{"id":1024,"date":"2026-10-14T15:35:52","date_gmt":"2026-10-14T15:35:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/gallery\/?p=1024"},"modified":"2026-10-14T15:35:53","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T15:35:53","slug":"curator-qa-with-collin-vandewalle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/gallery\/2026\/10\/14\/curator-qa-with-collin-vandewalle\/","title":{"rendered":"Curator Q&A with Collin Vandewalle"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It\u2019s Been Wonderful Knowing You: Wildlife Conservation and Advocacy Through the Lens of Jay N. \u201cDing\u201d Darling<\/em><\/a>, the fall 2026 exhibition in the University of Iowa Main Library Gallery<\/a>, features the work of a Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist from Iowa who was a major catalyst for the modern American conservation movement. From original cartoons and photographs to correspondence and natural history specimens, each item on display helps tell the story of Darling\u2019s efforts to save America\u2019s wildlife and natural resources. <\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
Collin Vandewalle, exhibition co-curator and Sackner Archive project archivist, next to materials from the Jay N. “Ding” Darling Papers, Special Collections and Archives, UI Libraries.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Collin Vandewalle, Sackner Archive project archivist in Special Collections and Archives<\/a>, co-curated the exhibition with Lindsay Moen, lead public services librarian in the same department. Through his research for the exhibit\u2019s narrative and his time working closely with the Jay N. \u201cDing\u201d Darling Papers<\/a>, Vandewalle has gained significant expertise about Darling and his life\u2019s work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Question: How did you become involved in the exhibition project, and what did you enjoy most about the process?<\/strong>\u00a0
Answer:\u00a0<\/strong>I was a graduate student at the University of Iowa’s\u00a0School of Library and Information Science<\/a>\u00a0and worked in Special Collections and Archives as a student lead. I worked\u00a0specifically\u00a0with the Darling Papers, so my\u00a0then-supervisor\u2014and\u00a0now\u00a0colleague\u2014Lindsay Moen\u00a0asked if I wanted to help her curate the Darling exhibit. I eagerly accepted so I could have a chance to apply all the knowledge I had gained about\u00a0him. My favorite aspect\u00a0of\u00a0the process was the chance to tell a story about a side of Darling that\u00a0not\u00a0many\u00a0people know about:\u00a0his environmental conservation work.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: What draws you most to the story of Ding Darling?<\/strong>\u00a0
A:<\/strong>\u00a0I was drawn in\u00a0most by his unwavering and unending zeal to help protect the natural resources of our country.\u00a0Not many\u00a0other people can claim they have worked so hard to save native migratory fowl, especially ducks, as Darling did, and I really admire that fervor.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: As a curator, researcher, and Iowan, what does this exhibit mean to you personally?<\/strong>\u00a0
A:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0I think it\u00a0is important to tell the stories of prominent Iowans like Ding Darling and highlight the fantastic history this state has had when it comes to environmental conservation causes. It is so important to connect today\u2019s Iowans to our scientific roots and reflect on how we can continue this kind of work in our state. I am proud that I can take all the research I have done and highlight this history\u00a0through a curated exhibit.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: When did you first hear about Ding Darling, and how have you worked\u00a0with his\u00a0materials\u00a0over time?\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0
A:<\/strong>\u00a0I had my first encounter with Ding Darling\u2019s legacy when I was\u00a0nine\u00a0years old on a family trip to Florida. We went to the\u00a0J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge<\/a>, and it was such a fantastic experience that I still remember it vividly 20 years later. I had my second encounter with Darling during my undergraduate experience at Drake University\u00a0in Des Moines. I worked in\u00a0the\u00a0University Archives and Special Collections\u00a0at\u00a0the Cowles Library<\/a>\u00a0on campus and helped with another Darling exhibit that Drake hosted in 2017.\u00a0I then\u00a0worked\u00a0with his\u00a0papers\u00a0for\u00a0just over\u00a0three\u00a0years here at the University of Iowa.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: Why is it important to have this\u00a0exhibit\u00a0in the Main Library Gallery?\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0
A:<\/strong>\u00a0I think it\u00a0is important that the campus community and the broader public gain a better understanding of just how robust the\u00a0Darling\u00a0collection\u00a0is here at the University of Iowa Libraries.\u00a0It is\u00a0also\u00a0amazing that we have the capability to\u00a0showcase\u00a0rare materials\u2014like\u00a0a\u00a0presidential letter\u00a0from Franklin Delano Roosevent\u00a0to Darling, for example\u2014in a safe and professional way through the Main Library Gallery.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: What are some of the most surprising things you learned during your research?<\/strong>\u00a0
