Past Exhibits

Past Exhibits

"Writing the Landscape: Books from the Library of American Landscape History" (Jan-May 2010)

“The Making of a Picture Book: The Marriage of Text and Art”

September 14 through December 18, 2009

At a time when the physical creature we know of as a book is itself under siege by its virtual doppelganger, it’s worth celebrating that the picture book remains—at least for now —relatively unchallenged.  Because it’s an actual piece of art, the picture book is more than just something to read, it’s something to look at and something to embrace.  Every aspect of its material presence matters, including the size, the shape, the texture of the paper, and the typeface. 

This exhibit aims to show some behind-the-scenes elements in the making of this unique and enduring art form. The Pioneer Valley is an extraordinary center of children’s book authors and illustrators, and each book I’ve selected here is a collaborative endeavor by a writer and artist who both live in this area.

Although a picture book is primarily intended for children, it’s the product of a sophisticated blending of two quite different creative talents—one visual, the other based on language.  Sometimes the work of one individual (Eric Carle and Mordicai Gerstein are two shining local examples), more often picture books are the marriage of the work of two.  The four picture books in this exhibit illustrate a variety of collaborative scenarios.  Occasionally, author and illustrator are actively involved throughout the creative process, as in the case of Patricia MacLachlan and Emily MacLachlan Charest, co-authors of Once I Ate a Pie and illustrator Katy Schneider, and also the case of Richard Michelson, author of Ten Times Better and illustrator Leonard Baskin (who died in 2005, before the book was published). More commonly, author and illustrator work in sequence, as in the case of A Perfect Wizard: Hans Christian Anderson, written by Jane Yolen and illustrated by Dennis Nolan, and my own book, The Littlest Matryoshka, illustrated by Kathryn Brown.

“New Haven's Garment Workers: An Elm City Story”

 October 15, 2009 through January 30, 2010

This exhibition paints a portrait of the lives, victories, and defeats of working people who, in the 1930s, combated sweatshop conditions in New Haven, Connecticut.   Photographs, artifacts, and documents highlight their work, labor struggles, and social and political lives.

In 1932 and 1933, the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America and the International Ladies Garment Workers Union cooperated in an organizing campaign which resulted in large-scale unionization of the industry and brought improved wages, working conditions, and hours. The unions formed two locals, ACTWU 125 and ILGWU 151, which continued to organize together until the demise of the garment industry in New Haven in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The locals became centers of social and political activities, involving members in decision-making and in cultural and sports activities.

Integrated Sciences and Engineering Library

“All Roads Lead Back to Amherst”

September 15 through December 11, 2009

An exhibit of nature photographs by Annie (Fournier) Tiberio Cameron ’73

The exhibit is on view during library hours.

Annie Tiberio Cameron came to UMass in 1969 to study Wildlife Biology.  She has a B.S. in Environmental Education and did graduate work at North Adams State College, UMass Amherst, and Westfield State College.  Tiberio Cameron has been a photography instructor at Bay Path College, Massachusetts Audubon Society, National Wildlife Federation, UMass Amherst, among others.  Her photographs have been exhibited in New York, Michigan, New Mexico, and Texas, as well as New England.  Her work has been published in Sierra Magazine, Mass. Audubon's Sanctuary Magazine, and other publications.

“I make 35mm color images that help me to reveal what I feel about the natural world: its colors shapes, textures, lines, and forms,” says Tiberio.  “My background in science supports my visual expressions on film where my goal is to make a connection between myself and the observer. I try to make familiar and simple things in nature acquire the elegance that I see through my lenses.”

For more information about Annie Tiberio Photography: www.a-tiberio.com.

May-September 2009

Designing a Sustainable Future
Integrated Sciences and Engineering Library (ISEL)

"Designing a Sustainable Future" consists of selected student works from research, community service learning, and studio projects in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning (LARP).  It focuses on themes of remediation, renewal, human experience on the land, and sustainability as an art form.  The exhibit contains maps, plans, photographs, drawings, data, and a 3-D model, and covers sites around the Pioneer Valley as well as in Belize and England. The creators of "Designing a Sustainable Future" define sustainability as "caring for and shaping our environment with respect to ecology to build a viable economy that can expand and establish social equity."

January-May 2009

The exhibit consists of 14 photographic prints, taken with a film camera using natural light. Most of the subjects were shot locally and represent the four seasons.

