2007-2008
Insect Studies
May 23 – August 26, 2008
These graphite, ink, and watercolor drawings were made by students in Professor Dan Bruggeman’s field drawing classes this term. The students examined specimens from the Biology Department and recorded the anatomy of these insects in detail. The variety of the resulting images reflects the numerous artistic choices required, even in a scientific drawing.
Special thanks to Alison Unger of the Biology Department for her assistance with the specimens, and also to Tim Vick of the Geology Department for the use of magnifying glasses.
24 Hour Water: A Field Book on Water Quality in the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands
Capstone Project by Laura E. Oxtoby ‘08
June 1- June 25, 2008
24 Hour Water is a compilation of images, quotes, observations, and commentaries that student Laura Oxtoby ’08 put together to tell the stories of the New River, a river considered to be the most polluted river in North America. The fieldwork (photography and water quality analysis) was completed in the winter of 2007. This book is the culminating project for her ENTS program at Carleton College.
Cold Paintings:
An ENTS Capstone Project by Megan Ward ‘08
June 1 – June 25, 2008
Painted outside on some of the coldest days of a very cold Minnesota winter, Megan Ward’s watercolor landscapes record her experience of the outdoors. Because it was so cold, the paint often froze on her brush before it touched the paper; rather than drying, the watercolor formed ice crystals on the surface of the paper, creating unexpected results.
City as Text:
An installation by Paul Caine ‘08 • Terin Mayer ‘08
May 30 – June 25, 2008
Working from a production base in Mitte district, what was formerly East Berlin, Carleton students Paul Caine ‘08 and Terin Mayer ‘08 produced a media-rich reading of Berlin, a city that, according to the artists, “wears its history.”
Cross Sections in Books from Gould Library
In these books, cross sections show how buildings stand, reveal the hidden structure of caves, demonstrate the workings of the human brain, and more.
Selections from the Peter Pauper Press
Brightly-colored, whimsical illustrations balanced by perfectly selected type distinguished the Peter Pauper Press. Publisher Peter Beilenson (1905–1962) founded Peter Pauper Press in 1928 and dedicated it to publishing inexpensive but beautifully designed and illustrated volumes. The books were small (just 4 ½ by 7 ½ inches), bound with decorative covers, and reflected a variety of subjects, from Hinduism and Buddhism, to Japanese haiku, to wine cookery and holiday desserts. His wife, Edna Beilenson, was a close collaborator, helping with the selection and editing of texts, design, and promotion.
After Beilenson’s death in 1962, Edna continued to publish. This exhibition includes titles from the 1950s and 1960s, some of the most productive years for the press. Even in this small selection from Gould Library’s collection, the charm and variety of the Peter Pauper books is evident.
The Writer's Job: James Baldwin Speaking Out
Gould Library
March 31 – May 11, 2008
The exhibition The Writer's Job: James Baldwin Speaking Out examines the extraordinary legacy of James Baldwin (1924-1987) through a selection of photographs, ephemera, and books that document his role as one of America's most influential cultural critics and essayists. In a 1962 essay in The New York Times, Baldwin wrote that the job of the writer is “to speak out about the world as it is.” This exhibition examines some of the ways in which Baldwin made his voice heard: as a globally-recognized public intellectual in the 1950s, 1960s, and beyond; as a poet-playwright interacting with students and faculty on college campuses; and as an important influence on visual and performing artists, both through collaboration and as an inspiration for artists working since his death in 1987.
This exhibition is organized by the Gould Library, Carleton College with grateful acknowledgment for the assistance of Dr. Sura Levine, Professor of Art History, at Hampshire College. The exhibit incorporates materials from an exhibition curated by Dr. Levine at the Hampshire College Art Gallery in 2007. The exhibition is being held in conjunction with the symposium, Contemplating James Baldwin: Language, Courage, and Tenderness, April 13-19, 2008.
An opening reception will be held on Sunday, April 13 from 3:00 to 5:00 pm in the Gould Library Athenaeum.
