The Agenda - Faculty and Staff Newsletter

Category: Exhibits

  • Now on View: “Sandy Rodriguez: To Translate the Unfathomable” Exhibition

    Sandy Rodriguez artwork.
    Sandy Rodriguez, “Map for the Migrants Captured, Caged and Abused in I.C.E. Detention Centers in So. Califas, 2020-21” (from Codex Rodriguez-Mondragón, 2017- ), 32.5 x 47 inches, hand-processed watercolor on amate paper. Courtesy of Studio Sandy Rodriguez. Collection of Joshua Tree Highlands Artist Residency.

    Douglass Library is proudly hosting “Sandy Rodriguez: To Translate the Unfathomable” in the Mary H. Dana Women Artists Series Galleries. The exhibition will be on view through April 7, 2023.

    About the Exhibition

    The Rutgers Center for Women in the Arts and Humanities is pleased to announce that renowned artist Sandy Rodriguez has been named the 2022–23 Estelle Lebowitz Endowed Visiting Artist at Rutgers. The Lebowitz program annually brings to the university community and general public the work and ideas of exceptional women artists through solo exhibitions, lectures, and short campus residencies.

    Rodriguez’s recent work consists of maps, botanical studies, and figural compositions painted in hand-processed watercolors on amate paper with techniques, forms, and pigments of Mesoamerican manuscripts produced by the Mexica people and other Mexican natives in the first century after the Conquest of Mexico (1519–21). The exhibition is curated by Tatiana Flores, Director of the Center for Women in the Arts and Humanities and Professor of Art History and Latino and Caribbean Studies, and advised by Camilla Townsend, Distinguished Professor of History and Director of the Rutgers Working Group of Hemispheric Indigenous Studies. The exhibition will be Rodriguez’s first solo show on the East Coast and will be accompanied by an online catalog with an essay by Townsend.

    Venue Information

    The Mary H. Dana Women Artists Series Galleries are located in the Mabel Smith Douglass Library (8 Chapel Drive, New Brunswick, NJ 08901). The galleries are free and open to the public. Hours are Monday–Thursday, 9:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m.; Friday, 9:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.; Saturday, 1:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m. (by appointment only) and are subject to the university libraries operating schedule. Further information about the exhibition, event RSVP/parking, and accessibility services can be found at cwah.rutgers.edu. Please direct all inquiries to womenart@cwah.rutgers.edu.

    About the Program

    The Lebowitz program is funded in part by the Estelle Lebowitz Memorial Fund, endowed in 1999 by Professor Joel Lebowitz, Director of the Center for Mathematical Sciences Research, Rutgers University, in honor of his late wife, artist Estelle Lebowitz. Sponsored by the Center for Women in the Arts and Humanities, Department of History, and the Institute for the Study of Global Racial Justice. Co-sponsored by the Center for Latin American Studies, Department of Art History, Department of Latino and Caribbean Studies, Department of Spanish and Portuguese, Institute for Women’s Leadership, Rutgers Advanced Institute for Critical Caribbean Studies, and The Language Center. The Mary H. Dana Women Artists Series is a program of CWAH in partnership with Rutgers University Libraries.

  • RWJ Library’s Holiday Book Tree and Book Billboard

    RWJ Library's 2022 holiday book tree and book billboard.

    Health Sciences Libraries staff and students rang in the holidays with a festive book tree and book billboard in RWJ Library.

  • NEA Big Read/Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude Exhibit Extended Through January 2023

    Paul Robeson Library‘s exhibit for the NEA Big Read/Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude by Ross Gay has been extended through January 2023. The event is hosted in partnership with the Rutgers–Camden Center for the Arts (RCCA). Attendees can receive free copies of Gay’s book (while supplies last) and contribute a tag to the accompanying installation piece by RCCA.

    Robeson Library's NEA Big Read/Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude event.

    Robeson Library's NEA Big Read/Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude event—RCCA installation piece.

