The Memory Space

The Memory Space is an oral history installation that showcases 12 alumni and students from throughout the University’s history, sharing their personal stories in their own words. The exhibit features four 8’ x 4’ panels, displaying three alumni each. Visitors use a tablet mounted on each panel to access the stories, which last 3-to-5 minutes and include images of the speaker and the events they discuss.

The current exhibition highlights a wide range of alumni, including the film critic Roger Ebert; Google’s “Security Princess,” Parisa Tabriz; the second woman to graduate from the University, Frances Potter Reynolds; the sportswriter Will Leitch; and the current president of Illinois’ Indian Graduate Students Association, Sai Kalyan Evani.

Future rounds of the exhibition will be just as wide-ranging and will continue to feature a mix of diverse stories from throughout the University’s history.

Want to contribute a story but can’t make it to Urbana? Use your phone or other personal device to record a memory of 1-to-5 minutes. Your story could be added to a future round of our Memory Space exhibit!

For submissions and more information, please contact Ryan Ross – rross2@uillinois.edu.