Wetlands drained, lands seized, entire ways of life disrupted—all in the name of "improvement." Tracing a transatlantic story from the English Fens to the Indigenous homelands of the Virginia Chesapeake, this exhibition unravels how the logic of improvement, codified in law and made visible through environmental interventions, redefined belonging and access to land.
October 13, 2026 — June 4, 2027
Main Gallery, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library
VISIT
Monday, Tuesday, Friday
9 am — 5 pm
Wednesday, Thursday
9 am — 7 pm
TOURS
Please let us know if you plan to bring a large group to the exhibition or would like to request a guided tour.
PRESS
UVA Today, "Her path to UVA meandered. Now she’s found a home"
Cville Right Now, "UVA Special Collections Library launches two new exhibitions"
CBS19, "Two new exhibits open at UVa's Special Collections Library"
We acknowledge that the University of Virginia is situated on the ancestral homeland and traditional territory of the Monacan Indian Nation. We also acknowledge the Pamunkey Indian Tribe, the Chickahominy Tribe, the Chickahominy Indians Eastern Division, the Cheroenhaka (Nottoway) Indian Tribe, the Upper Mattaponi Indian Tribe, the Patawomeck Indian Tribe, the Rappahannock Tribe, and the Nansemond Indian Nation, who have an enduring relationship with our surrounding area and continue to call it home today. We pay respect to their elders and knowledge keepers—past and present.
CREDITS
CURATION
STACEY CRYSTAL LeCLAIR, Ph.D. Candidate, Corcoran Department of History
EXHIBITION DESIGN & PRODUCTION
HOLLY ROBERTSON, Curator of Exhibitions
JACQUELYN KIM, Exhibitions Coordinator
WITH SPECIAL THANKS TO
PAUL D. HALLIDAY, Julian Bishko Professor of History; Professor of Law
THE PAMUNKEY INDIAN MUSEUM AND CULTURAL CENTER
ALICIA GEAR & ETHAN BROWN
GEORGE RISER, BRENDA GUNN, SUE DONOVAN & MEG KENNEDY