    Robeson Library's NEA Big Read/Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude event.

  • On Exhibit at Robeson Library: NEA Big Read/Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude by Ross Gay

    NEA Big Read

    Paul Robeson Library, in partnership with the Rutgers–Camden Center for the Arts, is hosting an exhibit for the NEA Big Read/Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude by Ross Gay now through December 9, 2022.

    “Ross Gay’s poetry collection celebrates life and goodness and that which nourishes us, fleetingly and forever, through love and loss,” said Noreen Scott Garrity, director of the Rutgers-Camden Center for the Arts. “He touches on everyday living and notices what we often take for granted. We are looking forward to welcoming guests to share in this enjoyable literary experience.”

    Complimentary copies of Gay’s book will be available on a first-come, first-served basis in early November, and participants will have the opportunity to contribute to a What Are You Grateful For? installation piece constructed by the Rutgers-Camden Center for the Arts.

    Launched in 2006, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Big Read aims to inspire meaningful conversations, artistic responses, and new discoveries and connections in participating communities. In partnership with Arts Midwest, the NEA supports programming centered around one of 15 different contemporary books.

    For more information, visit the Big Read website.

  • Now on View at the East Asian Library: “Akiko’s Dolls: The Story of a Nagasaki A-Bomb Survivor”

    Akiko’s Dolls: The Story of a Nagasaki A-Bomb Survivor is a special exhibition at the East Asian Library that will be displayed through February 2023. The exhibit features dolls, photos, and writings of Akiko Mizuta Seitelbach, a Japanese woman who survived the atomic bombing of Nagasaki. Please stay tuned for more East Asian Library exhibitions.

    Akiko's dolls.
    Dolls for Doll’s Day/Girls’ Day (Hinamatsuri), gift of Akiko Mizuta Seitelbach.

    Akiko Mizuta Seitelbach was born on October 25, 1922, in a section of Shanghai that, at the time, was a colony of Japan. Adopted by her aunt and uncle when she was just five months old, Akiko grew up in Nagasaki. She graduated high school in 1938, just as World War II started in Japan. During the war, she worked in the supply office of Mitsubishi Electrical Works. On August 9, 1945, when the atomic bomb was dropped, Akiko was about 1.3 miles from ground zero. She felt firsthand the destruction and desperation of the Japanese people in the days following and after the war ended.

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    Following the Japanese surrender in 1945, Akiko became an interpreter for the U.S. Marines and then the American Army of Occupation in Nagasaki. After marrying an American soldier of the 34th Infantry Regiment in 1953, she came to America and lived at an Army base in Fort Hamilton, Brooklyn. Between 1955 and 1963, Akiko resided in Puerto Rico, Staten Island, then Germany as her husband’s station assignments changed. She worked as a receptionist for Fuji Bank, a dress shop manager in Puerto Rico, in the Army library in Germany, and for Kanebo USA. Following the Cuban Missile Crisis, Akiko moved back to Brooklyn, where she lived and worked for about 35 years until she and her husband moved to Monroe Township, NJ. Akiko passed away aon February 17, 2022.

    "Nagasaki Woman" by Akiko Mizuta Seitelbach.

    Nagasaki Woman by Akiko Mizuta Seitelbach
    Rutgers Oral History Archives

    Read Akiko’s interviews with the Rutgers Oral History Archives at oralhistory.rutgers.edu.

    BBC Interviews
    Sponsors

    This exhibition is co-sponsored by the Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Asian Languages and Cultures and the East Asian Library.

    "Akiko's Dolls" exhibition poster.

  • Collective Yearning: Black Women Artists from the Zimmerli Art Museum

    Image: “The Sunflower Quilting Bee at Arles,” 1996, Color lithograph, Image and Sheet: 22 9/16 × 30 1/16 inches, Collection of Judith K. Brodsky. Gift of the @brodskycenteratpafa. ©2022 Faith Ringgold / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, Courtesy ACA Galleries, NY.
    “The Sunflower Quilting Bee at Arles,” 1996, Color lithograph, Image and Sheet: 22 9/16 × 30 1/16 inches, Collection of Judith K. Brodsky. Gift of the @brodskycenteratpafa. ©2022 Faith Ringgold / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, Courtesy ACA Galleries, NY.

