The University Libraries Center for Southwest Research and Special Collections (CSWR) announces the 2022 Love in the Archives virtual exhibit. This year with the theme, “Love and Gratitude,” CSWR celebrates all of the essential workers who have helped us continue on during a difficult time.
“We are now in the third calendar year of a global pandemic that has radically changed every aspect of our lives,” said Portia Vescio, CSWR university archivist. “These cashiers, cleaners, and many, many others have always been there, but it took a pandemic for people to recognize their worth. To all the essential workers who have shown up day after day to their jobs so that the rest of us can keep going, we offer you our eternal Love and Gratitude.”
In this year’s exhibit, visitors can read amazing stories of essential workers from New Mexico’s fascinating history.This includes stories and archival materials from the United States Cadet Nurse Corps that were created in 1943 to help relieve the nursing shortage caused by World War II. Visitors can also learn about the Sunmount Sanatorium located in the outskirts of Santa Fe. This place served as a treatment center for tuberculosis patients. Among the Sunmount patients who made outstanding contributions to New Mexico were the poet Alice Corbin Henderson; the architect, John Gaw Meem; the creator of Zozobra, Will Shuster; and the aviator/architect, Katherine Stinson Otero.
The digital exhibit includes images, posters, architecture drawings and other archival materials at CSWR. There is also a selection of UNM Press books chosen by CSWR staff related to the theme of love and gratitude for essential workers.
The digital exhibit built by Portia Vescio, University Archivist for CSWR, with contributions from Nancy Brown-Martinez, Cindy Abel Morris, Audra Bellmore, and Jennifer Dawn Eggleston.
Love in the Archives is an annual Valentine’s Day open house showcasing decades of historical and digital memorabilia from the Center of Southwest Research and Special Collections. Due to the pandemic and adhering to social distancing policies in place, CSWR created a virtual exhibit to display various archival materials for the 2022 event.
For more information, contact Portia Vescio.