The Playful Antiquarian » Exhibits

The Wind in the Willows and World Book Day 2007

vernica — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 12:30:43 +0000

Today (March 1) is World Book Day. In celebration of this day, the Bodleian Library is holding a one-day exhibition featuring Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows. If you are lucky enough to be in Oxford today, you can view Grahame’s letters to his son Alastair, the original manuscript of the book, and much more.

If, like me, you cannot visit the Bodleian in person, you can visit the exhibit virtually.

Although I have said very little about the Google Books Library Project (or, for that matter, much about anything lately) on this blog, I must give credit to the Inside Google Book Search blog for the content of this post. Not only did I learn about World Book Day and the Bodleian exhibit from a post on their blog yesterday, I also discovered that it is possible to view the full-text of the New York Public Library’s copy of the 1908 edition of The Wind in the Willows.* Joy!

* As a cataloger-in-waiting, I must note that the text about the Library of Congress, Pforzheimer, and the Bruce Rogers Collection on the book summary page does not apply to the digitized copy. It is copy-specific information for the copy at the Library of Congress.

** Apr. 30, 2007 — Now, the Google Books record links to the WorldCat record for a more recent edition instead of the 1908 edition. This solves the problem of LC copy-specific information being pulled into the Google Books summary description; however, from a bibliographic viewpoint, this solution is somewhat disappointing.

10,000 Ways of Looking at Joan of Arc

vernica — Wed, 31 May 2006 11:56:11 +0000

This summer I am in the mood for unplanned excursions and spontaneous adventures, so yesterday morning, when I read the May 30th entry on Joan of Arc in Helen Dean Fish’s Children’s Almanac of Books and Holidays (1934), I knew that I had to explore that theme. Since I have a backlog of reading material at the moment, I could not follow Fish’s advice to read E.M. Wilmot-Buxton’s The Story of Jeanne d’Arc. Instead, I decided to see the Jean of Arc exhibit at the Boston Public Library.

“10,000 Joans: Treasures from the Joan of Arc Collection of the Boston Public Library” is not about children’s literature, but children’s literature enthusiasts and anyone fascinated by collectors and collecting will delight in this exhibit. The exhibit is in recognition of the 30th anniversary of the donation of the collection to the BPL by Cardinal John Joseph Wright in 1976, and it shows the many ways the legendary saint has been depicted in print and popular culture over the centuries. A wide range of objects are on display, from posters and early printed books to decorative plates to cigarette cards and prayer cards. Children’s books and prints are scattered throughout the exhibit, but there is one freestanding case devoted to depictions of the saint for children.

The exhibit also reveals the growth and development of a topic collection. For Cardinal Wright, his collection was a lifelong passion. He became fascinated with Joan of Arc as a child when his curiosity was sparked by hearing soldiers returned from France after WWI singing the popular song “Joan of Arc, They Are Calling You”. This interest was further fueled by the gift of a book about Joan of Arc from a teacher. Now, the 6,000 items from his collection form the heart of one the largest and most comprehensive collections on Joan of Arc.

The exhibit runs until June 15, 2006, so if you are in the Boston-area, there are still a few weeks to catch it. Guided tours are available on Saturdays at 2:30 p.m. There will also be a guided gallery tour with the exhibition curators on Wednesday, June 7 at 6 p.m. Admission is free and the exhibit is open the same hours as the library.

Annual Children’s Book Illustration Exhibit, R. Michelson Galleries

vernica — Unknown, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

The 16th Annual Children’s Book Illustration Exhibit opened yesterday, December 3, at the R. Michelson Galleries in Northampton, MA. This year’s exhibit features illustrations from the new book Happy Feet by Richard Michelson and E.B. Lewis–a book about Harlem’s Savoy Ballroom and inspired by the swing dancer Frankie Manning. Works by Alice Provensen and Jane and Brooke Dyer also are on exhibit.

Unfortunately, the Lindy Hop demonstrations were only at last night’s opening party. The exhibit, however, runs from December 3 through January 30, 2006. For more information, see the gallery’s website, which includes a reprint of the November 27, 2005 Boston Globe article about the exhibit.

NYT Review of Beatrix Potter in America

vernica — Unknown, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I wondered why this weblog was receiving so many hits for the search terms “Beatrix Potter in America”, and now I know the answer. Earlier this week Grace Glueck reviewed the exhibit for the New York Times Arts section.

In celebration of the end of Banned Books Week and the beginning of my third (eek!) decade as a children’s literature connoisseur, j (of j’s scratchpad fame) and I journeyed to Amherst on October 1 to visit the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art and view the exhibit. J, who is much more on top of things blog-wise, posted her impressions of the exhibit and the museum shortly after our trip.

Exhibition catalogue buff that I am, I purchased Lolly Robinson’s delightful catalogue, Beatrix Potter in America: An Exhibition at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. I also purchased the Ashley Bryan exhibit catalogue, Painter and Poet: The Wonderful World of Ashley Bryan, which is a colorful and vibrant contrast to the subdued, watercolor hues of the Potter catalogue.

