Fresno State’s Henry Madden Library Diversity Committee will host the traveling exhibition “Native Voices: Native Peoples’ Concepts of Health and Illness” during normal library hours from Sept. 19 through Oct. 23. The free, public interactive exhibition will be on display in the Leon S. Peters Ellipse Gallery on the second floor (north wing) of the library.

The exhibition explores the interconnectedness of wellness, illness and cultural life for Native Americans, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians. Stories drawn from both the past and present examine how health for Native People is tied to community, the land and spirit. Through interviews, natives describe the impact of epidemics, federal legislation, the loss of land and the inhibition of culture on the health of individuals and communities today.
The U.S. National Library of Medicine developed and produced “Native Voices: Native Peoples’ Concepts of Health and Illness.” The American Library Association Public Programs Office, in partnership with the U.S. National Library of Medicine, tours the exhibition to America’s libraries.
A free, public, catered opening reception will be held from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Sept. 23 outside the Leon S. Peters Ellipse Gallery on California Native American Day. To RSVP for the opening reception, enter code “LIBVOICES” at www.fresnostate.edu/libraryrsvp or call Gregory Megee at 559.278.2595. Reception and weekend parking is free.
The reception will begin with a blessing by Keith Turner at the Native Garden (just north of the library in the Peace Garden). The reception will highlight community speakers, including Dr. Vickie Krenz, Fresno State public health professor; Jennifer Ruiz, executive director of the Fresno American Indian Health Project; and Keith Turner from the Fresno American Indian Health Project and a spiritual leader and teacher of traditional culture and spiritual ways.
Sponsors for the exhibition include the Henry Madden Library, the Madden Library Diversity Committee, the Madden Library Special Collections and Research Center, the Arne Nixon Center for the Study of Children’s Literature, the American Indian Faculty and Staff Association, the Fresno State Center for Creativity and the Arts, the College of Arts and Humanities and the President’s Commission on Human Resources and Equity.
In collaboration with the event, the Madden Library Special Collections Research Center will host the exhibition “Native Voices from the San Joaquin Valley” from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, Sept. 23 through Dec. 9. This free, public exhibition will be on display in the Madden Library Special Collections Research Center on the fourth floor (south wing). See library website for holiday exceptions.
This local exhibition presents a view into the tribal cultures of the San Joaquin Valley and foothills. It features displays of basketry, foods and medicines, social activities, health resources, educational references and literature. A running slideshow of photographs and video clips will be available. “Native Voices of the San Joaquin Valley” is co-curated by Carly Tex (Western Mono) and Mandy Marine (Western Mono/Maidu) with Julie Moore and Adam Wallace of the Madden Library Special Collections Research Center.
To coincide with the exhibitions, the Arne Nixon Center for the Study of Children’s Literature and the Arne Nixon Center Advocates will host a free, public catered reception followed by a presentation by Dr. Debbie Reese, educator and blog creator of “American Indians in Children’s Literature” at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 13 in Room 2206 on the second floor (south wing) of the library.
Reese is tribally enrolled at Nambe Pueblo in northern New Mexico and is a founding member of the Native American House and American Indian Studies program at the University of Illinois.

She is on the literature advisory board for Reading is Fundamental and the advisory board for Reach Out and Read American Indian/Alaska Native.
For Arne Nixon Center event information, contact Jennifer Crow at 559.278.8116 or jcrow@csufresno.edu.
The Madden Library Diversity Committee is dedicated to supporting the University’s mission of promoting and celebrating a culture of diversity, internationalization and inclusion in library services, resources and programs.
For more information about the “Native Voices” exhibitions, contact Julie Moore at 559.278.5813 or jumoore@csufresno.edu. Parking may be restricted. Visit a campus parking kiosk.

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