April 10th conference Details and link to RSVP are here:
RSVP HERE: Symposium: Media Revolutions then and Now, April 10
The Exhibition is now on display in Special Collections at the Regenstein Library through April 10, 2026.
“Media Revolutions Then and Now” explores how the Protestant Reformation and innovations in printing technology coincided to catalyze a sweeping revolution that paved the way for media culture as we know it today.
Woodcut, Christ’s Sheepfold, ca. 1540/50. The Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library.
The exhibition upends traditional narratives that center on printing technology as the driving force of the Reformation, and instead shows how essential religious thought and practice were for the emergence and success of modern media. It highlights how Reformers like Martin Luther not only provided content but also a theological legitimacy that sustained the print industry, thereby transforming print from a nascent technology into a powerful tool for religious and cultural change.
Central to the exhibition is the notion of the Reformation as the first modern media event, showcasing how this interplay of theology and technology laid the foundation for our modern media landscape. However, the aim is not to chart a straightforward linear narrative of progress from the woodcut to the meme; instead, the exhibit focuses on the commonalities as much as on the differences of the two eras. Organized thematically around topics such as the emergence of news and fake news, stereotyping, memes, hate speech, apocalypticism, and conspiracy theories, the exhibition holds up a mirror to our contemporary media landscape, illuminating what the early modern reformation of media can teach us about today’s media culture and hint at what it might look like in the future.
Curators
Christopher Wild, Peter B. Ritzma Professor in the Department of Germanic Studies, the Committee on Theater and Performance Studies, and the College; Associate Faculty in the Divinity School, The University of Chicago
Tamara Golan, Assistant Professor of Art History and the College, The University of Chicago
Uon Erkiesen vnd Freyhait der Speisen… [On the Choice and Freedom of Foods], Augsburg: Heinrich Stayner, 1522
Presenters
Presented by the University of Chicago Library with support from Wilhelm Humboldt Performance Fund of the Division of Arts & Humanities; the Kim-Park Program for the Study of the Book; the Department of Art History; and the Department of Germanic Studies
Visitors
This exhibition is free and open to all. Visitors to the University of Chicago Library may obtain an entry pass by checking in at Regenstein Library’s entry desk and presenting a current, government-issued photo ID, such as a driver’s license, CityKey, state ID, or passport to confirm identity. Get more visitor information.
Exhibition Gallery Hours: Weekdays, 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.
Images and Media Contact
Images are available to members of the media and are reserved for editorial use in connection with this exhibition and related news. For more information, contact Rachel Rosenberg at ra-rosenberg@uchicago.edu or 773-834-1519.