Current and Forthcoming Exhibitions
The Special Collections Research Center is located on the first floor of the Joseph Regenstein Library on the campus of the University of Chicago. Exhibitions are free and open to the public and can be viewed during the Research Center's regular public service hours. Titles and dates of forthcoming exhibitions are subject to change. For further information about the exhibition program, please contact:
Special Collections Research Center
The University of Chicago Library
1100 East 57th Street
Chicago, Illinois 60637
Phone: (773) 702-8705
Current Exhibitions
The Seminary Co-op Bookstore Documentary Project
Special Collections Research Center Exhibition Gallery
April 22, 2013 - July 13, 2013In 2012, the Seminary Co-op Bookstore celebrated 50 years at the center of the University of Chicago's intellectual and cultural life. The noted independent bookstore also moved from its old quarters in the basement of the Chicago Theological Seminary into newly designed space in McGiffert House on Woodlawn Avenue. This exhibition will present the work of two Chicago alumnae, Jasmine Kwong and Megan Doherty, who are documenting the history of the Seminary Co-op and the experiences of its patrons and staff through photographs, interviews, artifacts, and memorabilia.
Recipes for Domesticity: Cookery, Household Management, and the Notion of Expertise
Special Collections Research Center Exhibition Gallery
April 22, 2013 - July 13, 2013How does one roast a fawn or properly set a dinner table for twelve? For centuries, people have been documenting and decoding the vast array of knowledge associated with domestic life, assembling cooking and household guides to assist with the tasks of daily living. Not merely collections of recipes and how-to instructions, these guides also document cultural patterns and give insight into the development of modern-day kitchen and cooking practices. This exhibition, drawn primarily from the Rare Books Collection, provides a sampling of European and American cookbooks and domestic manuals from court chefs of the 15th century to cooking icons of the 20th century. The exhibition is curated by Julia Gardner, Head of Reader Services, Special Collections Research Center.
Forthcoming Exhibitions
Souvenirs! Get Your Souvenirs! Chicago Mementos and Memories
Special Collections Research Center Exhibition Gallery
July 22, 2013 - October 5, 2013Part of the Discover Hidden Archives Treasures series, this exhibition will present a wide range of historical Chicago-related books, postcards, objects, souvenirs, and prints. Many of the materials on display document the city of Chicago in general, while other items are drawn from Chicago's two world's fairs, the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 and the Century of Progress Exposition of 1933-1934. The exhibition is based on a collection of Chicago memorabilia assembled by the late Professor Ian Mueller and presented to the Library as a gift by his widow, Professor Janel Mueller.
Race and the Design of American Life
Special Collections Research Center Exhibition Gallery
October 14, 2013 - January 4, 2014In the twentieth century, images of African Americans have outfitted myriad mass-produced consumer goods, from Aunt Jemima’s pancakes to the Air Jordan basketball shoe. How has graphic design shaped the relationship between the politics of race and mass consumption? How have African American entrepreneurs and artists used design to shape their own images of “the race”? Drawing from collections of food packaging, print advertisements, children’s books, album covers, and toys, this exhibit traces the vexed history of racial design, from stark racist caricature to the productions of black-owned advertising firms. It explores how graphic design capitalized on racist attitudes; it also illustrates how for many corporations, designers, and consumers, graphic design was used to envision and transform the place of African Americans in society. As a market force and aesthetic style, graphic design emerged as a material and often intimate activity that wove race into the fabric of everyday life.
