The University of Nebraska–Lincoln Libraries will host an exhibition titled “The Muck, the Seeds, the Weeds, the Blossoming: The Journals of Karen Blessen,” featuring 24 personal journals donated by the Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic artist and UNL alumna. Opening September 18 and running through February 2026 on the second-floor link of Love Library, the show marks the first public display of Blessen’s journals, which span 2013 to 2022 and offer intimate insight into her creative process, personal struggles, and artistic strategies. The exhibition team includes Camilo Sanchez, curator of exhibitions at the International Quilt Museum, who designed the installation.
The exhibition matters because it transforms a private practice—journaling—into a public educational resource, providing students, scholars, and visitors with a rare window into the mind of a pioneering graphic artist who was the first to win a Pulitzer Prize in her field. By preserving and sharing Blessen’s journals, the university underscores the value of visual memoir and creative process as tools for learning and inspiration, while also highlighting the role of archives in sustaining artistic legacies. The show also reflects Blessen’s broader mission through her nonprofit 29 Pieces, which uses arts-based curricula to foster kindness in schools nationwide.