Jack Kerouac’s original On the Road manuscript has made its latest stop at Columbia and inspired staff and students to celebrate the Beats’ legacy.

The famous manuscript was written by Kerouac on a 120-foot scroll during a three-week period in 1951. Kerouac was an original member of the group of artists known as “The Beats,” including Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs and Neal Cassady, who explored alternative writing styles and work influenced by spirituality and emotion. The work of these artists inspired a generation of artists, writers, musicians and filmmakers throughout the 1950s and 1960s.

The scroll will be displayed from Oct. 5 to Nov. 23 at the Center for Book and Paper Arts in the 1104 Center, 1104 S. Wabash Ave., on the second floor. A campuswide initiative entitled “The Beats Go On” also accompanies the scroll and investigates the art of the Beat Generation.

Micki Leventhal, director of Media Relations, said the project has been years in the making. When Columbia was offered the opportunity to host the scroll, faculty members from all departments came together to create an initiative to celebrate it.

“The initial meetings involved brainstorming from excited faculty members who had heard that the manuscript was coming to campus,” said Pegeen Quinn, academic program manager of Columbia. “In a short amount of time we had a series of proposed ideas that became a schedule of exhibits and events.”

The scroll exhibit opened on Oct. 3 at the Book and Paper Arts Center, accompanied by a collection of 66 book covers of On the Road. The collection was lent by private collector Horst Spandler and displays the cover art of different prints of On the Road, spanning decades and nations.

“There is nothing like seeing the scroll in person; it’s inspiring even for visual artists,” Greg Weiss, gallery coordinator for the Center for Book and Paper Arts, said.

Jim Canary, head conservator of the scroll, attended the opening ceremony. The head conservator, also known as the scrollmaster, is in charge of traveling with the scroll.

“The scroll evokes creativity and energy from people,” Canary said. “People come to these exhibits and are inspired to read poetry or play jazz; the energy just takes off. Columbia is the perfect venue for this.”

The “Beats Go On” initiative is opening several other exhibits on campus with focuses on different departments at Columbia. The Photography, Radio and Fashion Departments are each set to participate in the events.

“The college has really made an incredible effort in organizing a complete and cohesive collection that supports an entire generation,” said Ilana Shabanov, a fiction writing graduate student. “How often do we get to participate in something like that? It touches on so many aspects of the Beat Generation and helps to celebrate and study the sum of its parts.”

The radio program is hosting “The Beat Cafe,” an exhibition that opened on Oct. 6 in the 33 E. Congress Parkway Building. The exhibition is inspired by Beat-era coffee houses and will showcase radio and audio work by Columbia students.

The initiative is collaborating with the Chicago Humanities Festival to host a campuswide open house on Nov. 5. The open house will include a Cinema Slapdown of the road trip movie Thelma & Louise. This event will give students a chance to discuss topics concerning the film after the viewing. There will also be an all day marathon reading of On The Road by volunteers and an academic symposium on the Beat Generation.

“It has been impressive to see people from different disciplines collaborate enthusiastically,” Quinn said. “I hope that enthusiasm can be felt on campus.”

All exhibits are free and open to the public.

For more information and a complete list of exhibitions and events, visit the “Beats Go On” at Colum.edu.