Baldwin Symposium Website: Contemplating James Baldwin
Disappearing Shanghai:
An Installation of Photographs by Howard French
Gould Library
April 2008
Artist's Website: Howard French
Modern Comfort: Furniture Design & The Museum of Modern Art
January 2 - March 15, 2008
Brno Chair from Ludwig Wies van der Rohe; Furniture and Furniture Design from the Design Collection and the Mies van der Rohe Archive, 1977
Furniture by Saarinen and Eames from Organic Design in Home Furnishings, 1969
Begun in 1932, the Architecture & Design department at the Museum of Modern Art was the first museum curatorial department dedicated to the study, collection, and exhibition of architecture and design. Drawing from the collections of Gould Library, this exhibition highlights MoMa exhibition catalogs that featured the work of some of the 20th century's most important architects and designers.
Related Exhibition:
Functional Sculpture: Furniture from the Midwest
Carleton College Art Gallery
January 11 - March 10, 2008
The View from the Ice: Science, Popular Culture, and the International Polar Years
December 18, 2007 - March 15, 2008
In celebration of the 4th International Polar Year (IPY), Gould Library is organizing an exhibition examining the history and tradition of international scientific cooperation in the polar regions established by the first IPY in 1882-1883. The exhibition will include rare books from the Polar Collection of Gould Library's Special Collections and artifacts from the collection of materials on Lawrence McKinley Gould held by the Carleton College Archives. In addition, the exhibition will feature and maps and photographs documenting the work of two scientists actively conducting polar research, Christine Siddoway '84, alum and professor of geology at Colorado College, and Robert W. Jacobel, professor of physics at St. Olaf College in Northfield.
Related Links:
About the 2007-08 International Polar Year
NOAA Arctic Research Office - First International Polar Year History
Christine Siddoway's Antarctica Research Page
Robert Jacobel's Research Page
Jan Estep: Seeking Antarctica
January 15, 2007 – March 6, 2008
Polar Ice Sheet, 2002, metallic and pearlescent acrylic, paper, 20 by 70 inches, 21 by 71 inches framed
In this exhibition of works, Minneapolis-based artist Jan Estep delineates the edges of uncharted Antarctica. Inspired by the routes of early explorers and the hidden contours of mountains beneath the Antarctic ice sheet, Estep explores our fascination with “areas of inaccessibility,” those places, objects, and ideas that elude our understanding.
The exhibition complements The View from the Ice:Science, Popular Culture, and the International Polar Years, an exhibition examining the history of international scientific cooperation in the polar regions.
Link to Artist: www.janestep.com
Forever Govern Ignorance: New Photographs by Mickey Smith
October 1 - November 30, 2007
4th Floor
Gould Library is pleased to present an exhibition of new photographs by acclaimed Minneapolis photographer Mickey Smith. In her new series, Forever Govern Ignorance, Smith documents the reams of governmental information preserved in Federal Depository Libraries. Working at Gould Library and other Federal Depository Libraries around the country, Smith made close-up photographs of microfiche cards containing millions of government records, reports and proceedings. Only after creating an image, Smith pulls the microfiche from the files to learn what is housed on the thin sheets of film. About these richly detailed, almost abstract photographs, Smith writes, “I find these images ironically peaceful, quiet and soothing in light of the serious, and not so serious matters they contain.”
Identifying Features: 150 Years of Illustrations, Maps, Graphs and Charts from Government Documents
September 21 - December 15, 2007
4th Floor
The illustrations, maps, and graphs published in government documents identify significant features of the nation’s geographical, political, biological, cultural, and human landscapes. This exhibition highlights the breadth of resources published in government documents over the past 140 years, from finely detailed illustrations of copper-bearing rocks, to documentary photographs of bird wings, to graphs describing crime statistics.
Reading Beyond Reading: Exploring Ideas Raised in Mountains Beyond Mountains
September 6 - November 15, 2007
4th Floor
This exhibition is inspired by Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World, the Carleton College’s Common Reading for 2007. Produced through the collaboration of a group of librarians and the exhibitions staff, the exhibition is designed to highlight the possibilities for interdisciplinary connections inspired by the ideas and issues addressed in the text. Gould Library, with a rich and diverse collection of printed books, e-resources, databases, dictionaries, maps, and ephemera, is the perfect place to explore these connections.
The mission of the Laurence McKinley Gould Art and Exhibitions Program is to bring library users into daily contact with works of art, artifacts, and natural objects in a spirit of discovery and learning. Through formal exhibitions, the display of artworks and objects, and activities that engage the Carleton community, the Art and Exhibitions Program will foster aesthetic appreciation, intellectual curiosity, and interdisciplinary connections.