Inspired by the simple and abundant beauty of the natural world, John Green has been photographing nature for over thirty years. Trained as an interpretive naturalist, he is skilled in bird and plant identification, and an expert in "birding by ear." Green has run a week-long field school on nature photography for the Massachusetts Audubon Society for more than 15 years and leads photographic excursions all over the country.

September-December 2008

UMass Football Memories
Main Floor, W.E.B. Du Bois Library

 Drawn from items in the University Libraries Special Collections and Archives Department, this exhibit documents the history of the UMass Amherst collegiate football program. The exhibit features an array of photographs, brochures, artifacts and other football related materials.

More Images from VISUAL (Ventures in Science Using Art Laboratory)
Integrated Sciences and Engineering Library (ISEL)

VISUAL is based on the premise that the visual arts can serve as an effective means to stimulate, educate and promote materials science research to the general public and to students of all ages. This imagery provides a unique avenue by which an interest and appreciation of scientific research can be nurtured. It is precisely this concept that underpins VISUAL (Ventures in Science Using Art Laboratory), a recently launched educational outreach program of the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center on Polymers (MRSEC) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

May-August 2008

The UMass Press: 45 Years of Publishing History
Main Floor, W.E.B. Du Bois Library

Founded in 1963, the University of Massachusetts Press is the book-publishing arm of the University of Massachusetts. Its mission is to publish first-rate books, edit them carefully, design them well, and market them vigorously. In so doing, it supports and enhances the university's role as a major research institution.

Some Birds of South America by Jeffrey Podos
Integrated Sciences and Engineering Library (ISEL)

Jeffrey Podos, Associate Professor of Biology at UMass Amherst, conducts field work in the eastern United States, Brazil, and the Galápagos Islands. The color photographs in this exhibition feature birds from South America in their natural habitat.

 January-April 2008

A World of Cities
An Exhibition of prints, drawings and photographs from the permanent Collection of the University Gallery
Main Floor, W.E.B. Du Bois Library

This exhibition corresponds to a spring 2008 seminar "The City" (Architecture and Design 211) taught by professors Frank Couvares (History Department, Amherst College) and Max Page (Art Department, UMass).

 A World of Cities, co-curated by professor Max Page and graduate student Kerry O'Grady (MFA '10), examines artists' approaches to the depiction of cities. Universal aspects of urban life are explored across time and place, while defining the sharp differences in how people live, work, and interact in cities around the world.

Included in this exhibition are prime examples from the university's significant collection of contemporary works of art on paper, such as photographs by the pre-eminent American photographers Robert Adams, Lee Friedlander, Robert Frank, and Garry Winogrand.

Images from VISUAL (Ventures in Science Using Art Laboratory)
Integrated Sciences and Engineering Library (ISEL)

 VISUAL is based on the premise that the visual arts can serve as an effective means to stimulate, educate and promote materials science research to the general public and to students of all ages. This imagery provides a unique avenue by which an interest and appreciation of scientific research can be nurtured. It is precisely this concept that underpins VISUAL (Ventures in Science Using Art Laboratory), a recently launched educational outreach program of the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center on Polymers (MRSEC) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

September-December 2007

Staged: Scenes from the James Ellis Theatre Collection
Main Floor, W.E.B. Du Bois Library

Throughout his career as Professor of English, James Ellis collected books, broadsides, posters, and letters pertaining to the English and American stage, 1750-1915. In 2007, Ellis donated this large and important research collection to the Special Collections and University Archives of the UMass Amherst Libraries, adding over 7,500 items to the Department's already rich holdings for the performing arts.

To celebrate the collection's arrival, Special Collections has organized "Staged: Scenes From the James Ellis Theatre Collection," an exhibit featuring some of its many highlights. Among other items on display will be books depicting the lives and work Gilbert & Sullivan, the stage and its actors, and amateur theatrical productions and private clubs.

Naturally Beautiful: Photographs by Suzanne Bell
Integrated Sciences and Engineering Library (ISEL)

 Suzanne Bell is often inspired to photograph her surroundings when traveling or spending quiet days at home. Her observations of the natural world around her are reflected in the images of backyard birds, mountains, beaches and national parks featured in this exhibition.

Last Edited: 22 July 2010