The J. Drake Edens Library is pleased to announce the opening of a new exhibition, “Elizabeth I: Ruler and Legend” on October 13, 2004. The library is one of only 40 libraries in the United States selected to host the traveling exhibition, which was organized by the Newberry Library’s Center for Renaissance Studies, Chicago, in collaboration with the American Library Association (ALA) Public Programs Office.
“Elizabeth I: Ruler and Legend” is made possible by major grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), with additional support from the Vance Family Fund and the University of Illinois at Chicago. It is based on images reproduced from rare books, manuscripts, maps, letters, paintings, and artifacts in the Newberry Library collections, and from significant items held by the British Library, the collection of Queen Elizabeth II, and distinguished private collections.
This colorful exhibition explores Queen Elizabeth I’s many accomplishments, the court intrigues that sought to dethrone her, the reasons she never married, her patronage of the arts, and her intense interest in exploring and accessing new lands for England.
When Elizabeth became queen in 1558, many of her subjects thought that a woman should not, nor could not rule. They expected Elizabeth to marry so that her husband -- and eventually her son -- could guide the kingdom. Elizabeth considered many suitors, but in the end she married none of them. Instead, she showed that through intelligence, cunning, and courage, she was the equal of any male monarch. She was a remarkable and brilliant woman whose life continues to fascinate and inspire four hundred years after her death.
Opening Lecture & Reception
Carole Levin, Willa Cather Professor of History, University of Nebraska-Lincoln and author of the Heart and Stomach of a King: Elizabeth I and the Politics of Sex and Power, will present the keynote lecture, “ Power and Political Intrigue at the Court of Elizabeth” at the opening celebration. The lecture will be held on Tuesday, October 19th in the Spears Music/Art Center Concert Hall at 7:30 p.m. followed by a reception.
Concurrent Programs and Events
| October 18 | Carole Levin History Club Luncheon |
| October 19 | Carole Levin “Power and Political Intrigue at the Court of Elizabeth” Spears Music/Art Center Concert Hall |
| October 26 | Alan Axelrod “Elizabeth I, CEO” (Lesson in Leadership series) |
