Before heading up the Parks Department of the fictional town of Pawnee, Indiana as Ron Swanson in NBC’s Parks and Recreation, Nick Offerman honed his acting and woodworking skills at the University of Illinois. Between 1988 and 1993, he could be found building sets in the scene shop or onstage at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts and other area theatres. He will deliver the 2017 Commencement Address during the University’s Sesquicentennial year.This exhibit explores Offerman’s time as a student at the University of Illinois through his publications, interviews, and photographs and documents found in holdings of the University of Illinois Archives.
