Thursday, September 17, 2026 / Downtown Eugene
Sixteen paintings about girls' education reach the downtown library
Margaret Godfrey's free exhibition runs through October 1 on the library's second floor and carries its own Holiday Farm Fire survival story.
A free, sixteen-painting exhibition called Educate the Girls of the World is now open in the Magazines and Newspapers Room on the second floor of the Downtown Eugene Public Library. It runs through October 1 during regular library hours.
Artist Margaret Godfrey uses mixed media to consider barriers to education in Afghanistan, South Sudan, Mali, Ethiopia, rural America and among young people without stable housing. Each work includes a girl's hand reaching toward an infinity symbol.
The complete series also survived the Holiday Farm Fire. When Godfrey and her husband evacuated in 2020, she chose these paintings to take; their McKenzie Valley home and studio were destroyed. She is now seeking a public institution to preserve and display the collection together.
Field notes
What changed: The sixteen-work Educate the Girls of the World series opened at the Downtown Eugene Public Library through October 1.
Why it matters: The exhibition connects global and local barriers to education with a body of art that survived the Holiday Farm Fire.
Who may be affected: Library visitors, students, educators and people looking for a free downtown arts stop.