Summer 2009 Exhibition Schedule
The Structure of Buildings
June-August 2009
Unexpected Discoveries: Finding Art in Government Documents
June-August, 2009
Since the mid-19th century, artists and photographers have been commissioned to produce illustrations and photographs for the US Government. These wonderful images – ranging from detailed studies of insects, full-color lithographs of turtle eggs, and photographs of the Western landscape – were published in documents and reports produced by various government agencies. In 2008, Library curator Margaret Pezalla-Granlund and reference librarian Heather Tompkins were awarded the Haas Travel Award to research these amazing illustrations, and to curate a series of exhibitions based on their research. This exhibit offers a preview of their discoveries.
The 23rd Annual Off-Campus Studies Photo Exhibit
April 27 – August, 2009
An annual favorite of Carleton students, faculty and staff, the Off Campus Studies Photo Contest exhibition will open with a celebration on Monday, April 27. A panel of judges will select 25 photographs from over 200 entries, awarding prizes in the person, place, story, and library categories. The campus community is invited to vote for the People’s Choice Award on the OCS.
That Marvelous Legend: The Canals of Mars
March 31-August 2009
In the late 19th century – several astronomers, including Schiaparelli of Italy reported seeing canal-like structures – dark, straight streaks cross the surface of the planet.
Speculation on the nature of life on Mars ran wild in the popular and scientific press. While there were a few dissenters, astronomers around the world reported seeing the canals. The canals, which some scientists estimated to be dozens of miles wide and hundreds of miles long, appeared on most published maps of the planet.
Not all who looked found the canals, however. Even at the height of the Martian frenzy, there were observers who could not see the canals, and disputed their existence.
Although the “marvelous legend” of the Martian canals was discredited early in the 20th century, the imagined possibly that some form of hidden life flourishes on the desert planet persists even today.