UTC History major Emily Kleiner contributed to an exhibit at the Chattanooga Public Library exploring the history of glass production in Chattanooga.
Rising senior Emily Kleiner participated in one of the History Department’s internship programs this past year, and it gave her the chance to put the lessons she’d learned in the classroom into practice. Working with Overlooked Materials, Emily helped to put together a unique exhibit on Chattanooga’s history as a site of glass production. The exhibit, titled “Glass from the Past,” is currently on display at the Chattanooga Public Library’s downtown location (through June 21, 2025). The exhibit features an impressive array of bottles, jars, and other glassworks that were produced in Chattanooga during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Among the things that helped Emily in carrying out this work, she pointed to several lessons from her UTC History classes. She explained that even when dealing with material culture and physical objects, it’s still invaluable to pay attention to people’s lives and the multiple viewpoints and stories that go along with them. As Emily stated, “personal stories and perspectives helps bring history to life, we can understand why those events impacted real people including their emotions, decision making and struggles.”
This is critical, she said, not just because the details matter in and of themselves, but because those multiple perspectives help us develop a richer and fuller understanding of history, beyond what has been recorded in formal sources. “Official records often reflect the views of those in power, however, these personal experiences can offer alternative viewpoints that can uncover voices that have been historically marginalized or silenced.” As Emily has shown, working with “uncommon” sources like glassworks is one avenue for recovering those voices that are too often left out.
For more on this exhibit, please check out this related blog post, and listen to the interview with Ray Bassett on WUTC’s Scenic Roots. And check out the exhibit at the downtown branch of the Chattanooga Public Library!