Description
Since 2025, the medieval collections at the Newberry Library have been getting attention from an unexpected community: professional cartoonists. In this talk, Christopher Fletcher will share how the Center for Renaissance Studies has made the Newberry into a welcoming and generative space for making comics, and how these artists are using books, images, and documents from the Middle Ages to create new work that enriches both the world of comics and medieval studies.
About the Speaker
Christopher D. Fletcher is the Assistant Director of the Center for Renaissance Studies. He earned his PhD in Medieval History from the University of Chicago in 2015. His research and teaching focus primarily on religion and public engagement before 1800. He has written articles and book chapters and co-edited volumes on various forms of public outreach in medieval and early modern Europe and the digital humanities. His book, Public Engagement in the European Middle Ages: Medieval Solutions for a Modern Crisis (ARC Humanities, 2025), uses medieval practices of public engagement to prepare medievalists to more effectively reach diverse audiences today. He was a co-curator of the Seeing Race Before Race exhibition, and often shares the Newberry’s pre-1800 collections with the public through in-person collection presentations, exhibitions, social media, and digital resources.
About Colloquium
Colloquium is a weekly series of talks featuring staff, fellows, and scholars who are working with the library’s vast collections. These events bring together experts from various fields to share their research on a wide range of topics, followed by an opportunity for the audience to ask questions and engage in conversation.
Colloquium is open to the public and offers a chance to explore fascinating ideas and new discoveries. No advance registration is required.