Collections & Exhibits - The University of Chicago Library

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Exhibit Thumbnail	Title	Locations	Subjects
Exhibits
	Adventures in the Soviet Imaginary: Children's Books and Graphic Art Adventures in the Soviet Imaginary examines both the intensive and extensive dimensions of Soviet posters and children books.	Locations The Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center Aug. 22 — Dec. 30, 2011 View web exhibit >>	Subjects Slavic/Eastern Europe/Eurasia Art
	Art in the Stacks The Special Collections Research Center is known for being the University of Chicago Library’s center for rare books, manuscripts, and university archives. Nestled within these materials, there is a lesser known aspect of our collections—art. Art in the Stacks highlights these holdings with a selection of original paintings, drawings, and sculptures, in addition to artists’ books and other works on paper produced in the 20th and early 21st centuries.	Locations The Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center June 19 — Sept. 15, 2017 View web exhibit >>	Subjects Art
	Artivism: Italy and Social Justice Art activism in Italy in the 1960s and 1970s	Locations Regenstein 3rd Floor Reading Room June 11 — Dec. 15, 2018 View web exhibit >>	Subjects Music Art Italian Literature
	The B. Heller & Co. Collection Founded by Benjamin Heller, whose family practiced sausage-making for generations, Chicago-based B. Heller & Co. began in 1893. Eager to take advantage of new developments in food science and chemistry as well as his skills as a salesman, Benjamin Heller was the quintessential American entrepreneur.	Locations The Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center March 1 — June 30, 2009 View web exhibit >>	Subjects Advertising Chicago and Illinois
	The Black Metropolis Research Consortium: Fifteen Years of Preserving and Documenting Black History and Culture in Chicago The Black Metropolis Research Consortium (BMRC) is a Chicago-based membership association that aids in expanding broad access to its members’ holdings of materials that document African American and African diasporic history, politics and culture, with a specific focus on materials relating to Chicago. Our members include universities, libraries, museums, community, arts-based and government archives. It is the mission of the BMRC to connect all who seek to document, share, understand and preserve Black experiences. In 2021, the BMRC celebrates its 15th anniversary. This exhibit documents the origins of the BMRC, its efforts to aid discoverability and access to Black historical collections, and the consortium’s flagship Summer Short-term Fellowship and Archie Motley Archival Internship programs.	Locations The Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center View web exhibit >>	Subjects American History History African-American Studies
	Chicago Celebrates Darwin The John Crerar Library presents Chicago Celebrates Darwin, an exhibit which revisits the Darwin Centennial Celebration hosted by the University in 1959. We look back at the original letters, pictures, and documents from that conference to get a sense of the atmosphere and the importance of the events, including the effect of Darwin’s theories on the research and popular opinion of the day.	Locations Crerar Library, 1st Floor: Other Spaces Oct. 19 — March 26, 2010 View web exhibit >>	Subjects University of Chicago Ecology & Evolution Organismal Biology Biological Sciences Chicago and Illinois
	Closeted/OUT in the Quadrangles: A History of LGBTQ Life at the University of Chicago Historical view of LGBT faculty, student, and staff life at the University of Chicago.	Locations The Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center March 30 — June 12, 2015 View web exhibit >>	Subjects LGBTQIA Studies University of Chicago
	Dog Fight: The Animal Experimentation Debate in Twentieth-Century Chicago What should be done with unclaimed pound dogs? This question inspired fierce debates in Chicago, where an unusual city ordinance in 1931 granted scientists at the University of Chicago, Northwestern University, and other local medical schools access to stray dogs for experimental purposes. This exhibition explores both sides of that controversy and shows how it continues to shape the ways we discuss biomedical ethics and scientific progress.	May 8 — Sept. 1, 2023 View web exhibit >>	Subjects University of Chicago Chicago and Illinois History of Science History
	En Guerre: French Illustrators and World War I En Guerre will offer a fresh examination of World War I through the lens of French graphic illustration of the period.	Locations The Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center Oct. 14 — Jan. 2, 2015 View web exhibit >>	Subjects European History Art
	Envisioning Earth This exhibit points to historical references to conservation and the environment; the approach is one that is multidisciplinary, accomplished through music, literature, and cartography.	Locations Regenstein 3rd Floor Reading Room May 1 — Sept. 4, 2017 View web exhibit >>	Subjects Literature Music Maps
