When it comes to DeKalb’s history, it’s not all about barbed wire and corn.

An NIU art exhibit this month displays the history of NIU and of the DeKalb area using a collection of postcards and collectibles.

NIU College of Liberal Arts and Sciences External Programming retiree Steven Johnson’s collection is displayed throughout the month of January at the DeKalb

Area Women’s Center (DAWC) Galleries.

Johnson’s collection includes postcards which date from the turn of the century to the 1920s. The postcards feature DeKalb schools, businesses, homes and streets. His NIU memorabilia collection also includes a china set and a medallion that feature Altgeld Hall.

Johnson began working at NIU in 1981, at which time he also started his collection. He acquired his collection from auctions across Illinois and from friends.

“This collection provides a nice view of how DeKalb and NIU changed throughout the years and through local history,” Johnson said.

Some of the postcards feature messages from NIU students to their parents, Johnson said. According to Johnson, they are quite interesting and fun to read; one features a student asking their parents to send a quarter to pay for a parking ticket.

On Sunday, Jan. 20, a free reception for the exhibit will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. The exhibit is open for public viewing on Fridays from 7 to 9 p.m. and by appointment throughout the month.

Anna Marie Coveny, the art gallery director at the DAWC, said the exhibit shows historical information to the campus and to the community.

“His collection is nice for people to see displayed in this fashion,” Coveny said.

The DAWC is located at 1021 State St. Students can take Huskie Bus 7 to the exhibit.