| M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives University Libraries University at Albany |
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As part of its mission, the M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives produces exhibits and supports the exhibition of material from its collections. The exhibits listed here were produced or supported by the Department of Special Collections and Archives, created by other departments or units in the University at Albany community, or selected by the Department's staff as being of potential interest to users.
Marcia Brown Exhibit and Resource Website The Marcia Brown Exhibit and Resource Website continas links to the finding aid, an image gallery and links to selected audio and video drawn from the Marcia Brown papers. Marcia Brown, New York State College for Teachers Class of 1940, is an internationally renowned illustrator and author of children's books. She is a three-time winner of the Caldecott Medal, the American Library Association's highest award for excellence in children’s'picture-book illustrations, for three of her books: Cinderella, or the Little Glass Slipper (1954); Once a Mouse (1961); and Shadow (1982), and six more of her books are Caldecott Honor Books.
Patricia Stocking Brown This exhibit contains items drawn from the Patricia Stocking Brown papers. Stocking Brown was the first female professor of the sciences at Siena College as well as a historian of women in science, a feminist, and advocate for breast cancer research. Outside of her scientific research, Dr. Brown was a historian and advocate of women in science. Her projects included researching married biologists in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, developing exhibitions of said female biologists, and publishing articles on women herpetologists and ichthyologists. Dr. Brown also became an advocate of breast cancer research after her own diagnosis. From 1997-2004, she was the founder and co-president of the Capital Region Action Against Breast Cancer (CRAAB!), which provides support and information for those diagnosed with breast cancer and their care givers, and also co-founded the New York State Breast Cancer Network, a coalition of grassroots breast cancer groups which held the inaugural Breast Cancer Advocacy Day in 1999.
The Sciences at the University at Albany, 1845-2006: (May-December 2006) The exhibit contains items drawn from the University Archives and is on exhibit in the Atrium of the Science Library beginning in May 2006. A small number of items and information from the exhibit are made available here as an introduction to the physical exhibit. The exhibit examines the growth of and changes in science education and research at the University at Albany over its long history through publications, photographs, class notes, memorabilia, and other records documenting University students, faculty, departments, and research centers.
Campus Buildings Historical Tour: (Ongoing digital exhibit) The exhibit identifies current University at Albany, SUNY, buildings located on the Uptown Campus, the Downtown Campus, the East Campus, and Alumni Quadrangle. The exhibit also includes information about University buildings that no longer exist containing, where known, details about the buildings including the date of construction, architect, cost, use of the building, and biographical information about the person or persons for whom the building is named.
University Historical Murals: The following exhibit is a collection of murals describing the history of the University at Albany. This collection is the work of Geoffrey P. Williams, University Archivist. Each section of the University's history is a seperate mural.
Past Exhibits from the Department of Special Collections and Archives
Intellectuals in Exile: (October-December 2006, M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives; January-May 2007, University Library) On display in the lobby of the University Lobby, the exhibit coincides with the program "University in Exile: Refugee Scholars, the New School for Social Research, and the German and Jewish Intellectual Émigré Collection" sponsored by the University Libraries, Center for Jewish Studies, and the College of Arts and Sciences on Thursday, October 12, 2006, in the Standish Room of the Science Library. The exhibit includes items drawn from the collections of several individuals in the including Karl O. Paetel, Benedikt Dolbin, Roy C. Bates (Kurt Bauchwitz), Walter Maria Kotschnig, and others.
The Secret Lives of Toys and Their Friends: (August-October 6, 2006; January 2007- , M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives) This exhibit contains items drawn from The Miriam Snow Mathes Historical Children’s Literature Collection and is on exhibit in the lobby of the M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives (Third Floor of the Science Library). This exhibit features a small sampling of the many stories written for children from either a toy’s point of view or about adventures based on the lives of living toys or objects. The over fifty items in the physical exhibit, including the small number displayed in this exhibit, are a fraction of what the Mathes Collection contains on the subject of animated objects and/or toys.
The Sciences at the University at Albany, 1845-2006: (May-December 2006) The exhibit contains items drawn from the University Archives and is on exhibit in the Atrium of the Science Library beginning in May 2006. A small number of items and information from the exhibit are made available here as an introduction to the physical exhibit. The exhibit examines the growth of and changes in science education and research at the University at Albany over its long history through publications, photographs, class notes, memorabilia, and other records documenting University students, faculty, departments, and research centers.
