM CST
Queen Elizabeth I exhibit rules over EIU library
BY NATHANIEL WEST, Staff Writer
CHARLESTON -- Forget the Windsors, the Saxe-Coburg-Gothas, the Hanoverians and the Stuarts.
At Eastern Illinois University's Booth Library, the Tudors are the reigning British royal family these days. And king -- or rather, queen -- among them is Elizabeth I, the feature of a rare exhibit which opened Thursday.
"We're very fortunate to have this exhibit," said Allen Lanham, dean of library services.
The centerpiece of the exhibit is a six-panel display titled "Elizabeth I: Ruler and Legend," on loan from Chicago's Newberry Library Center for Renaissance Studies, which details the life and times of Queen Elizabeth I.
A mere 40 libraries in the nation will host the exhibit, and the Booth Library is the only one in Illinois (aside from the Newberry Library, of course) to receive it, said Lanham.
Part of the reason EIU's proposal to acquire the exhibit was approved, he added, was the university's promise to initiate a host of programs to supplement the exhibit -- programs that involve the community of Charleston and Coles County, in addition to the university's population.
Among those supplements are nine different displays created by the university to accompany the exhibit, located in the Gothic north foyer of the library.
"We're hoping we get a lot of turnout for it," said Bob Hillman, university archivist and one of the main architects of the display about the art from the time of the Tudors, Elizabeth's family.
Lanham said the university has already recruited numerous schools to view the exhibit, which will run until April 16. Additionally, area libraries have made their own displays about Elizabeth in conjunction with the EIU exhibit.
"We pledged ... we would reach out into the community," said Lanham.
'Remarkable historical figure'
The traveling exhibit was created in collaboration with the American Library Association Public Programs Office, and made possible through major grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, with additional support from the Vance Family Fund and the University of Illinois at Chicago.
It is based upon a major exhibition of the same name mounted by the Newberry Library in 2003 to commemorate the reign of Queen Elizabeth I on the 400th anniversary of her death. The Newberry Library is an independent humanities research facility.
"Elizabeth I was a remarkable historical figure, and the Elizabethan Age is filled with many fascinating topics of interest to audiences of all ages," said Lanham in a press release. "Through the exhibit and library programs, our community will learn more about the woman who became a monarch at 25 and exerted such a strong influence in government, religion, the arts and the exploration of the world."
At the beginning of Elizabeth's reign in 1558, many questioned whether a woman could rule England. But during nearly 45 years on the throne, most historians agree, Elizabeth won her subjects' allegiance through wise decisions, courage in the face of conflict, and skill in maintaining a strong public image.
Historians further claim Elizabeth's accomplishments as queen were many.
When she came to the throne, she immediately took action to create a reliable government. She adopted a moderate stance toward religious practices within the broad framework of English Protestantism.
In continuing conflicts with Spain, Elizabeth prevailed, winning respect and admiration for vanquishing the Spanish Armada in 1588. Her fiery character was apparent in a passionate speech to her soldiers in which she resolved to live and die amongst them as they prepared to battle the great Spanish fleet.
'To gain insight'
All of the Queen Elizabeth I programs at the EIU library are free and open to the public.
Subsequent events planned for the month of March include a performance by Eastern's Symphonic Wind Ensemble at 3 p.m. Sunday in the McAfee Auditorium. Featured selections will include music from the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book of William Byrd.
Faculty members from Eastern's College of Arts and Humanities will facilitate an interdisciplinary discussion of both the distinctiveness and the relevance to today's society of Elizabeth I and her times at 7 p.m. March 8, in Lumpkin Hall, room 2030 (the auditorium).
The 1937 film, "Fire Over England," starring Flora Robson as Queen Elizabeth, Laurence Olivier, Raymond Massey and Vivian Leigh, will be shown at 7 p.m. March 10 in Booth Library, room 4440.
A second faculty panel will consider "Women of Power, Women of Culture: Elizabeth's Medieval Heritage," at 7 p.m. March 11 in Buzzard Auditorium, room 1501. Bailey Young, history, will offer historical background, while Bonnie Irwin, English, will discuss Shahrazad and her role as a feminist icon in Arabia. Francine McGregor, English, will share her research into women and romance, while Timothy Shonk, English, will discuss how women were depicted in medieval manuscripts.
According to Lanham, the real "coup" of the overall exhibit programming will be the 7 p.m. March 22 debate, in Buzzard Auditorium, between two preeminent Elizabethan scholars. Carole Levin, professor of history at the University of Nebraska, and Robert Bucholz, associate professor of history at Loyala University in Chicago, will argue whether Queen Elizabeth I, or her successor a hundred years later, Queen Anne, was the greatest queen of England.
There are other events to follow the reign of the exhibit, including the staging of William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" by the EIU theatre program April 21-25 at the Village Theatre in Charleston. Shakespeare was a contemporary of Elizabeth I.
According to Bradley Tolppanen, librarian and co-chairman of the exhibit, the displays and the programming comprise "an excellent opportunity for the students to learn the period, and gain insight to the Elizabethan age."
Contact Nathaniel West at nwest@jg-tc.com or 238-6860.
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