A:<\/strong>\u00a0I was most surprised by just how interconnected Darling was with the politics and culture of his time. It seems like he knew every prominent figure from the turn of the 20th century. He met with Henry Ford, Theodore Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover, Walt Disney,\u00a0Aldo Leopold, and many more celebrities.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: What is your favorite object in the exhibit?<\/strong>\u00a0
A:<\/strong>\u00a0My favorite object would be the letter from Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) to Darling where he claimed that Darling had pulled the largest \u201cheist\u201d on the United States Treasury in American history. The letter is an amazing piece of history that highlights the tensions that FDR and Darling had for one another, particularly when it came to funding priorities. One will have to come to the exhibit to learn the context of this surreal letter.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Letter
Letter from President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to Jay N. \u201cDing\u201d Darling, July 29, 1935. Presidential Letters Collection, Special Collections and Archives, UI Libraries.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Q: What about Darling\u2019s life and work do you hope visitors will take away from their time in the exhibit?<\/strong>\u00a0
A:<\/strong>\u00a0I hope they leave the exhibit understanding that even just one person can spark change when it comes to environmental conservation. I hope they can see that Darling set a fantastic precedent on how we, too, can help protect the ducks and other wildlife of Iowa!\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q:\u00a0The Jay N. \u201cDing\u201d Darling Papers in Special Collections have recently had\u00a0some significant updates that make them even more accessible to researchers. What was your role in this project?\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0
A:<\/strong>\u00a0My\u00a0main role\u00a0was making sure the Darling Papers were easier to use and\u00a0more\u00a0accessible to the public before the exhibit started.\u00a0This meant that\u00a0I rehoused a majority of the collection into newer archival grade boxes that will protect the material far longer into the future.\u00a0I also spent a great deal of time intellectually reorganizing\u00a0the finding aid<\/a>\u00a0so that researchers will have an easier time finding specific information from this extensive collection.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: Is there anything else you would like to share?<\/strong>\u00a0
A:<\/strong>\u00a0I want to thank everyone involved\u00a0in\u00a0making this exhibit come to life. It was a fantastic experience to co-curate this project at the start of my professional career.\u00a0\u00a0

I hope everyone who comes to the exhibit leaves having learned at least one new thing about Darling or wildlife conservation.\u00a0For those interested in a more in-depth look at Darling, I also worked with recent graduate student Hailee McCormick to create a 150-year\u00a0timeline that spans Darling\u2019s entire life and the institutions that make up his legacy up to 2026. That will be available online soon.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s Been Wonderful Knowing You: Wildlife Conservation and Advocacy Through the Lens of Jay N. \u201cDing\u201d Darling<\/em><\/strong><\/a> will be on display through Dec. 18, 2026. The Main Library Gallery is open daily.<\/strong> Learn more about open hours: lib.uiowa.edu\/gallery<\/a>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s Been Wonderful Knowing You: Wildlife Conservation and Advocacy Through the Lens of Jay N. \u201cDing\u201d Darling, the fall 2026 exhibition in the University of Iowa Main Library Gallery, features the work of a Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist from Iowa who was a major catalyst for the modern American conservation movement. From original cartoons and photographs to correspondence and natural history specimens, each item onContinue reading “Curator Q&A with Collin Vandewalle”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":272,"featured_media":1028,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[22,2],"syndication":[],"class_list":["post-1024","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-exhibit","tag-main-library-gallery","has-blocks","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/gallery\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1024","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/gallery\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/gallery\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/gallery\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/272"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/gallery\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1024"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/gallery\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1024\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1027,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/gallery\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1024\/revisions\/1027"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/gallery\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1028"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/gallery\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1024"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/gallery\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1024"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/gallery\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1024"},{"taxonomy":"syndication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/gallery\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/syndication?post=1024"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}