	Expanding Sources: Recent Additions to Special Collections As academic fields expand and diversify, Special Collections is building collections to support these new directions. Researchers are drawing on original materials in many areas including race and gender, cinema and media, graphic design, arts practice, and cross-cultural global studies. This exhibition displays recent acquisitions with research potential for a range of disciplines. The materials represent many formats, including children’s books, family letters, journals, fine book design, posters, research notes, clothing, board games, and printed ephemera.	Locations The Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center Jan. 6 — April 24, 2020 View web exhibit >>	Subjects University of Chicago Library Chicago and Illinois University of Chicago
	Firmness Commodity and Delight Firmness, Commodity, and Delight was the inaugural exhibition in the new Special Collections gallery, running from May through July 2011. The exhibition celebrated the opening of the new SCRC exhibition gallery and the completion of the Joe and Rika Mansueto Library with a display of books, manuscripts, and archival drawings and photographs representing our collections in architecture. The exhibition also had two items provided by the architectural firms who designed the Mansueto and Special Collections spaces – one drawing each from Murphy/Jahn (Helmut Jahn) and Booth Hansen. The exhibition was presented in conjunction with "500 Years of the Illustrated Architecture Book," a city-wide festival marking the publication of the first illustrated book on architecture, the Fra Giocondo edition of Vitruvius's De architectura libri decem.	Locations The Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center May 9 — July 29, 2011 View web exhibit >>	Subjects Architecture
	From Sausage to Hot Dog: the Evolution of an Icon The hot dog is an American creation, and Chicago even has its own style. But where did this popular food come from and how did it develop? This exhibit looks to the hot dog's origins in sausage-making practices brought by European immigrants to the Midwest. We consider techniques used in neighborhood butcher shops and the rise of industrial meat production. Homemade recipes and artisanal makers past and present are also examined.	Locations Crerar Library, 1st Floor: Other Spaces Oct. 29 — Dec. 31, 2013 View web exhibit >>	Subjects History of Science History American History Chicago and Illinois
	The Graphics of Revolution and War: Iranian Poster Arts Designed for mass distribution and aimed towards a large public audience, posters embed social, political, and religious concerns that frequently are articulated through both text and image. Perhaps more so than at any other moment in recent history, posters served as powerful modalities for mobilization and communication during the Iranian Revolution of 1979 and the Iran-Iraq War (1980-88).	Locations The Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center Oct. 15 — Dec. 18, 2011 View web exhibit >>	Subjects Art Middle East
	I Step Out of Myself: Portrait Photography in Special Collections An exhibition of portrait photography collections in the University Archives.	Locations The Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center Jan. 12 — March 20, 2015 View web exhibit >>	Subjects Art Photography University of Chicago
	Integrating the Life of the Mind: African Americans at the University of Chicago, 1870-1940 This exhibit presents original manuscripts, rarely seen portraits and photographs, African American publications, books by African American graduates of the University of Chicago, and other documents that trace the interlocking strands of academic and gradual social integration through the mid-twentieth century.	Locations The Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center Sept. 1 — Feb. 28, 2009 View web exhibit >>	Subjects African-American Studies University of Chicago
	James Baldwin Among The Philosophers James Baldwin’s work is widely recognized for its religious overtones and influences as well as for its critiques of racism and heterosexual norms. His work is equally important as a contribution to American philosophy.	Locations Regenstein 4th Floor Reading Room Sept. 25 — Dec. 31, 2017 View web exhibit >>	Subjects African-American Studies Religion
	The Late Sketches and Autographs of Beethoven The books in which Beethoven carried out his sketching can be identified as falling into one of three categories: collections of loose leaves, large sketchbooks, and pocket books. The first of these, loose leaves, were used by Beethoven early in his life (from around 1786 to 1799) to draft compositions, as well as to write out compositional exercises, often for the keyboard. These loose leaves were later collected, sorted, and sewn together into book format by the composer himself.	Locations Regenstein 3rd Floor Reading Room June 21 — Dec. 14, 2019 View web exhibit >>	Subjects Music
	Mapping the Young Metropolis Between 1915 and 1940, a small faculty in the University of Chicago Department of Sociology, working with dozens of talented graduate students, intensively studied the city of Chicago . They aspired to use the approaches of social science in developing a new field of research, and they took the city as their laboratory.	Locations The Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center June 22 — Sept. 11, 2015 View web exhibit >>	Subjects Sociology Chicago and Illinois
