Oz centennial wins IU Conferences a national programming award

The Conferences and Professional Programs Community of Practice Committee of UCEA has conferred an Exemplary Program Award for: “Oz: A Centennial Celebration,” held at IU Bloomington in July 2000, in honor of the 100th anniversary of the publication of The Wonderful World of Oz, by Frank Baum.

The program, posters and news releases, as well as financial information, were part of the entry.

In July 2000, the yellow brick road led to Bloomington when IU served as the site of the IWOC’s centennial celebration. The first goal of the programmers was to celebrate the contribution of the Oz works to literary and popular culture. The centerpiece was an academic symposium in which more than 400 registered conference attendees heard from more than 50 authors, illustrators, descendants of the Baum family and academics discussing specific topics tied to Baum’s life and work, Oz stage and screen productions, Oz collecting, the literary significance of the book, and the Land of Oz itself. Among the presenters were Pulitzer Prize-winning author Allison Lurie and award-winning illustrator Michael McCurdy.

The Lilly Library enhanced the reputation of the club, the university and the event itself by staging a three-month exhibition entitled “We’re Off to See The Wizard, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, 1900-2000” featuring its extensive collection of Oz manuscripts and memorabilia, including the archives of Indianapolis’ Bobbs Merrill, the publisher of the Oz book since 1903. The Lilly Library opened the academic conference with a gala reception.

IU personnel involved in the planning and execution of the event included Janet James, director of IU Conferences; Mary Morgan, coordinator at IU Conferences; and Joel Silver, curator at the Lilly Library.