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Visions of Popular Culture

When we think about visions of popular culture, we might think about the reimagining of particular types of popular culture during periods of social change and the construction of public memory over time. In “Women’s Voices in Science Fiction: Joanna Russ as Visionary,” Bailey Poland explores the social circulation of ideas from two speeches by science fiction and feminist author Joanna Russ, considering the impact of her arguments on a particular community of professional science fiction and fantasy writers. In "'Can't You See It!': The Complicated Public Memory of Nina Simone," Triauna Carey surveys the evolution of music prodigy and social activist Nina Simone in the mainstream media since the 1960s and Civil Rights Movement. In “Keeping Time: The Rhetoric & Memory of Calendars,” Brian Urias explores the commemorative, identifying, and commercial acts of calendars. These exhibits explore how popular culture reveals the inner workings of public memory and how voices, visions, and memory evolve. Each portion considers specific figures, events, or artifacts within a contemporary moment, how they became part of pop culture's public memory, and what they can tell us about our own contemporary moments.