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Home » News » Unbannable Library: APSU hosting giant installations to combat censorship during Banned Books Week

Unbannable Library: APSU hosting giant installations to combat censorship during Banned Books Week

By: Andrea Spofford September 16, 2024

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A giant book installation created by APSU Professor of Art + Design Paul Collins on display at the 2023 Southern Festival of Books. | Photo courtesy of Paul Collins

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Austin Peay State University’s Department of Art + Design, with support from the Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts and the Woodward Library, is unveiling the Unbannable Library - a series of giant, interactive book installations aimed at combatting censorship and commemorating Banned Books Week 2024.

The movable exhibition, which will be on display at the Woodward Library from Sept. 22 to 28, features collaborations between several Middle Tennessee artists and writers. Each larger-than-life book employs text and images to highlight voices and stories subject to censorship.

Throughout September and October, the Unbannable Library will travel across the state with a rich collection of sculptures that are literally TOO BIG to ban, spanning multiple sites to allow wide access for viewers. The project was made possible through collaboration with Nashville Public Libraries, Vanderbilt University, Tennessee State University, Artville, Clarksville’s Lorenzo Swinton Gallery and the Southern Festival of Books.

During Banned Books Week, Sept. 22-28, collaborations by the following artist and writer teams will be on display at APSU’s Woodward Library:

The Woodward Library is free and open to the public, and its hours can be viewed here.

In addition to the installation at Woodward Library, selections of the Unbannable Library will also be on display from Sept. 27-29 at Artville, located at 1231 Martin St. in Nashville, Tennessee, as well as the Southern Festival of Books from Oct. 26-27, at the Bicentennial Mall State Park, Tennessee State Museum, and Tennessee State Library and Archive, all in downtown Nashville.

The Unbannable Library encourages conversations about the importance of intellectual freedom, highlighting the valuable role libraries play in fostering knowledge and connection across all locations and ages.

For more information about the Unbannable Library, contact Professor Paul Collins in the Department of Art + Design at collinsp@apsu.edu. To learn about future CECA programs and events, visit https://www.apsu.edu/ceca/.