Exhibition in Memorial Library lobby explores Polish “phenomenon of solidarity”
A unique exhibition of historical images documenting the Solidarity movement in Poland is on display in the main lobby of Memorial Library on the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus until July 24, 2012.
July 3–July 24, 2012
Main lobby, Memorial Library
728 State Street
M–F, 8:00 a.m.–9:45 p.m.
Weekend, 10:00 a.m.–9:45 p.m.
No cost, open to the public with library visitor’s pass
“The Phenomenon of ‘Solidarity’: Pictures from the History of Poland 1980–1981,” is organized by the Institute of National Remembrance in Warsaw, Poland, and commemorates the 30th anniversary of the founding of the movement and highlights formative moments in its history, such as the strikes of August 1980 and the enforcement of martial law in December of 1981.
The traveling exhibition has been shown at universities, government institutions and foundations throughout the United States and Canada. Its time in Madison is the final stop before returning to Poland in August 2012. The Center for Russia, East Europe, and Central Asia (CREECA) and the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the Polish Heritage Club–Madison sponsored the Madison showing.
“The exhibition in Madison on the Solidarity movement is very timely,” notes CREECA director Yoshiko M. Herrera. “The recent mass protests and government turnovers in the Middle East have been compared to 1989 in Eastern Europe, and one of the leading political movements taking a stand against authoritarianism and the erosion of civil liberties in Russia today calls itself ‘Solidarnost,’ taking its name directly from the Solidarity movement in Poland. ‘The Phenomenon of Solidarity’ will undoubtedly enrich our understanding not only of Poland’s extraordinary history and society but also of other important unfolding events around the world.”
For more information on this and other CREECA events, call 608-262-3379 or send an email to info@creeca.wisc.edu.
For more information about accessing the exhibition at Memorial Library, visit the library’s website or call 608-262-3193.