PAST EXHIBITS:
Swem Library Read & Relax, First Floor
October 16-November 2009
The first Homecoming celebration at the College of William and Mary took place on October 23, 1926. It featured dances and a football game against George Washington University, in which the Tribe prevailed 14-0. This year marks the 80th Anniversary of the first Homecoming Parade at William and Mary. Over the years, Homecoming has evolved into a weekend full of activities including a parade with a Grand Marshall and prizes for the best student and civic floats; an annual football game; class reunions for generations of William and Mary alumni; and the Sunset Ceremony, which honors alumni who passed away during the preceding year. The exhibit features a selection of programs, photographs, and artifacts. Images from the installed exhibit cases are available from the SCRC's Flickr page.
Curators: Irene Papmaechel, Circulation Assistant, Steve Bookman, University Archives Specialist; Exhibit design and installation: Chandi Singer, Burger Archives Assistant.
Read and Relax, First Floor
CLOSED, June-October 15, 2009
Swem Library has recently mounted an exhibit to honor Will F. Jenkins, whom the General Assembly honored by resolution in February declaring June 27, 2009, Will F. Jenkins Day in Virginia. William Fitzgerald Jenkins was born in Norfolk, Virginia, on June 16, 1896, and died in Gloucester on June 8, 1975. Although he lived elsewhere during his long career, he maintained his Virginia roots and kept a summer home in Gloucester, where he did much of his writing.
A pragmatist as well as a visionary, Mr. Jenkins was a master of commercially successful, mass-market science fiction who adapted his writing to changing tastes over a career of over fifty years. The “Dean of Science Fiction,” the nickname given to Mr. Jenkins by Time magazine in 1949, published seventy-four novels and 1,800 stories. During that time he won several awards, including two Hugo Awards, an annual award for the best science fiction or fantasy work. Many of these awards went to Murray Leinster, Mr. Jenkins’s literary double.
He loved to invent things (he was awarded two patents) and write about scanners, deflectors, coders and other forms of “advanced technology.” His early works in particular originated concepts that became common to the genre: time travel and parallel time, the scientist as hero and villain, advanced technology, lengthy space travel, and human contact with alien life forms. In a nod to the future, his 1946 story ”A Logic Named Joe” predicts the existence of networked home computers, the ability to find information online, and the inherent problems of censorship, scams, and the invasion of privacy.
Mr. Jenkins was a storyteller who wrote in a simple, straightforward style and whose settings usually centered in a hard-working, conservative, small-town America. His aliens tended to be either human-like and friendly or ugly, jellylike, and mean.
The staff of Swem Library is very grateful to the Jenkins family, in particular Will Jenkins’s daughter Wenllian (“Billee”) Stallings, for the loan of photographs, books, and other artifacts used in this exhibit.
Images of the installed exhibit cases are available from the SCRC's Flickr page.
Curator: Hope Yelich, Reference Librariant; Exhibit design and installation: Chandi Singer, Burger Archives Assistant; Graphics: Karen McCluney, Swem Graphic Designer.
Nancy Marshall (Rotunda) Gallery and Special Collections Research Center on the first floor
April 2009-August 31, 2009
Exhibit tour and panel discussion, Friday, August 7, 2009 at 2pm; contact Dr. Beatriz Hardy (bbhard@wm.edu, 757-221-3054) for further information.
Mass meetings demanding that Williamsburg’s city government spend more? Unionized workers striking? Bruton Parish’s rector and William and Mary’s president quarreling over racial equality? All this and more are to be found in Swem Library’s exhibit, “A ‘Most Thriving and Growing Place’: Williamsburg before the Restoration.” Focusing on the years from the 1880s to the 1920s, the exhibit uses documents, images, and artifacts from Swem’s Special Collections Research Center to examine how a sleepy southern college town became a progressive, expansive city in the Jim Crow South. At the same time, the past kept its hold on Williamsburg, culminating in the late 1920s with the establishment of the Rockefeller-funded Restoration.
The cases in the Nancy Marshall (Rotunda) Gallery begin by providing an introduction to late nineteenth-century Williamsburg, then focusing on particular aspects of life. One section examines the growth of industry and retail businesses in the early twentieth century and tells the story of Samuel Harris, an African American who was the wealthiest merchant in town. A remarkable broadside is an appeal by unionized workers of color for support from the white community. Another section explores municipal developments, such as the establishment of public schools and changes in voting. Voter registration books show women registering to vote with the passage of the 19th amendment, giving them suffrage. One document details the city’s first efforts to regulate that new-fangled invention, the automobile. A section on social and recreational activities includes such items as programs from movie theaters, photographs of May Day dancing and a colonial pageant, and minutes from the local chapter of the King’s Daughters.
The exhibit continues in the adjoining Special Collections Research Center. Most notable is the display of the College’s World War I flag, commemorating both those who died and those who served. One case explores how the area participated in and was affected by World War I. Another case explores the city’s religious life, displaying a variety of items, including a report on the competition between the Methodists and the Baptists over Sunday school attendance. Additional cases use photographs, letters, and programs to examine several other events, including the dedication of Williamsburg’s Confederate monument and the presentation by the Ku Klux Klan to the College of William and Mary of a flag and flagpole. The final case concludes the exhibit with the beginning of the restoration of Williamsburg.
