The Fontbonne Memory Project was part of Corinne Wohlford Mason's course on Collective Memory in American Culture (ACS 300 / HST 494), which was offered during the fall semester of 2019 as part of a Dedicated Semester on Memory. The assignment asked students to participate in curating both a physical and digital exhibition about Fontbonne’s past. Using materials from the collections in University Archives, students selected a topic of their choice that would allow them to explore how Fontbonne’s identity—and perceptions of that identity—have changed over the past century.

During the course of the semester, students visited the archives to gather ideas for their projects and (later) to choose materials related to their topics. Each exhibit includes five selections, descriptions of the items, and a brief essay to introduce the topic and provide context.