The Anne Frank traveling exhibit will be set up in Wayne State College’s Ley Theatre and open to the public from Sept. 3 -13.  

“The exhibit tells the story of Anne Frank and her family as they experienced the events leading up to, during and after the Holocaust,” Dr. Jennifer Miller, the professor in charge of coordinating the exhibit, said.  

The display is set up as a series of 31 six-foot-tall panels that visually tell Frank’s story in a way that is more personal than how most have experienced it.  

“A lot of students had to read the diary of Anne Frank in junior high or high school, and this is just a way to further connect with that story,” Miller said. 

The exhibit was created by the Anne Frank House but is owned by the Institute for Holocaust Education in Omaha. The Institute moves the exhibit around Nebraska.  

The idea of bringing the exhibit to campus was suggested in January when a student mentioned the exhibit to Dr. Miller after having seen it at another college campus.  

“She was very passionate about it and thought it was important to address antisemitism,” Miller said. 

The exhibit’s purpose is to portray Anne’s story and the story of the holocaust at large on an intimate level.  

“You might see these big pictures of Hitler and concentration camps, but it doesn’t directly connect with you as reading the experiences of a 13-year-old girl,” Miller said.  

Ultimately what Miller and those who coordinated the exhibit want people to take away from the display is hope. 

“Anne doesn’t lose hope throughout the entire experience,” Miller said. “She’s hoping that they will survive, that she will become a famous writer. Although she wasn’t able to survive, her dream of becoming a writer did.” 

In addition to the normal times when anyone is welcome to walk through the exhibit, guided tours will also be hosted by students.  

“They are there to explain more of the details and to put together more of Anne’s story,” Miller said.