UMD has been chosen as the host site for Shakespeare’s first folio. As the only spot in Minnesota to receive the folio, people will be traveling from all over to look at the exhibit.
A folio is one of the first written copies of Shakespeare’s work.
The event will take place during a fall month in 2016. The folio will then be located in the Tweed Museum of Art for roughly one month.
Krista Sue-Lo Twu, an associate professor of medieval literature and a department head of the department of English, explained why a folio is so important.
“It’s really an important book because it’s one of the early published prints of his work,” Twu said.
The reason the folio is traveling across the country is to celebrate Shakespeare’s work and legacy 400 years after his death.
The exhibit is not only important because it showcases his work but also because it links a variety of programs in one event.
“The event is super exciting because it shows the link between literature, the humanities and art,” Twu said.
Twu and Matthew Rosendahl, the Kathryn A. Martin Library Director, applied and fought hard for the folio to come to UMD.
“We decided to go for it at full strength,” Rosendahl said.
The application needed to be strong in order for it to come to Duluth. Together, Twu and Rosendahl brainstormed to come up with what they envisioned would win UMD the host site for the folio.
They praised the Duluth community and their partners who will help support the event. Some of the partners include: the Duluth Art Institute, the Duluth Public Library, UMD and the city of Duluth.
“The community rose up to the opportunity,” Rosendahl said.
With the enthusiasm and support from the community, Rosendahl and Twu sent in their application and waited for the answer.
When UMD was chosen as the host site, Twu recognized it as a great opportunity for both college and K-12 students in northern Minnesota. If the Twin Cities campus had been chosen to host the folio, it would’ve been a lot harder for northern Minnesota schools to have the finances to send their students to visit the exhibit for the day.
“Duluth is the gateway to northern Minnesota. This will provide an opportunity for students from Hinckley to Thunder Bay to have the opportunity they wouldn’t have,” Twu said.
While the folio is a huge part of the event there are many other ways the Duluth community plans to showcase Shakespeare’s work during that time.
There will be events for all ages that highlight Shakespeare’s work. For example, the SFA will be performing Shakespeare plays throughout the event. The St. Scholastica music department will be hosting an early music concert featuring music that was played during Shakespearean times.
Once the official dates are launched, the planning of events will become more specific. The event is meant to be more than just the folio; it will be a real celebration of the life and work of Shakespeare.
The cost for all of the events is still being discussed. To see the folio exhibit in the Tweed museum, however, will be free.
“The partners and theaters will likely charge for some events, but the exhibit and the receptions, and even the events at the Kathryn A. Martin Library will be free,” Rosendahl said.
The specific date of the event will be announced in a few weeks.
BY TAYLOR JENSEN
Arts & Entertainment Reporter