Images from the exhibit preparation and the installed exhibit cases are available from the SCRC's Flickr page.
All material is from the Special Collections Research Center, Earl Gregg Swem Library. Curator: Beatriz Hardy, Special Collections Research Center Director; Exhibit Design and Installation: Chandi Singer, Warren E. Burger Archives Specialist; Graphics: Karen McCluney, Swem Graphic Artist.
Front lobby flat case
April-August 2009
The annual Commencement exhibit marks the tradition of exercises for graduates of the College of William and Mary first held in 1700 and the awarding of honorary degrees. Honorary degrees were granted by the College sporadically through the mid-19th century before becoming a regular campus tradition and eventually awarded annually since the early 20th century. William and Mary alumni Linda Lavin, a renowned theater and television actress and a member of the Class of 1959, and Sherman Cohen, a philanthropist and one of the most successful real estate developers in the United States, and broadcaster Tom Brokaw will receive honorary degrees at the 2009 commencement ceremony. Brokaw will deliver the commencement address. The exhibit case is located in the lobby area.
Curator: Jeffreen Hayes, Graduate Student Apprentice; Exhibit design and installation: Chandi Singer, Burger Archives Assistant.
Two flat cases in the Read & Relax area on the first floor
January 15-June 2009
In September 1918, the first class of women enrolled at the College of William and Mary making it the first state-supported four-year college in Virginia to admit women. The decision to make the College co-ed was met with mixed reviews by faculty, students, and alumni. This exhibit explores the first three years of co-education at the College of William and Mary from 1918-1921 through photographs and ephemera found in scrapbooks, yearbooks, and other collections from the Special Collections Research Center. The blog Mary Comes to the College with William, 1918-1919 follows the first women students at the College with blog posts 90 years later. Additional information about early women students at the College, including links to online exhibits, is available from the SCRC Wiki. Images of the installed exhibit are available from the department's Flickr page.
All material is from the Special Collections Research Center, Earl Gregg Swem Library. Curator: Steven Bookman, University Archives Specialist ; Exhibit design and installation: Chandi Singer, Burger Archives Assistant.
Third Floor (Rotunda) Gallery
January-June 2009
The earliest posters from the Department of Theatre, Speech, and Dance in the Special Collections Research Center are from the 1920s and continue to the present. All posters on display are from the 1960s through 1980s. In 1702, a group of students from the College of William and Mary presented a Latin "pastoral colloquy" for the Royal Governor, the first recorded instance of a theatrical performance in the United States. The early roots of theatre in the colonies include later touched Williamsburg where the first theatre in America was constructed in 1716, and in 1736 William and Mary students presented America's first known college production of a play, Addison's Cato. Images of the posters are available from the SCRC's Flickr page.
All material is from the Special Collections Research Center, Earl Gregg Swem Library. Curator: Amy Schindler, University Archivist; Exhibit design and installation: Chandi Singer, Burger Archives Assistant.
One flat case near the front door of Swem Library on the first floor
January-March 2009
In honor of the College of William and Mary's annual Charter Day Ceremony on February 7, 2009, an exhibit case of material was available for viewing near the entrance to Swem Library. Items on display included the first page of the 1693 Charter granted to the College by King William III and Queen Mary II reproduced from the Charter in Swem Library, items from the Charter Day ceremonies featuring Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and U.S. President and William and Mary Chancellor John Tyler, and information about Charter Day speaker Sen. Jim Webb, and honorary degree recipients director of the Museum of Modern Art Glenn Lowry and author and historian John Hope Franklin.
Curator: Steven Bookman, University Archives Specialist ; Exhibit design and installation: Chandi Singer, Burger Archives Assistant.
One flat case near the front door of Swem Library on the first floor
January 16, 2009-February 2009
As the United States celebrated the 56th formal inauguration of a president, the smooth transition of power in this republic is notable. In early 1801, the nation breathed a sigh of relief when John Adams, a Federalist, peacefully surrendered power to Thomas Jefferson, a Democratic-Republican. It was the first time in the young republic’s history that a transition from one political party to another occurred. Throughout history, the failure of such transitions had doomed republics. The nation inaugurated its first president in New York in April of 1789, before the city of Washington became the capital. Subsequently, inaugurations were held in March until 1933, when Constitutional Amendment XX changed the date to January to shorten the time between the election and the beginning of the new president’s term. Inaugurations have varied: The out-going president has not always appeared (Adams did not attend Jefferson’s inauguration); dress has changed through the years; attendees, while usually well-behaved, have occasionally behaved raucously, such as the frontiersmen who rampaged through the White House following Andrew Jackson’s first inauguration; the weather has sometimes been temperate and other times frigid (16 degrees for Grant, 7 degrees for Reagan’s second). The exhibit showcased items from the Special Collections Research Center, Earl Gregg Swem Library and represented just a few of the inaugural items held.
Curator: Susan Riggs, Rare Books and Manuscripts Curator; Exhibit design and installation: Chandi Singer, Burger Archives Assistant.