Edward Durell Stone and the Building of the Uptown Campus, 1961-1971: (University Library August-December 2006, Science Library January 2007-) On display near the entrance of the University Library are items drawn from the M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives' University Archives and book collections about the Edward Durell Stone designed Uptown Campus of the University at Albany, SUNY. The Uptown Campus was constructed between 1961 and 1971 on the former rolling hills of the Albany Country Club and the first classes were held on the Academic Podium in the fall 1966. Envisioning the Podium as the center of the Academy, Stone’s result has had considerable success. From the late 1960s to today the Podium has been the favored site for political demonstrations, informal student activities, and official events such as the Candlelight Ceremony to welcome freshman, and Torch Night to celebrate seniors’ transition to Alumni/ae. Stone’s buildings can be found from New York to Chicago to San Diego and from Peru to Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. They span the gamut from private homes, museums, government buildings and factories to cultural centers, hospitals, religious structures, theatres, housing and hotels. All share a similar architectural style. This exhibit is curated by Geoffrey P. Williams, University Archivist. It will be on display in the University Library through December 2006 and an expanded version will be unveiled in January 2007 in the Science Library.
Student Life at the University at Albany, 1844-2000: (August 2005 - May 2006) The exhibit contains selections drawn from the University Archives and was on exhibit in the Atrium of the Science Library. The exhibit examines the growth of student life at the University at Albany over its long history. The exhibit includes papers from 19th and 20th century student literary societies, sororities, and fraternities and student publications such as The Normal College Echo, a combination bi-monthly literary magazine, student newspaper, and alumni newsletter which is the predecessor to today's Albany Student Press (ASP). Student literary publications have taken many different forms in the following years, particularly in the 1960s and 1970s when there was an explosion of student literary activity. Revealing the wide range of student culture and extra curricular activities are the yearbooks, which Albany students first published in 1900, and have published continuously since 1911. The exhibit consists of records documenting the student protests that began in the early 1960s in opposition to the newly established tuition and have continued on a wide variety of issues. The school's athletic history is also on display including examples of the earliest sports, inter-collegiate baseball and tennis, which began play in the 1890's.
National Death Penalty Archive: (August 2005 - February 2006) The exhibit in the M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives includes materials drawn from the Hugo Adam Bedau Papers, William J. Bowers/Capital Jury Project Collection, Alvin Ford Collection, and the papers of Joe Ingle/Southern Coalition on Jails and Prisons. The National Death Penalty Archive was initiated by the School of Criminal Justice's Capital Punishment Research Initiative to collect and document the history of capital punishment. It will preserve resources for historical scholarship and research on the death penalty and make accessible the records of individuals and organizations working on issues related to capital punishment. A complete list of collections and additional information is available at the National Death Penalty Archive Web page.
Campus Traditions: (June 2004 - July 2005) The exhibit in the M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives includes materials drawn from the University Archives depicting student life at the University at Albany and its predecessor institutions over the past 100 years.
Understanding the Creative Imagination: Celebrating the Acquisition of the William Kennedy Papers: (October 2003 - May 2004) The exhibit in the M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives and atrium of the Science (New) Library includes selections drawn from the William Kennedy Papers, which were acquired by the University Libraries in 2003. The exhibit includes materials from throughout Mr. Kennedy's career as a writer beginning as a reporter for the Glens Falls Post-Star and continuing through his most recent novels.
A Hard Rain is Gonna Fall: Cloud Seeding, Project Cirrus, and the Manufacture of Rain and Snow: (October 2003 - January 2004, December 2004-May 2005) On November 13, 1946, General Electric (GE) scientist Vincent Schaefer and his pilot took off from the Schenectady airport and produced a snowstorm over Pittsfield, Massachusetts. This was the beginning of Project Cirrus, a full-scale cloud seeding project in places such as New Mexico and Puerto Rico. Project Cirrus was developed to support research by Schaefer, Dr. Bernard Vonnegut, and Dr. Irving Langmuir into weather modification and control. The next decades' abundance of activity in experimental meteorology led to debates within the federal government over the appropriateness and dangers of tampering with nature. Some saw economic potential as commercial cloud seeders succeeded in building up the rain-making business, which often resulted in controversy and litigation. Others saw military applications in these discoveries, and at least one cloud-seeding operation was conducted in Vietnam. This exhibit was in the Atrium of the New (Science) Library Building and was accompanied by a presentation on November 6 from Dr. James R. Fleming of Colby College and Dr. Duncan Blanchard, Professor Emeritus of the University at Albany.
