Creation to Community: 25 Years of the IC was on view in McCabe Library from February 6-28, 2018.
Read about the exhibit and the opening reception where four founders/movers, Professor Peter Schmidt, Zed Bell ’91, Gayle Isa ’93, and Rita Burgos ’93 shared some of their experiences, in Voices and in the Phoenix.
Installation Description:
The Intercultural Center (IC) provides programs and services that support the personal and intellectual development of Asian American, LatinX, Multiracial, Indigenous, Queer (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender), low-income, international, and first-generation college students at Swarthmore College. In addition, the IC promotes systemic change toward a multicultural perspective across the institution, and fosters community-building and collaboration among diverse groups both within and outside of the college.
Throughout the past 25 years, the IC has strived to impact students’ lived experiences while also affecting systematic change that influences these lived experiences. The growth of the IC from its origin, with 3 student groups petitioning for its creation, to the 22 student organizations that now participate within the IC Collective demonstrates how truly impactful the IC has been on Swarthmore’s campus. The Creation to Community: Looking Back at the Last 25 Years exhibit displays some of the events, programs, and initiatives that have been a part of this systematic change while documenting the support and education student organizations have been able to offer as a part of the ICCollective.
McCabe Exhibit Poster
Exhibit Entrance
Left: IC Sign vandalized, attack aimed at SQU (2003 — see Case 2 for more details). Notes written by members of Swarthmore community after the incident to stand in solidarity with the LGBT+ community. Right: Recent photos and posters, and historical documents, from various IC groups.
Case 1: The Push For the IC (1989-1992)
Case 2: Growth and Harm (1993-2003)
Case 3: ALANA Seminar, NASA, Alumni, Diversity (1994-2002)
Case 4: Curriculum, Faculty, Visibility
Case 5: Alumni, Conferences & Heritage Months, IC/BCC Bridge Report
Case 6: Faculty Diversity, Spring of 2013, Looking Ahead