From Traveling Libraries to Art Galleries: Women in Writing and the Arts
In the late 19th and early 20th century, women were some of the main forces promoting and operating traveling libraries or bookmobiles. These bookmobiles were a way for libraries to reach patrons in rural communities, who might have been otherwise unable to travel to libraries. This was a way to promote literacy and education. By providing patrons access to literature and information, these women empowered them to learn and educate themselves. By advocating for the existence of these mobile libraries, women were able to change the lives of those living in the rural communities they served.
Writing is one of the most common and influential forms of advocacy. What we write and how we write it has the power to change minds and opinions. Continue reading below to learn more about some of the women featured in our collections have harnessed the power of the pen to change the world.
One of the most famous writers associated with Virginia Tech (and one of the world's most famous African-American poets), Nikki Giovanni used her work to discuss topics such as racial and gender equality, hate-motivated violence, Appalachians and Affrilachians, and human relationships. Giovanni was one of the earliest authors to participate in the Black Arts Movement in the late 1960s, becoming a significant part member of the civil rights and Black power movements. She wrote about her views in an effort to change the world.
Click on the following highlighted text to hear an audio clip from an interview with Nikki Giovanni discussing political activism and the inherent politics of art: Nikki Giovanni Oral History
Special Collections and University Archives is home to the papers of Lucy Herndon Crockett, another female author who wrote to change the public opinion. Herndon Crockett, who served a five year tour of duty with the Red Cross, wrote and illustrated multiple books about her experiences during and after World War II. This illustration comes from a manuscript titled Spain: Land in Limbo, later published in 1957 as Kings Without Castles, detailing Crockett's experience as a traveler in the country.
Crockett also wrote and illustrated a number of other books, including Popcorn on the Ginza, an autobiographical book about her experiences in post-WWII Japan and an attempt to combat common American stereotypes and ignorance of the time.
Illustrations such as those in Crockett's books are an important, if often overlooked, form of advocacy. They can be representations of ideas, perspectives, and calls for change. As the saying goes, "a picture is worth 1,000 words."
Visual art often goes beyond the page. Below, you will find a selection of Hokie Birds painted by women as part of the local Gobble de Art program. These statues were sponsored by community organizations and members and represent different parts of life in Blacksburg and on Virginia Tech's campus.
Ruth White Fisher was a notable local artist and community figure. In addition to creating her own work, such as the oil painting series you can see below, Fisher worked with fellow artist Vance Miller to establish the Palette Gallery in 1961, the first art gallery in southwestern Virginia. The gallery opened and operated as a non-profit and allowed local artists to get their start selling their work, including P. Buckley Moss—the same Moss that Virginia Tech's Moss Arts Center is named after.