    Collective Yearning: Black Women Artists from the Zimmerli Art Museum is on view through December 14, 2022, at Douglass Library and the Zimmerli Art Museum.

    Featuring prints, photographs, and multimedia artworks, this exhibition is the first time the university has conducted a comprehensive and methodical review of its holdings of art by Black women artists. Many of the artists have ties to New Jersey, New York City, and Philadelphia, ranging from canonical figures such as Rutgers faculty and artists Emma Amos and Kara Walker to emerging artists Nona Faustine, Atisha Fordyce, and Daonne Huff. The exhibition is curated by Dr. Amber Wiley, Assistant Professor, Art History, Rutgers University, and her students Jasmine Daria Cannon, Kyle b. co., Helen Gao, Grace Lynne Haynes, Emily Hu, Grace Kim, Desiree Morales, Michael Randall, and Audrey Roclore.

    Artists: Emma Amos, Chakaia Booker, Barbara Bullock, Elizabeth Catlett, Nona Faustine, Atisha Fordyce, Nefertiti Goodman, Daonne Huff, Margo Humphrey, Stefanie Jackson, Carmen Cartiness Johnson, Nadine DeLawrence Maine, Nell Painter, Howardena Pindell, Faith Ringgold, Betye Saar, Lorna Simpson, Shinique Smith, Renée Stout, Sharon E. Sutton (FAIA), Mickalene Thomas, Kara Walker, Bisa Washington, and Carrie Mae Weems

    Main Exhibition

    Mary H. Dana Women Artists Series Galleries, Douglass Library
    8 Chapel Drive, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
    Hours: Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.; weekends by appointment only. Hours are subject to the university libraries operating schedule.
    Admission: Free and open to the public*

    *Student tour guides, trained under the direction of student curator Kyle b. co. as part of the Douglass Faculty Fellows Program, will take place in the Douglass Library (Mary H. Dana Women Artists Series Galleries) through December 9 during the following times: Monday–Thursday, 4:00–6:00 p.m., and Friday, 4:30-6:00 p.m. No reservation is required for a tour, but if you would like to schedule a tour outside of the scheduled times, please email kco@mgsa.rutgers.edu to inquire. Availability of tour guides is limited outside of the set tour times.

    Satellite Exhibition

    Focus Gallery, Zimmerli Art Museum
    71 Hamilton Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
    Hours: Saturday and Sunday, 12:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m.; Wednesday and Friday, 11:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.; Thursday, 11:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m.; closed Monday and Tuesday.
    Admission: Free and open to the public
    Website: zimmerli.rutgers.edu

    A series of special events with guest speakers, panel discussions, and roundtables will be held on November 9. For more details and to view the schedule, please visit zimmerli.rutgers.edu.

    This exhibition is sponsored by the Center for Women in the Arts and Humanities and the Zimmerli Art Museum. Funding was provided by Douglass Residential College, the Institute for the Study of Global Racial Justice, and an anonymous donation. Co-sponsored by the Institute for Women’s Leadership. The Mary H. Dana Women Artists Series is a program of CWAH in partnership with Rutgers University Libraries.

  • Celebration of Scholarship 2022

    Celebration of Scholarship 2022 banner.

    Celebration of Scholarship at New Brunswick Libraries highlights ​and celebrates the accomplishments of Rutgers University–New Brunswick authors and creators. At this event, 2020–2022 published books, book chapters, journal articles, recordings, and more will be displayed in physical and virtual spaces at the library. With this celebration, we salute scholarly accomplishments ​across the wide range of disciplines at Rutgers–New Brunswick.

