Search results | Digital Grinnell

Title: Classroom Scene with Professor Kamp, 1983
Description: A classroom scene with Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Kathryn Kamp. Student left to right: Michael Williams, 1986; Peter Lydecker, 1985; Amy Wolff, 1985; Deborah Dilworth, 1987; Professor Kathryn Kamp.
Date Created: 1983
PID: grinnell:12908

Title: Cook correspondence - loose envelopes
Description: Two envelopes, unclear which letters with which they belong. One addressed to Collins Cook, one addressed to Sarah E. Cook.
PID: grinnell:12423

Title: Current Perspectives on Porgy and Bess
Description: A conversation between Randye Jones and George Shirley at the time of the celebration of the 75th anniversary of George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess
Date Created: 2011
PID: grinnell:231

Title: Electa C. Cook to Sarah E. Cook, January 1, 1859
Description: Electa writes to her sister-in-law Sarah about how much she misses Sarah and their family. She also writes about the clothing she owns, and what is owned by a woman she knows in town.
Date Created: 1859
PID: grinnell:12319

Title: Foundations
Description: When confronting the reality of plantation slavery in America, aspects of life which seemed normal in the early 1880’s are often difficult to conceptualize today. In this block, the artist calls attention to the tradition of child raising, in which slaves were given the task of nursing and raising their master’s progeny. It seems counter-intuitive that one could believe a slave so unworthy of human dignity, yet at the same time entrust them with the life of their child. In this block, a portrait of a slave with their master’s baby is framed by a pattern comprised of enlarged images of a human cell, encouraging a contemplation of the hypocrisies present in the theoretical foundations of slavery, including the supposed biological and intellectual inferiority of black people. Most often, slaves bore responsibilities foundational to the prosperity and functioning of their owners; they were worthy of motherhood but not the recognition of full humanity. By featuring a female-bodied slave in this block, the artist also pushes the viewer to contemplate the highly gendered nature of slave work and how it reveals inconsistencies in the theoretical foundations of racial superiority in America.
Date Created: 2017
PID: grinnell:25493

Title: Generations
Description: This block depicts two parallel scenes: the photograph on the right captures a class of school children, and the photo on the left shows a group of people at some celebration. The figures in the photo on the left are wearing formal attire even as some kneel in the grass in the foreground. Is this really a celebration? If so, what are they celebrating? Although it is difficult to ascertain who these people are and why their photographs were being taken, the two photographs call to mind the nonstop progression of generational change. The polka-dots, stars, and diamond-shaped flower petals appear to rotate around the two photographs in a circular motion, creating the sensation of a whirlpool in constant revolution. In what ways do generational shifts impact how we visualize freedom today?
Date Created: 2017
PID: grinnell:25484

Title: George W. Cook to Collins Cook, Undated
Description: George sends Collins a lock of the dog's hair and sends greetings to the animals.
PID: grinnell:12418

Title: George W. Cook to Friends, October 9, 1859
Description: George writes of the move of Iowa College from Davenport to Grinnell, and reports that one of the buildings is nearly finished. He also discusses the location of the planned railroad depot and the building of a bridge across the Iowa River. Land and building in the town of Grinnell is also discussed.
Date Created: 1859
PID: grinnell:12384

Title: Gospel Truth About the Negro Spiritual
Description: Negro spirituals are songs created by the Africans who were captured and brought to the United States to be sold into slavery. This Lecture-Recital was presented by Randye Jones, Soprano & Researcher; assisted by William Tinker, Piano, at Grinnell College, Grinnell, Iowa, Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Date Created: 2007
PID: grinnell:63