By Amy McIff, Auxiliary Business Development
Brought together by the work of multiple photographers, designers, archivists, writers, historians and print specialists, the 2018 University Print & Mail Calendar is uniquely special, soon to grace desks all across campus.
If the university had an official calendar it would be this one, as it is the go-to resource for academic dates, deadlines, holidays and pay days. As such, the calendar can be seen in most every office on campus and has been a trusted resource for faculty and staff for nearly two decades.
The 2018 calendar is much more than a collection of dates. This truly unique piece showcases the university’s past and present in then-and-now photo composition style, highlighting all that has changed over the years and also what has remained the same.
A literal window to the past, set against a present-day backdrop, each month features an archive photo, returned to the spot where it was originally taken decades ago, then photographed again in modern day context. Great care was taken to identify the exact location, depth and angle of each photo, which appear to seamlessly connect to their same-yet-different surroundings.
“This calendar is captivating,” said Jane Bushnell, Director of University Print & Mail Services and overseer of the annual calendar. “As people have glanced through it, many photos have sparked memories of past experiences and things they had forgotten. It has been fun to hear the stories and conversations that this calendar has prompted.”
Carefully selected from scores of boxes in Special Collections, the assemblage of photos span the better part of the Twentieth Century, revealing some stunning historical imagery accompanied by insightful narratives that together create a compelling account of the university’s history.
“This calendar was a very challenging task for our photographers and designers,” Bushnell said. “Some of the images required multiple photo layers and several graphical adjustments to effectively portray the before-and-after perspective.” Bushnell also noted that some photos were taken from locations that no longer exist, making an exact match difficult to produce. “But the old photos are the star of the show,” she said, “and I really love the images we were able to find.”
Produced annually by University Print & Mail Services, the calendar is now available for purchase or department order here. Calendars may also be purchased at the University Campus Store.