    The 2022 Celebration of Scholarship will take place at the Douglass Library on Wednesday, October 26, 2022, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

    ​For more information, please visit the Celebration of Scholarship site.

    The co-sponsors who have made this celebration possible are the Margery Somers Foster Center, Rutgers Global, and Rutgers University Press.

    Share your scholarship and celebrate with us!

  • On Exhibit at Robeson Library: “Underground Railroad Sites of Greater Philadelphia”

    Underground Railroad Sites of Greater Philadelphia Exhibit at Robeson Library.

    Underground Railroad Sites of Greater Philadelphia is a new exhibit at the Robeson Library in Camden features notable Underground Railroad sites in the Philadelphia region, including The Peter Mott House in Lawnside, Mother Bethel AME Church in Philadelphia, and several locations along the newly created Upper Darby Underground Railroad Walking Trail in Delaware County.

    The Underground Railroad was a network of pathways, homes, churches, and other structures where abolitionists like William Still assisted Black freedom seekers on their route north to free lands. The Philadelphia region was often the first stop in free territory for people escaping the horrors of slavery. The City of Philadelphia and surrounding communities in South Jersey and Pennsylvania are home to several sites that once served as safe harbors for self-liberated Black people, who were considered fugitives under United States law.

    Curated by Robeson librarians John Powell and Bart Everts (who worked on the Upper Darby Trail as a member of the Township’s Historical Commission), this exhibit gives insight into the struggles of the 19th century and the role of allyship under systemic oppression.

    Underground Railroad Sites of Greater Philadelphia is on display until September 26, 2022. For a complete list of the region’s Underground Railroad sites and related library resources, please visit our Underground Railroad Sites of Greater Philadelphia research guide at libguides.rutgers.edu/urrphl.

    Underground Railroad Sites at Greater Philadelphia exhibit at Robeson Library

    Photos by John Powell

  • OnExhibit at Paul Robeson Library: September 11, 2001

    September 11, 2001: The Day That Changed The World, is an educational exhibition from the 9/11 Memorial & Museum that presents the history of 9/11, its origins, and its ongoing implications through the personal stories of those who witnessed and survived the attacks. This exhibit includes archival photographs and images of artifacts from the permanent collection of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. It explores the consequences of terrorism on individual lives and communities at the local, national, and international levels, and encourages critical thinking about the legacies of 9/11.

    Twenty years after the attacks, with terrorism still a threat today, the events of 9/11 and its aftermath remind us that we may never be able to prevent all the actions of people intent on harming others, but we do have control over how we respond to such events. Whether by volunteering in our local communities, serving our nation in the military, caring for the sick, or through other efforts, all of us can help build the world in which we want to live. As we witness history unfolding in our own time, the ways we choose to respond—both large and small—can demonstrate the best of human nature after even the worst of days.

    The exhibit was developed by the 9/11 Memorial & Museum and has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy Demands Wisdom. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this exhibition do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for Humanities.

  • Libraries before the Age of Google

    floppy disks
    This collection of storage disks is among the many items on display in the “Libraries before the Age of Google” exhibit.

    Librarians constantly embrace change.  Some of the tools or equipment used in the library were considered state-of-the-art innovations and were indispensable in the daily work of librarians.  Have you heard of a library fines calculator? Have you seen the thermal paper that recorded the search results of online searching done by the librarians? Have you ever wondered why you would find some punch cards in the back of library books?  As librarians are retiring, we have begun collecting the vintage items in their offices, and are inviting the librarians to tell us the stories behind each item. Now you can see these items in a display of Libraries Before the Age of Google in the conference room at the Library of Science and Medicine.  The contents of the display are also available as pictures in a digital gallery.

    If you would like to share any interesting vintage library items, please contact Mei Ling Lo (mlo@rutgers.edu) or Tara Maharjan (tara.maharjan@rutgers.edu).  We will be honored to share your stories with the rest of the world.

    I hope that you will enjoy seeing the items and learning the stories behind them!