CONWAY, S.C. (WBTW) — A decade of storytelling is on display by Coastal Carolina University’s The Athenaeum Press.

The newly opened exhibit — “Local Stories Matter” — is the mastermind of present and past CCU students and is in honor of the 10-year anniversary of The Athenaeum Press. 

Students said they are excited to see their work come to life in the museum where the exhibit is located.   

“For everybody to ask questions about it and just be intrigued really just puts a different perspective on your work and something you are proud of,” said CCU student Donte Coleman, who had a hand in creating the exhibit.

Alli Crandell, The Athenaeum Press director, said the exhibit is meaningful to a lot of people.

“Everything you can see inside this gallery is designed, edited, and written by our students, so it’s really special for us.”

All of the student-led projects, which span more than 10 years, are under one roof and on display in one gallery to tell a story of their own, Crandell said.

“We’ve seen it piece by piece, but now see all the projects talk to one another,” Crandell said. “It’s just really impressive to see our students have been able to achieve professional-level projects.”

The Athenaeum is a non-traditional publishing lab. All projects follow three criteria. They must be regionally engaged, physical and digital and student-produced.   

“It’s students, it’s community members, it’s a whole line of people that have come and gone from Coastal,” CCU student Madi Orndorff said.

It’s also hidden stories and deep history that stretch up and down the Myrtle Beach coast that are highlighted throughout the exhibit.

“Look at the beginning and not the ends but where we are at right now,” CCU student Delaney Marshall said.

It showcases everything from the Gullah Geechee community and rice culture to tobacco and chicken bog to present-day contemporary issues.

“I kind of say that I think it looks like a breathing scrapbook,” said Patricia Goodwin, executive director of the Myrtle Beach Art Museum.

All of the books, kids and DVDs in part of the projects are for sale in the museum shop, with the chicken bog kit being the most popular item.

Admission into the museum and the exhibit is free. The exhibit runs through the end of the year.