Flat case at Swem Library front door, Nancy Marshall (Rotunda) Gallery, & Special Collections Research Center
October 1, 2008-February 9, 2009
Digital Companions to the Exhibit
Digital companions to the exhibit are available online and on Swem Library's iPods. Swem Library's iPods are available for check-out from Circulation on the first floor of the library. The companion tour is available from the SCRC on YouTube, iTunesU, and Flickr. Images of some of the William and Mary Choir material being installed for the exhibit are available from the SCRC on Flickr. A few photographs used in the exhibit and audio from the Choir were used to make a brief online video during the exhibit's preparation.
Homecoming Events at Swem Library on Friday, October 24
Stop by Swem Library Homecoming weekend for a tour, an exhibit, visit your old study carrel, or enjoy some Ben & Jerry's ice cream! In conjunction with the exhibit there will be live music from The Wham Bam Big Band from 3:30-4:30 p.m. at Swem Library. Ben & Jerry's ice cream will be available at the same location and refreshments will also be available in the SCRC. Check out the event on Facebook or see the complete list of Homecoming events at the Alumni Association's website. Update: A video of The Wham Bam Big Band's performance is available at http://vimeo.com/2130313.
Open House and Exhibit Opening on Tuesday, October 7, 3-5 p.m.
Swem Library's Special Collections Research Center held an open house and exhibition opening in celebration of October as Archives Month on October 7, 2008. The open house included live music with performances by a cappella groups Reveille and The Accidentals, highlights of new collections in the SCRC, and of course refreshments. For additional information about the Open House, contact SCRC Director Bea Hardy (757-221-3054). You can also check out the event on Facebook. Update: Photographs and a brief video from the event are available from the SCRC on Flickr.
About the Exhibit
Swem Library at the College of William and Mary presented the exhibit, “Ringing Far and Near: Student Music and Song at the College of William and Mary.” Using programs, posters, photographs, uniforms and clothing, artifacts, audio recordings, publications, and other materials from Swem’s Special Collections Research Center, the exhibit provided a general overview of music at the College of William and Mary, with a major emphasis on student groups.
The exhibit began with an introduction to music at the College through early student groups and the establishment of academic music instruction in the early 20th century in an exhibit case near the front door of Swem Library. Among items on display were photographs of glee clubs and the music clubs. The establishment of the Department of Fine Arts in 1918, which included courses in musicianship and musical theory among its offerings, and the growth in music as an academic discipline Department of Music in 1952 were recalled through course catalogs and class schedules.
The exhibit continued in Swem Library’s Nancy Marshall Gallery with sections exploring a variety of formal and informal student groups and ensembles. The College’s former Department of Music sponsored Marching Band was recalled through photographs from half-time shows and parades. The highlight of this portion of the exhibit was undoubtedly the uniforms of the marching and pep bands on display. The exhibit also included photographs and diagrams for the “scramble band” field shows of the College’s current Pep Band, which is an entirely student-run organization.
The next section explored student-run vocal groups including choirs and the variety of a cappella groups currently singing their way across campus. Photos and a scrapbook showed students performing formally and more casually at the College, while posters testified to the variety of performances produced each year. The longevity of one of the oldest a cappella groups at the College, The Gentlemen of the College, was illuminated through a t-shirt from one of its alumni reunions as well as the group’s many albums and other material.
The fourth section demonstrated the way in which ensembles and bands allowed students to explore musicianship in a variety of genres and traditions. Some ensembles, such as the Wind Symphony and William and Mary Symphony Orchestra have long histories at the College of William and Mary going back to the early 20th century while others such as the William and Mary Early Music Ensemble and Middle Eastern Music Ensemble are relatively young ensembles founded in 1994. The case included instruments used by the Early Music Ensemble and Middle Eastern Music Ensemble as well as photographs, programs, and posters from a variety of other ensembles.
The next section focused on the always changing world of bands formed by students at the College from rock to folk to swing and everything in between. Most student bands pass through the College without leaving behind a great deal of information about their members or music. This case included some of the few photographs in the collection of student bands from the late 1980s. Radio station WCWM’s role in the musical life of campus was demonstrated through publications and stations logs kept by DJs. CDs, posters, instruments, and clothing served to highlight just a few of the bands more recently performing on campus.
The exhibit concluded in the Special Collections Research Center showcasing the William and Mary Choir with particular attention to the tenure of long-time director Dr. Carl “Pappy” Fehr whose papers are held by the library. Dr. Fehr’s tenure as a professor and director of the choral program from 1945 through 1974 who set high standards for organization and rigid discipline was documented in a model used to demonstrate choral groups, correspondence, and other items. The fellowship and appreciation of Choir and Chorus alumni can be seen in some of the retirement gifts bestowed on Dr. Fehr including a quilt made by his students and a portion of his office door that was given to him. The varied performances and travels of the Choir in the 1980s and 1990s were also on display in photographs and scrapbooks.
Curators: Amy Schindler, University Archivist, and Maria Booth, Summer 2008 Presson Fellow; Exhibit design and installation: Chandi Singer, Burger Archives Assistant; Graphics: Karen McCluney, Swem Graphic Artist.
