Dust, Drought, and Dreams Gone Dry

Kimbel Library was selected as one of only 25 libraries in the country to host “Dust, Drought, and Dreams Gone Dry,” a national traveling exhibition about the Dust Bowl, the disastrous drought and dust storms that wreaked havoc on the Great Plains in the 1930s. “Dust, Drought, and Dreams Gone Dry” features a 300-square-foot exhibit and a series of six programs, including lectures and film screenings, designed to foster discussion about one of most devastating environmental disasters in American history. The exhibition will be displayed from Oct. 24 to Dec. 12.

Through history, geography and oral histories of the Dust Bowl, audiences will explore the relationship between human beings and nature, the many ways people respond to adversity and how survivors came to understand and describe the experience of living through the Dust Bowl.

As part of the exhibition, Kimbel Library is hosting programs that connect the Dust Bowl of the Midwest to Horry County. A collection of photographs by William Van Auken Greene will be on display courtesy of the Horry County Museum. His work captures the residents of Horry County during the 1930s and highlights the hardships faced by the local community during this time.

An Opening Reception will be held on Friday, Oct. 24, at 4 p.m. in the Bryan Information Commons. Jason Eastman, Associate Professor of Sociology, will provide music by Woody Guthrie and commentary during the reception. Event is free and open to the public.

The American Library Association Public Programs Office, the Oklahoma State University Library and the Mount Holyoke College Library organized the exhibition with the support of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

For more information, please contact Ben Burroughs (ben@coastal.edu) at 843-349-4056 or Barbara Burd (bburd@coastal.edu) at 843-349-2401.