A display of Pulitzer Prize-winning work has opened at J. Erik Jonsson Central Library in Dallas. "Pulitzer on the Road" covers 1,400 square feet and includes pictures and interactive stations telling the stories of journalists and their work.
"We want to put new eyes and ears on Pulitzer-winning work to show people what it takes to produce this level of work," says Pulitzer Prizes Administrator Marjorie Miller. "And then to show the importance of journalism and the arts in civil society and democracy."
The exhibition is broken into six parts.
An introduction shows the history the Pulitzer Prizes and Joseph Pulitzer. People can also see a gallery of winners and take pictures in a mirror.
"What we wanted to show here, many of these people are not famous. They come from all parts of the country, all backgrounds. They're young, old," Miller says. "Then we put a mirror next to it. We hope people will look in the mirror and say, 'I can see myself doing this work. I can see myself winning a Pulitzer Prize."
Miller says the exhibit can attract young people and spark an interest in journalism.
"Joseph Pulitzer said the power to mold the future of the republic will be in the hands of future generations," she says. "It's all story-telling, whether it's investigative, a feature, photography or a book or poem, it's story-telling."
"Seeing America" includes articles, music, pictures, poetry and shows "that reflect key moments in our nation's story." Part of that exhibit shows Jackie Joyner-Kersee waving the American flag after winning the gold medal in the 1992 Olympics. Next to that picture is someone holding an American flag outside a burning building during the George Floyd riot in Minneapolis.
"Here you see celebration and protest," Miller says. "Going through the work, we found the flag appeared so often in positive and negative contexts."
"Bearing Witness to the World" shows international reporting and journalism during major events. One picture shows an elderly couple kissing through masks and a plastic screen during the pandemic.
"It's the hope, but it's also the horror of what's going on at that time," she says.
Another shows an Israeli woman reacting to damage in a neighbor's home after an attack by Hamas in 2023; another picture from 2023 shows a woman in Gaza holding the body of her niece who died in an Israeli air strike.
"This seems universal to me, universal grief in any war, any tragedy," Miller says.
"Telling Stories" includes audio of people telling stories about covering events like the war in Ukraine. That portion of the exhibit also shows books and editorial cartoons from different times of American history.
"These are forms of protest, editorial cartoons or a play," Miller says. "It's all kinds of books: fiction, non-fiction, biography, poetry, drama."
A section on American protest shows a man trying to take an American flag from a woman during protests over the killing of Michael Brown by police in Ferguson, Missouri in 2014. Another picture shows the crowd outside the White House before the January 6 riot and a protest over the economic downturn in American agriculture in the 1980s.
"Making a Difference" looks at the impact of Pulitzer-winning work. In that part of the exhibit, work by the Lufkin Daily News is featured. In 1977, the paper received a Pulitzer for its reporting of the death of a Marine recruit. That led to a deeper look into the treatment of recruits across the military, a Congressional investigation and reforms within the Marine Corps.
"That story would not have gone anywhere if it wasn't told at the local level," Miller says. "People have a right to know how their tax dollars are being spent, what their government officials are doing, whether they're abusing power, breaking the law or doing right by them. They need to know that at every level."
"Pulitzer on the Road" is free and will stay on display at the Jonsson Central Library in Dallas through the end of the year. The exhibition is touring libraries across the country through next year. Details and the schedule are available here.