The exhibit closes this Sunday, December 4. If you have never been to the Eric Carle Museum, it is worth the trip. And if you are going to see the exhibit, take j’s advice and bring a magnifying glass with you.

Hmmm . . . I wonder if I can convince j to drive to Amherst for one (or more) of the exhibits planned for 2006?

Comics as Cultural Mythology, Sept. 12-Dec. 17, 2005

vernica — Unknown, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

As part of the official opening of the Michael E. Uslan Collection of Comic Books and Graphic Novels at Indiana University, the Lilly Library has mounted the exhibit “Comics as Cultural Mythology.” The exhibit features comics from the Uslan Collection, plus film posters and original sketches and will run until December 17, 2005. For more information, browse or search the inventory database for the collection or read the recent IU Media Relations press release, “Comics as culture? Holy textbook, Batman!“

Beatrix Potter in America, Aug. 16-Dec. 5, 2005

vernica — Unknown, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

In conjunction with the Beatrix Potter Society conference, the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art has mounted the exhibit, “Beatrix Potter in America”, in its Central Gallery. The exhibit, which opened earlier this week, features a wide range of materials on loan from the Cotsen Children’s Library, the Free Library of Philadelphia, and private collections.

This and other current and upcoming exhibits are listed on the museum’s exhibitions page.

The Juvenile Drama, June 29-Sept. 16, 2005

vernica — Unknown, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

The Harvard Theatre Collection (Pusey Library) exhibit “The Juvenile Drama: Eighteenth-and Nineteenth-Century Toy Theatre and Penny Prints” opened yesterday, June 29. The exhibit features Regency and Victorian period toy theatres and toy theatre prints and will run through September 16, 2005.

For more information (and fun) with toy theatres, visit the Osborne Collection’s “Toy Theatre” page, which includes a toy theatre flash animation. Other special collections containing toy theatres and penny prints include the Juvenile Drama Collection at the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library and Pollocks Toy Museum in London.

Boston Ink: A Century of Printing, 1905-2005

vernica — Unknown, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

In celebration of its centenary, the Society of Printers is sponsoring an exhibit and series of lectures and demonstrations highlighting book arts and printing history in Boston. “Boston Ink: A Century of Printing, 1905-2005″ is co-sponsored by the Boston Public Library, and the exhibit and related events will be held at the library from April 5 through June 6. A schedule of events is available at the Society of Printers website (linked above) and on the Boston Public Library’s events page.

Art of the Japanese Postcard

vernica — Unknown, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I decided to break out of my Cambridge(work)/Somerville(home) rut and venture into Boston last Wednesday night. This was not an entirely spontaneous adventure. I have been very anxious to see the new Art of the Japanese Postcard exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA), and Wednesday seemed like the perfect time for postcard-viewing.

The exhibit was all that I hoped it would be and more, but I am somewhat biased. When Leonard A. Lauder donated his collection to the MFA in 2002, I was ecstatic about the news. I could not wait for the materials to be accessioned, catalogued, and exhibited and briefly had considered applying for the curatorial assistant position for processing the collection.

The exhibit, which opened March 10 and will run through June 6, showcases 350 of the more than 20,000 Japanese postcards in the Lauder collection. There is also an accompanying exhibit entitled Japanese Design in Transition: 1900-1940?E which features posters, kuchi-e, and sculptures.

I would say more about the exhibit and my impressions, but I am still feeling overawed. If I have time and can collect my thoughts, I may revisit this topic in a later post or in an extended story. But, this is dependent on how much work I complete in my research on Japanese decorated paper and pattern design (newly invigorated by the exhibit and the exhibition catalogue that I purchased from the museum gift shop).

For anyone who may be interested, Leonard Lauder will be giving a lecture at the museum on April 14^th on the art and social history of Japanese postcards. I will probably attend, as I am really looking forward to hearing his perspective on this topic. I am also looking forward to another journey to the MFA to explore this fun and refreshing ephemera exhibit.

The Willard Suitcases Exhibit

Unknown, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

This story from Saturday’s Newsday describes the Willard suitcases exhibit. The exhibit, titled “Lost Cases, Recovered Lives: Suitcases from a State Hospital Attic,” recently opened at the New York State Museum in Albany and features abandoned suitcases and trunks found in the attic of the Willard Psychiatric Center after the hospital closed in 1995. This exhibit is part of an archives project collaboration, involving the New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH), the State Museum, and the State Archives and Records Administration (SARA).

Craig Williams, of the State Museum, capsulizes the purpose of the exhibit in this quote from the archives project’s web page:

“We’re looking to portray the owners as the people they were, to put a face on a number of these suitcases, so to speak. It’s not intended to make a political statement, we work to put a face on history every day. ”