Inappropriate Children's Books: An Historical Viewing: (January - April 2003) with examples drawn from The Miriam Snow Mathes Historical Children's Literature Collection in the M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives, University at Albany Libraries. The exhibit was located in the Science Library lobby (Racial & Ethnic Bias, and Death & Violence) where it was on view from mid-January to mid-April; and another section was in the University Library lobby (Bad Role Models) where three exhibit cases were on view until mid-February when it was reduced to one exhibit case until mid-April.
Elements of Book Design and Illustration: (April 2003) The exhibit highlights design and illustrations used in children's literature from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Illustrations were selected from the Miriam Snow Mathes Historical Children's Literature Collection for their visual appeal and to convey the range of artistic styles and media inherent in antique children's books.
Documenting Labor Inside and Out: Labor History in New York State's Capital District: (September 2002) The exhibit features the labor-related collections held in the Archives of Public Affairs and Policy (APAP) showing the wide array of records that labor organizations generate and the types of information that those records provide. These records are used by historians, scholars, and others interested in the labor movement and serve to document the labor history of New York's Capital District.
Contributing to History: Resources in African American History: (November 2002) An exhibit created to highlight collections featuring primary sources in the study of African American history. It was installed in exhibit cases in the M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives on the third floor of the Science (New) Library.
University Libraries Two Millionth Volume: (April 2001) An exhibit created to celebrate the University Libraries acquistion of its two millionth volume.
Miniature Books On Display: (April 5 - 30, 2001) Exhibits the work of miniature book artists Joseph J. D'Ambrosio, Asao Hoshino, Maryline Poole Adams, and other book binders and designers.
Eleanor Roosevelt and the University at Albany: (April 5 - 30, 2001) An exhibit devoted to Eleanor Roosevelt's four occasions in which she visited the University at Albany.
Images from the Marcia Brown Collection: (October 2000) Online exhibit of selected images from the housed in the M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives.
The Art of the Book: An Exhibit of Work by Johanna Drucker and Bruce Mau: (October 6 - 27, 2000) Exhibits the work of book artist Johanna Drucker and designer Bruce Mau.
The Normal School Company: Company E of the 44th New York This website is the product of a graduate research seminar directed by Professor Allen Ballard of the University at Albany. The seminar focused on the Normal School Company, which was organized, raised, and led by two instructors at the State Normal School, the predecessor of the University at Albany.
Back to the Future: An Illustrated History of The University at Albany: Professor of History Kendall Birr illustrates the history of the University at Albany back to its founding as a State Normal School in 1844.
Once Upon A Drawing: The Picture Book Illustrations of Marcia Brown: (March 1997) Once Upon a Drawing highlights over 50 years of work by internationally renowned children's book illustrator and author, Marcia Brown. The exhibition was curated from the housed in the M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives.
The Glovers of Fulton County: A long term research and documentation project that examines the glove industry in Fulton County, New York directed by Professor Gerald Zahavi and doctoral student Susan McCormick.
Current and past exhibitions at the University at Albany's Art Museum
Library and Archival Exhibitions on the Web: A project of the Smithsonian Institution Libraries: This site features links to online exhibitions that have been created by libraries, archives, and historical societies, as well as to museum online exhibitions with a significant focus on library and archival materials.
American Shores Maps of the Middle Atlantic Region to 1850: The Mid-Atlantic region of North America - stretching from New York south to Virginia - was a pivotal area in the early development of the American colonies and the United States. This website looks at this region and its history through maps created up to 1850.
Between a Rock and a Hard Place: A History of American Sweatshops, 1820-Present: An on-line exhibit based on an actual physical installation at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History (NMAH). The Smithsonian also has a number of other online exhibits at the National Museum of American History Web site.
Student Activism in the 1930s: Exhibit and related resources telling the story of campus radicalism in the 1930s.
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire: Presented by the Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives at Cornell University in cooperation with the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees (UNITE!).
Women and Social Movements in the United States, 1830-1930: This website is intended to introduce students, teachers, and scholars to a rich collection of primary documents related to women and social movements in the United States between 1830 and 1930. It is organized around editorial projects completed by undergraduate and graduate students at the State University of New York at Binghamton.