Sharing Stories of Community Resilience to Disasters: Designing a New Model for Collaborative Traveling Exhibits

FAIN: GE-278248-21

North Dakota State University (Fargo, ND 58102-1843)
Susanne Caro (Project Director: September 2020 to present)

A planning grant to support a traveling exhibition about natural disasters.

The purpose of obtaining this planning grant is to develop the exhibit that will cultivate diverse humanities discussions at different sites and test the feasibility of a collaborative approach for traveling exhibits. Project outcomes will include a four-panel physical display, a web presence for the exhibit that integrates the local content from each installation, a story map illustrating the exhibit’s evolution, and assessment data for this pilot project to inform future implementation.

Associated Products

Disasters; The Stories We Share (Exhibition)
Title: Disasters; The Stories We Share
Curator: Susanne Caro
Curator: Trista Raezer-Stursa
Curator: Chelsea Olmsted
Abstract: Disasters: The Stories We Share" is an experimental traveling exhibit where host content is integrated into the physical display as well as the website to build a broader narrative of disasters and the stories told to memorialize the events. The exhibit at North Dakota State University Library focuses on Staying Above Water; Fargo-Moorhead Floods. For over 100 years, Red River floods defined the cities and people who experienced the rising waters – not only due to the destruction, but the feelings and relationships developed during a time of restoration. Some areas may still show the wear and tear of the flood, but nearby restaurants, shops, and other small businesses are alive and bustling. The images in the exhibit show a community with some scars, but one that continued on strong. Those affected by the flood remember the experience in multiple ways including books, plays, and collections of photographs.
Year: 2022
Primary URL: https://disasterexhibit.org/
Primary URL Description: Disasterexhibit.org is a tool for exploring the nature of disasters, and how local communities respond to and remember these events. A story map illustrating the exhibit’s evolution and providing geographical context while linking viewers to additional resources and media.

Collaboration for History: Focused Exhibits (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: Collaboration for History: Focused Exhibits
Author: Susanne Caro, Trista Raezer-Stursa, Chelsea Olmsted
Abstract: This session explores and highlights the collaborative opportunities between libraries, archives, and museums. In 2022 Archivist Trista Raezer-Stursa (MSUM), Chelsea Olmsted (Legacy of the Lakes Museum), and librarian Susanne Caro (NDSU) collaborated on Staying Above Water; Fargo-Moorhead floods, an NEH funded exhibit. The exhibit presents different flood events and the community response as part of the larger exhibit Disasters; the stories we share. The panel will describe the collaborative process and how it benefited from a diversity of collections and experience. The session would also cover the inspiration behind the theme and motivation to collect and exhibit stories through a widely accessible platform. By asking participating sites to contribute their own local disaster narratives that became part of the community identity and shared history, the online ArcGIS map creates a new avenue of stories available at any computer user’s fingertips.
Date: 09/22/22
Conference Name: Northern Great Plains History Conference

Building a Traveling Exhibit (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: Building a Traveling Exhibit
Abstract: Hear how multiple libraries collaborated to create a traveling exhibit that highlights Government information collection materials. Speakers cover grant writing and obtaining a grant, planning and logistics, devising collaborations between libraries, sparking conversation and contemplation about historic events, and creating a multimedia experience. See how you can develop your own exhibit or find others to work with.
Author: Jen Kirk
Author: Susanne Caro
Author: Ben Chiewphasa
Date: 04/26/2023
Location: FDLP Academy
Primary URL: https://www.fdlp.gov/training/building-traveling-exhibit
Primary URL Description: Main page for the presentation Building a Traveling Exhibit

“Introduction to Disasters: Are Disasters Natural?” – Discussion with Columbia Climate School’s National Center for Disaster Preparedness (NCDP) (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: “Introduction to Disasters: Are Disasters Natural?” – Discussion with Columbia Climate School’s National Center for Disaster Preparedness (NCDP)
Abstract: In partnership with the National Center for Disaster Preparedness (NCDP), part of Columbia University’s Climate School, faculty and staff from NCDP will facilitate a session that will unpack the question of, “Are disasters natural?” They will present an introduction to disaster studies by focusing on different narratives of disasters as well as provide background on how disaster researchers and practitioners evaluate risks, disaster impacts, and inequities throughout the disaster lifecycle. This event is open to the public and no previous professional or academic work is necessary to participate in the discussion.
Author: Columbia Climate School’s National Center for Disaster Preparedness (NCDP)
Date: 10/11/2023
Location: Columbia University Libraries
Primary URL: http://library.columbia.edu/about/events.html#

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