	Meatpacking in the Midwest: The Thomas E. Wilson Family Collection From the Civil War through the 1930s, Chicago was the center of the meatpacking industry in the United States. The Thomas E. Wilson Family Collection provides a snapshot of one family-owned meatpacking business in Chicago during the first half of the twentieth century. The collection captures the meatpacking industry in the Midwest through the lens of one family's experience at the top.	View web exhibit >>	Subjects Special Collections Chicago and Illinois Business
	On Equal Terms: Educating Women at the University of Chicago Since the University welcomed its first students in the fall of 1892, women have had very different stories to tell about the experiments in co-education and faculty diversification; the experience of the classroom, the laboratory, the dorm, and the streets of Hyde Park; the issues of mentorship, intellectual community, and career advancement; and the opportunities for political action and community involvement, for friendship, romance, and sexual experimentation.	Locations The Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center March 1 — July 31, 2009 View web exhibit >>	Subjects Women's Studies University of Chicago Library
	On Reading Spring "On Reading Spring" is divided into six thematic sections, each offering a discreet meditation on the unfolding of the season through experiences commonly ascribed to spring: Refreshment, Vulnerability, Epiphany, Restoration, Tenderness, and Joy. By pairing a selection of the Special Collections Research Center’s rare and unusual published works with archival letters, diaries, photographs, musical manuscripts and early drafts of poems composed between March and June, "On Reading Spring" considers the ways in which diverse works reveal a sympathetic vernal experience across disciplines, cultures, and time periods.	Locations The Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center April 6 — June 30, 2020 View web exhibit >>	Subjects Music Art Literature Photography
	On the Edge: Medieval Margins and the Margins of Academic Life This exhibition explores the symmetry between medieval margins and the modern margins of academic life.	Locations The Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center May 19 — Sept. 10, 2012 View web exhibit >>	Subjects Art European History History of Print
	Our Lincoln: Bicentennial Icons from the Barton Collection of Lincolniana Marking the 200th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln, this exhibition presents a selection of documents and artifacts from the University of Chicago Library's William E. Barton Collection of Lincolniana.	Locations The Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center Jan. 1 — Feb. 28, 2009 View web exhibit >>	Subjects Chicago and Illinois American History
	Paul B. Moses: Trailblazing Art Historian The extraordinary life of the art historian Paul B. Moses (1929–1966) was one defined by barriers overcome. Through his writings, photographs, video clips, personal correspondence, ephemera, and original art, the exhibition tells the story of his journey from Ardmore, Pennsylvania and Haverford College, where he was the first African-American student ever admitted, to the University of Chicago, where he distinguished himself through innovative teaching and scholarship until his untimely death.	Locations The Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center Sept. 12 — Dec. 16, 2022 View web exhibit >>	Subjects Chicago and Illinois University of Chicago History Art
	Printing for the Modern Age: Commerce, Craft, and Culture in the RR Donnelley Archive The R. R. Donnelley Archive preserves a fascinating array of historical materials dating from the mid-nineteenth to the late twentieth century, offering research potential in modern social and cultural history, the history of printing and the graphic arts, the history of advertising and mass consumption, economic and labor history, Chicago urban and community history, and modern cultural studies, among many other fields.	Locations The Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center Sept. 1 — Feb. 28, 2007 View web exhibit >>	Subjects History of Print Chicago and Illinois American History
	Race and the Design of American Life: African Americans in Twentieth-Century Commercial Art Drawing from collections of food packaging, advertisements, children's books, album covers, and other household goods, this exhibit traces the vexed history of African Americans in commercial art—as images and as makers of their own image—and their vital role in shaping the rise and establishment of our modern consumer society.	Locations The Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center Oct. 14 — Jan. 4, 2014 View web exhibit >>	Subjects African-American Studies Art
