After grabbing some dinner, my friend and I went over to the ground floor of the Langson Library to see the Anteater Spirit exhibit in person. Before walking in, I had no idea where the exhibit would be and had the expectation that this exhibit would be taking up a decent amount of space. I was surprised how it was pretty much the first thing that greets you when you walk in.
The exhibit is curated in a way where it showcases important time periods in the UCI community from its initial opening up to present time, and how these different movements have formed the UCI student identity today. The part that stood out to me personally was in the "A University in Flux" section, where in it contains different periods that shaped what it means to be a student at UCI. It was interesting to see how Peter the Anteater evolved from being just the school mascot into being used for one of the most unique traditions on campus. However, learning how ingrained activism is in the shaping of UCI since its opening really puts into perspective how the campus only managed to get where it got to today because of regular students who were passionate for change. I also tried to see if anything about the TA strikes was mentioned, but either I missed it or it wasn't archived in time for the exhibit. It was kind of a shame, since it fit really well into the exhibit.
Despite this, it was pretty cool seeing how everything was put together. There was a lot of media that showcased UCI activism throughout the years, enough to where you learn more about how the youth in general was affected during times of struggle. I don't think full on articles were posted, but there was enough information for someone to research deeper into each topic if they really wanted to. This is a contrast to Professor Robertson's discussion of how difficult it is for historians to gather the bigger picture because of conflicting accounts/lack of accounts. There was a lot of care into archiving different items that were used in each movement. In that way, I felt a deeper connection with students of the past because of I was seeing something that they themselves used to promote their cause.
Anteater Illustrations
Source: https://calisphere.org/item/a7be1480-7954-41e0-b313-4cf35d1252f2/
Heading over to the University Archives, I noticed that there is a ton of collections listed altogether, both digital and physical. However, this curation becomes more limited when it's narrowed down to just digital archives.
I wanted to learn more about the Petr the Anteatr sticker collection, for example, because I only recently started to get more into attending Petr drops this quarter. However, when I clicked the link I was met with a screen stating there were no online items available.
I did get to learn more about the origin of its creation and its creator, but it's not the same as getting to see the actual copies themselves, either online or in person. The same thing happened when I wanted to access the Animation Anteaters records, only this time I learned even less about what was included in the collection. much sad :,(
One collection that I was able to access online and get to learn more about was the collection of the Anteater Mascot and other university symbols. It was cool seeing the evolution of our mascot, and even crazier to think of how much more different our campus culture would be if we settled for having something like a dolphin for our mascot. For example, if UCI went with with the dolphin idea for our mascot, how would they have humanized it like how the anteater is depicted in "Anteater Illustrations?" It would definitely have a very different vibe that's for sure.
Mascots Proposed by UCI Administration: "Dolphin"
Source:https://calisphere.org/item/46fa8fab-6e35-4a35-9e2a-b66ce6dab448/
In person viewing of the Anteater Mascot and related icons
Anteater Mascot by Johnny Hart
Source: https://calisphere.org/item/42db89ae-1f8b-468e-a03a-99fcf84347d4/
Interview with Schuyler Hadley Bassett
Source: https://calisphere.org/item/ark:/81235/d80z6v/?order=0
One thing that I noticed when looking at the online curation of the Anteater Mascot versus in person is how I get a better idea of how old the artwork is. While sure, you can get the same idea by how it's pictured online, it felt different seeing it in person. I don't know how to describe this feeling exactly, but it felt surreal to me. Also, there was a pretty noticeable difference in quality between the two archives. The online version is granier and makes it harder to make out the lettering on the artwork. Meanwhile, in person the text is perfectly legible. There's a sense of loss when you're looking at this artwork online.
The opposite could be said about the Anteater campaign button. The in-person viewing of the button has very little information about the button and its original owner. Meanwhile, the online viewing includes an interview with the owner along with more context as to why this button was given and its significance. The interview not being included is understandable, since its pretty long and is audio only, but you do miss out on some more history.
Overall, the experiencing both live and digital curations has really put it into perspective of how much information can be missed if you solely stick with one or the other. I am usually one to view things online, since that is usually way more accessible for me. However, this can have its drawbacks, and so with this in mind I will try doing any upcoming research in person as well whenever it is possible.
Title: Anteater illustrations
Date: 1965-1966
Collection: Collection on the Anteater Mascot and Other University Symbols (University of California, Irvine)
Owning Institution: UC Irvine, Libraries, University Archives
Source: Calisphere
Date of access: February 18 2023 23:24
Permalink: https://calisphere.org/item/a7be1480-7954-41e0-b313-4cf35d1252f2/
Title: Mascots proposed by UCI administration: "Dolphins"
Date: 1965
Collection: Collection on the Anteater Mascot and Other University Symbols (University of California, Irvine)
Owning Institution: UC Irvine, Libraries, University Archives
Source: Calisphere
Date of access: February 18 2023 23:21
Permalink: https://calisphere.org/item/46fa8fab-6e35-4a35-9e2a-b66ce6dab448/
Title: Anteater mascot, Johnny Hart
Date: undated
Collection: Collection on the Anteater Mascot and Other University Symbols (University of California, Irvine)
Owning Institution: UC Irvine, Libraries, University Archives
Source: Calisphere
Date of access: February 18 2023 23:15
Permalink: https://calisphere.org/item/42db89ae-1f8b-468e-a03a-99fcf84347d4/
Title: Interview with Schuyler Hadley Bassett
Date: 2009
Collection: Collection on the Anteater Mascot and Other University Symbols (University of California, Irvine)
Owning Institution: UC Irvine, Libraries, University Archives
Source: Calisphere
Date of access: February 18 2023 23:18
Permalink: https://calisphere.org/item/ark:/81235/d80z6v/?order=0
Header Image Source: Photo by Pixabay from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/white-painted-papers-51343/