Utopian-themed exhibit on display in Knight Library

Walk up to the second floor of the Knight Library and into the Special Collections and University Archives section, and you will encounter utopia.

Well, almost. A new exhibition, "Constructing Utopia: From Literary Works to Intentional Communities in Oregon," contains artifacts and memorabilia donated by the late researcher James J. Kopp (1952–2010) and his wife Sue, who together inspired and motivated Special Collections to acquire and maintain material pertaining to intentional communities and countercultural documentation.

Kopp authored “Eden Within Eden: Oregon's Utopian Heritage” and played an integral role in tracing and preserving the history of these communities.

Timothy Miller, a leading authority on communes in the United States, led a Feb. 22 discussion on the phenomenon of intentional communities in Oregon and the critical role Kopp played in tracing and preserving the history of those communities.

Miller is a professor of religious studies at the University of Kansas and authored the newly released “Encyclopedic Guide to American Intentional Communities.” He discussed how several communes manifested in Oregon, including lesbian land communities.

More items are on display in the flat cases located across from the Checkout/Information Desk at the entrance to Knight Library. The exhibit complements “West of Center: Art and the Counterculture Experiment in America, 1965-1977," currently showing at the UO’s Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art.

Viewing hours for the full exhibit directly up the stairs from the main entrances to Knight Library are Monday–Friday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.