	ReFraming Graphic Medicine: Comics and the History of Medicine Throughout the history of comics, the visual stories of health, illness and medical practice complement the traditional history of medicine. Spanning from the origins of comics to contemporary works of graphic medicine, this exhibit traces a unique visual history of the illness experience and the evolution of Western healthcare practices and broadens our understanding of how the history of medicine is constructed.	Locations The Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center May 9 — July 16, 2022 View web exhibit >>	Subjects History of Medicine Medicine Art
	The Science of Sustainability This exhibit takes a close look at some aspects of sustainable building design and how they can produce greener buildings.	Locations Crerar Library, 1st Floor: Other Spaces April 5 — Oct. 1, 2010 View web exhibit >>	Subjects Environmental Science Urban Studies Organismal Biology Chicago and Illinois University of Chicago
	Something's Brewing: The Art, Science and Technology of Beer Brewing The Crerar Library exhibit, Something's Brewing: The Art, Science and Technology of Brewing, explores the development of brewing, from the ancient Sumerians' rice-based beverages to the rise and fall of the Chicago brewing industry.	Locations Crerar Library, 1st Floor: Other Spaces Jan. 8 — March 31, 2007 View web exhibit >>	Subjects Chicago and Illinois Materials Science History of Science Technology
	Sounds from Tomorrow's World: Sun Ra and the Chicago Years, 1946-1961 This exhibit explores Sun Ra’s Chicago years through images and sound recordings of his poetry and music, vinyl records and album artwork, promotional materials and early controversial broadsheets. While living in Chicago, Herman Poole “Sonny” Blount became Sun Ra—the leader of the Arkestra and a composer and arranger of some of the most avant-garde jazz of the time.	Locations Regenstein 3rd Floor Reading Room Dec. 1 — Aug. 20, 2010 View web exhibit >>	Subjects Music Chicago and Illinois
	Souvenirs! Get Your Souvenirs! Souvenirs can come in all shapes and sizes; they can be simple or complex, tasteful or tacky. This exhibition presents various souvenirs created for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, the 1933 Century of Progress International Exposition, and the City of Chicago. It draws on collections throughout the Special Collections Research Center, catalyzed by the Ian Mueller Collection of Chicago Memorabilia.	Locations The Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center July 22 — Oct. 4, 2013 View web exhibit >>	Subjects Special Collections American History Chicago and Illinois
	Super Metroid: A 20th Anniversary Retrospective This exhibit celebrates the art of the videogame as seen in one of its early classics. Additionally, this exhibit explores the creative activity that lies beyond the game itself, from concept art and promotional materials to the fan art the game still inspires twenty years later.	Locations The Joseph Regenstein Library Jan. 28 — March 22, 2014 View web exhibit >>	Subjects Arts
	Sweet Home Chicago: Chocolate and Confectionery Production and Technology in the Windy City Drawing from items in the substantial cookery collection at the John Crerar Library, this exhibit explores the history of chocolate and confectioners in the city and the science and technology of the candy making process.	Locations Crerar Library, 1st Floor: Other Spaces Oct. 10 — June 11, 2011 View web exhibit >>	Subjects Advertising Chicago and Illinois Technology
	T. Kimball Brooker Prize for Undergraduate Book Collecting The Brooker Prize is awarded annually to second- and fourth year students with outstanding book collections. This exhibit provides an opportunity for award winners to share selections from their collections with a wider audience.	Locations Regenstein 1st Floor Reading Room View web exhibit >>	Subjects Latin American Studies Medieval Studies Gender Studies Arts
	They Saw Stars: Art and Astronomy This John Crerar Library exhibit highlights works of art and literature influenced by astronomy, either through scientific study, a fascination with the night sky, or as an inspiration for the literary imagination. Both contemporary and historical works are included.	Locations Crerar Library, 1st Floor: Other Spaces June 2 — Nov. 1, 2005 View web exhibit >>	Subjects History of Science Art Astronomy & Astrophysics
	Under Your Feet, Chicago's Water, Freight, Subway and Storm Tunnels Under Your Feet explores the system—from the first water tunnels completed in 1867, to the now defunct freight tunnels of the early 1900's, to the subway system we use today, to the Deep Tunnel project and storm tunnels of the future.	Locations Crerar Library, 1st Floor: Other Spaces Feb. 14 — March 31, 2006 View web exhibit >>	Subjects Technology Art Chicago and Illinois
	A Voice for Justice: The Life and Legacy of Ida B. Wells This web exhibit showcases the achievements of civil rights activist Ida B. Wells (1862-1931) and documents her lifelong campaign for the rights and lives of African Americans in the nineteenth and twentieth-century United States of America.	Locations The Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center View web exhibit >>	Subjects Chicago and Illinois American History African-American Studies