The Drexel University Libraries’ latest exhibit Dragon Stories: Exploring Cultural Identity through Art began as a student assignment in fall 2024 and winter 2025 for Dr. Simone Schlichting-Artur’s Anthropology 101 course (Introduction to Cultural Diversity).

For their final projects, students were asked to reflect on aspects of their cultural identity—such as traditions, values, symbols, and personal experiences—and use them as inspiration to create an original piece of art.

This curated exhibit, in collaboration with Dr. Schlichting-Artur and her students, showcases a variety of artforms, including poems, letters, paintings, digital art, and even cookbooks. Each piece uses visual (and sometimes written) language to convey a story and show how different heritages and cultural identities help us make sense of the world.

Visit the exhibit and explore more than 40 pieces of art that reflect rich and diverse cultures and experiences from around the world through the lens of Drexel students.  

The exhibit will be on display in the W. W. Hagerty Library now through June 20, 2025.