Exhibition Tour: Media Revolutions Then and Now

The Kim-Park Program for the Study of the Book is pleased to present a guided exhibition tour of Media Revolutions Then and Now: Martin Luther and the Making of Modern Communication with Co-Curators Christopher Wild & Tamara Golan.

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.

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.

This program 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.

This tour is presented by the Kim-Park Program for the Study of the Book.

Banner Image:
Woodcut, Christ’s Sheepfold, ca. 1540/50

Monogrammist MS (active 1530–1550)

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