The Agenda - Faculty and Staff Newsletter

Tag: exhibit

  • 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.

  • 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