Library exhibit shows novel's journey since 1945

Dr. Emily VanDette and reference librarian Dawn Eckenrode admire the Richard Wright book cover exhibit that will be stopping at Fredonia for a visit until April 14. Curator Dr. Howard Rambsy will be speaking at several venues on campus April 14.

“Visualizing Richard Wright,” an exhibit of engaging book covers that showcase the unique publishing history of “Black Boy,” a seminal autobiography on race relations in the United States, is now open at Daniel Reed Library at SUNY Fredonia.

The existence of 10 different covers to market the book since its original publication in 1945 through 2006 offers insights into U.S. history, according to Dr. Howard Rambsy, of Southern Illinois University and the exhibit’s curator. For more than 60 years, publishers altered the packaging of the book to make it more appealing to new generations of readers.

“The exhibit appeals on many levels, but mostly for its visual representation of cultural change,” explained Dr. Emily VanDette, assistant professor of English at SUNY Fredonia. “It allows observers to witness, first-hand, how a single text is interpreted and reinterpreted, given shifts in political and cultural climates in this country.”

One of the more illuminating covers from the 1963 edition depicts nothing more than a raised black fist signifying the Black Power movement. “To me, that’s the most powerful book cover in the collection and the one that most clearly resonates with a particular cultural moment,” Dr. VanDette noted.

Another cover from a vastly different era, 1951, depicts a collective victimization of the main figure, a young black boy.

“I think it’s a wonderful collaboration between the library and English Department,” Dawn Eckenrode, reference/instruction librarian at Reed, said of the display. “It’s a great location for this type of exhibit since it focuses on literary history.”

Mr. Wright was the author of powerful, sometimes controversial novels, short stories and non-fiction. This book examines in great detail his troubled youth and race relations in the South. He also wrote “Native Son” and “The Outsider.”

Dr. VanDette was able to bring the exhibit to SUNY Fredonia through ties with Dr. Rambsy, a colleague from the graduate school at The Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Rambsy prepared the exhibit and companion presentation for a national conference held in Mississippi to commemorate the centennial of Mr. Wright’s birthday. Each cover is reproduced on 2-by-3 foot placards and is currently mounted in the Friends of Reed Library Lounge.

“I asked him if we could get him to share his work with us here at Fredonia, and he was eager to do that,” Dr. VanDette recalled. “Similar centennial events are being held on campuses throughout the United States, so we were excited to make something happen here.”  The exhibit is so impressive that Mr. Wright’s daughter asked that it be included in an international conference to be held in France, but it had already been promised to SUNY Fredonia.

Dr. Rambsy will speak at several venues during an April 14 campus visit. His formal presentation, “Visualizing Richard Wright,” will be given in the Japanese Garden Room at Reed Library at 4 p.m. He will attend a brown-bag luncheon, to feature readings from Mr. Wright’s “12 Million Black Voices,” at the library and also meet with students during English classes that morning.