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Join us for the 2025-2026 season of First Fridays as we explore the things you can see, hear, touch, taste or smell in Archives and Special Collections. This November program in the First Fridays season features presentations from the Givens Collection of African American Literature & Life, the James Ford Bell Library, and the Historical Ethnomusicology department.
Light lunch at 11:30 a.m. Presentations begin at noon. A tour of the archival caverns will take place after the event concludes. ASL interpreters will be present for all First Fridays events.
Presented by Davu Underwood Seru, Curator, Givens Collection of African American Literature & Life
Looks can be deceiving. The other senses can, too. But somewhere in the American imagination between attraction and aversion stands “black” people. This presentation of materials from the Givens Collection of African American Literature and Life will explore connections between poetic imagery, synesthesia and racial identity.
Presented by Anne Good, Assistant Curator, James Ford Bell Library; and Anya Badaldavood, curatorial intern and Ph.D. candidate in Historical Ethnomusicology
Music is often described as having the power to draw together people from across cultures. As European travelers began exploring the world, they wrote about the cultural activities of the peoples they encountered. These premodern accounts often highlighted music, musicians, musical instruments, and the circumstances of various types of musical performance. This presentation will examine some of the music and musical instruments documented in the Bell collection and consider how music from around the world resonates across time and space.
First Fridays is a series of intellectually stimulating conversations from the Archives and Special Collections at the University of Minnesota Libraries. First Fridays is made possible by a generous gift from Governor Elmer L. Andersen and Mrs. Eleanor Andersen in honor of former University Librarian Dr. Edward B. Stanford.
What: First Fridays: Black American Image and The Resonating Power of Music in the Premodern World
When: Friday, Nov. 7, 2025 | Lunch at 11:30 a.m. | Presentations begin at noon
Where: Elmer L. Andersen Library, room 120 and ONLINE | Parking and directions
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