The University of Illinois Springfield is partnering with Southern Illinois University School of Medicine to present “COVID Stories,” a monthlong series of exhibits, staged readings and a lecture reflecting on the human impact of the pandemic. The exhibit will be on display Sept. 26–Oct. 23 in the SIU School of Medicine library.

UIS faculty and staff have played a leading role in bringing the project to life. Livia Arndal Woods, associate professor in the Department of English and Modern Languages, coordinated the exhibit and led the research. Theatre professor Missy Thibodeaux-Thompson is directing staged readings Sept. 26 at SIU and Oct. 9 at UIS. Artwork featured in the exhibit was created under the guidance of Brytton Bjorngaard, associate professor in the Art, Music and Theatre Department. Photographs from 2020 by Clay Stalter, senior photographer for the UIS Office of Marketing and Brand Strategy, will also be included. In addition, UIS faculty from Human Development Services will join SIU colleagues in leading a trauma-informed community discussion following the performances.

The collaboration began with a 2022 Carol Moy Collaborative Grant awarded to Woods and SIU’s Christine Todd. Since then, faculty, students and staff from both universities have worked together to build a publicly accessible digital archive of COVID-era experiences. That archive serves as the foundation for the art, photography and performances included in “COVID Stories.”

“Scholars, doctors and students at SIU School of Medicine and the University of Illinois Springfield have been working together to build a digital archive of COVID-era narratives with a focus on the experiences of people living in central Illinois,” Woods said. “The archive is a publicly accessible resource for anyone wanting to understand the human impacts of the pandemic in our region.”

Community involvement

Auditions are open for individuals interested in reading stories from the archive. Sessions will be held at 7 p.m. Sept. 2 and Sept. 3 in the UIS Visual and Performing Arts Building, Room 170. No prior performance experience is required, and priority casting will be given to UIS and SIU students, faculty, staff and alumni.

Event schedule

• Sept. 26, 5 to 7 p.m. — “COVID Stories” Exhibit Opening & Reception
  SIU School of Medicine, 801 N. Rutledge St., Fourth Floor Medical Library
  Featuring materials from the COVID Stories digital archive, student artwork inspired by the archive, the UIS 2020 photo project, SIU’s Medical Humanities Story Box submissions and the Pearson exhibit.
• Sept. 26, 7 to 8:30 p.m. — “COVID Stories” staged reading
  SIU School of Medicine, 801 N. Rutledge St., Second Floor South Auditorium
  Co-directed by UIS Theatre Professor Missy Thibodeaux-Thompson and SIU’s Hope Cherry, the program presents local narratives followed by a talk-back forum led by trauma-informed specialists from both universities. Desserts will be served in the Pearson Museum after the program.
• Sept. 29 to Oct. 23 — “COVID Stories” exhibit
  SIU School of Medicine, Fourth Floor Medical Library
  Open to the public 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
• Oct. 9, 5:30 p.m. — “COVID Stories” staged reading
  UIS Visual and Performing Arts Building, Room 170
• Oct. 23, 5 p.m. — 2025 Pearson Lecture: “COVID Stories” by Livia Arndal Woods
  SIU School of Medicine, Second Floor South Auditorium, followed by a reception in the Pearson Museum
  Woods will discuss the creation of the COVID archive, its related projects and the teamwork that brought the stories into the community.