A floor puzzle created by local artist Michael Pilato and several elementary students lies on the floor of 109 Pattee Library, representing images of people of different ethnicities holding hands around the world in a heart shape.

The puzzle, donated by the International Hospitality Council, represents the goals and objectives of the Diversity and Our University, We Are All Penn State exhibit, now open to the Penn State community, said Penn State Diversity Advocate Denise Hinds-Zaami.

It includes artifacts, photographs, books, posters, scrapbooks, historical items, contemporary creative works and clothing, all relating to diversity.

Hinds-Zaami, who came to Penn State in July 2004, thought of the idea for the exhibit. She accepted an offer from Catherine Grigor, library public relations and marketing administrator, to open an exhibit in the library. "I wanted to add, in a positive way, to the tone and climate of acceptance of all Penn State community members and peoples of the world and to their healthy coexistence in the world," Hinds-Zaami said.

Hinds-Zaami said she and several volunteers spent about six months creating and constructing the exhibit.

"I felt it to be a truly creative way of fulfilling my role as diversity advocate here at Penn State. And I love being creative," she said.

Work-study students helped Hinds-Zaami hand out multicultural fliers printed in English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese and Hindu. Hinds-Zaami said Ginger McCarthy, a graduate student, helped her with the exhibit and introduced her to Claire Milner, the curator and director of exhibits at the Matson Anthropology Museum who created the Wearing Your Identity gallery located within the exhibit.

"Penn State draws from diverse communities. It is critical that people are sensitive to cultural differences while, at the same time, we recognize our common humanity," Milner said.

Wearing Your Identity became the title of four vertical glass encasements provided by the Matson Museum of Anthropology. The glass cases include clothing and jewelry worn by people from Africa, Afghanistan, Myanmar (Burma), India, the Pacific, Saudi Arabia, Scandinavia and the Americas. Individuals and groups from around the community lent the clothing and jewelry. A Menominee beaded shirt worn by a tribe member while teaching about the tribe of the Great Lakes to youth groups was donated to the gallery. Various materials from Afghanistan came from researchers affiliated with the university, Milner said.

Issues about racism and sexual orientation are also presented in the exhibit. Messages such as, "Enlighten up," "Are You a Bigot?" and "Celebrate Diversity," cover the walls.

"We're all human. People are racist who shouldn't be. It's just a color," Laurie Mondelblatt (freshman-education) said.

The exhibit's purpose is to promote the concepts of the beauty, vastness and richness of diversity of people, cultures and beliefs throughout the world, as manifested in Penn State and surrounding communities, Hinds-Zaami said.

"The exhibit allows the Penn State community to understand other people's views and learn that the way they view others isn't always right," Ann McCormick (freshman-education) said.