Libraries Director Valerie Hotchkiss to Retire</h1> <article> <h1>Libraries Director Valerie Hotchkiss to Retire</h1> <p>eburnett — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 16:21:02 +0000</p> <span>Libraries Director Valerie Hotchkiss to Retire</span> <span><span>eburnett</span></span> <span><time datetime="2026-04-02T12:21:02-04:00" title="Thursday, April 2, 2026 - 12:21">Thu, 04/02/2026 - 12:21</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><a href="/valerie-hotchkiss" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="c1b7e4f7-f482-4f6b-a0c8-636d695d1e97" data-entity-substitution="canonical" title="Valerie Hotchkiss">Valerie Hotchkiss</a>, who has served as Azariah Smith Root Director of Libraries and Professor of English and Book Studies at 91ֱ�� since 2021, will retire on June 30. Her departure caps a five-year tenure marked by remarkable advancement for the 91ֱ�� College Libraries, which include Terrell Main Library (located in Mudd Center), the Conservatory Library, Science Library, and Art Library, as well as <a href="https://libraries.oberlin.edu/collections/special-collections">Special Collections</a> and the <a href="https://libraries.oberlin.edu/archives/overview">College Archives</a>.</p><p>Hotchkiss arrived at 91ֱ�� in fall 2021, as the world was tentatively emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic. Her initial work sought to bolster alignment of library goals with the overall priorities of the institution.</p><p>From her earliest days, Hotchkiss emphasized creating more welcoming spaces in the libraries and making library experiences more inviting for all. This was accomplished in part through the introduction of numerous successful events and series, including Book Arts Lab and the Edible Book Festival, as well as exclusive engagements with exhibitions such as "Melville's <em>Billy Budd</em> at 100."</p><p>“At a time of unprecedented curricular expansion and intellectual diversity at 91ֱ��, we are deeply grateful for the many contributions Valerie has made as a scholar-teacher and a librarian,” says <a href="/david-kamitsuka" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="3713fa9d-9e06-4b8d-b8d6-52ba1a019fed" data-entity-substitution="canonical" title="David Kamitsuka">David Kamitsuka</a>, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “Her leadership has provided an excellent foundation as well as momentum for 91ֱ�� Libraries to evolve with innovations in our curriculum and educational challenges and opportunities from technological developments.”</p><p>Among the achievements guided by Hotchkiss:</p><ul><li data-list-item-id="e8d95ff6d91ba3efdcd9d6de00bae7ca3">Development and implementation of the libraries’ 2021-2025 strategic plan</li><li data-list-item-id="e6e986d700bba6a9f22ea228b4c190675">Reorganization of library operations, duties, and workflows to align with evolving best practices and institutional priorities</li><li data-list-item-id="e522778a09dfcb6f884ae94d85e7681ae">Reimagined and renovated spaces in all four libraries, making them more accessible and welcoming for users and more efficient and effective for staff</li><li data-list-item-id="e6ab001b95a80d3b7bb9a917b6b79c643">Completion of a two-year migration to a new integrated library system platform</li><li data-list-item-id="ef39d52803d4a685a2b9a50a850979462">Revitalization of the Friends of 91ֱ�� College Libraries, the Faculty Library Committee, and the creation of a Student Library Advisory Board</li><li data-list-item-id="e5b89ddac50a50c6cbbe5a93030e54d4a">Creation of meaningful professional development opportunities for librarians and paraprofessionals while significantly increasing internships and other information-career opportunities for students</li><li data-list-item-id="e1daecca225412730d79f348a2dc87258">Promotion of enhanced library instruction in information, data, and AI literacies to help strengthen research proficiency and student success.</li></ul><p>In addition to her role at the helm of the libraries, Hotchkiss served as a professor of English and Book Studies. She has authored numerous articles and books on cultural history, religion, women’s studies, and the history of books and printing.</p><p>Hotchkiss leaves 91ֱ�� a vibrant library system well-positioned to build on a foundation of support for scholarship, teaching, and learning.</p><p>“Valerie has been an exceptional leader for 91ֱ��'s distinguished library system and an extraordinary partner to 91ֱ��'s faculty, staff, community members, and more,” says Dean of the Conservatory <a href="/william-quillen" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="ae2f8811-f23e-458f-87e3-6d455d557536" data-entity-substitution="canonical" title="William Quillen">William Quillen</a>. “Her tenure has been transformative, we are grateful to her for her work, and we will miss her greatly.”</p><p id="docs-internal-guid-b1f2013a-7fff-2903-71f2-09689842cb17">“Librarianship has been my vocation,” says Hotchkiss, who began as a library shelver at the age of 14 and has been a library director for 37 years—at Southern Methodist University, University of Illinois, Vanderbilt, and 91ֱ��. “I can’t imagine a more fulfilling and enjoyable career.” Hotchkiss looks forward to continued engagement as a scholar and author. </p><p>Beginning in July, Associate Director of Libraries <a href="/paul-heyde" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="376f610a-2550-4776-b0d9-85f2677caf5a" data-entity-substitution="canonical" title="Paul Heyde">Paul Heyde</a> will serve in the role of interim director of the libraries through the 2026-27 academic year. A nationwide search for Hotchkiss’ successor will begin this summer.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Five years at 91ֱ�� marked by numerous advances in infrastructure, services, and collaborations with campus and community.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2026-04-02T12:00:00Z">Thu, 04/02/2026 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Office of Communications</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=3449">91ֱ�� College Libraries</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Tanya Rosen-Jones '97</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-article-header field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">0</div> </article> <article> <h1>Omar Tells His Story</h1> <p>srasmuss — Fri, 11 Oct 2024 17:33:55 +0000</p> <span>Omar Tells His Story</span> <span><span>srasmuss</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-10-11T13:33:55-04:00" title="Friday, October 11, 2024 - 13:33">Fri, 10/11/2024 - 13:33</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>As every 91ֱ�� graduate knows, you’re bound to meet fellow Obies everywhere. And the initial workshop for <em><a href="https://rhiannongiddens.com/omar">Omar</a></em>, the first opera by <a href="https://rhiannongiddens.com/">Rhiannon Giddens ’00</a>, was no exception.</p> <p>Conductor <a href="https://www.johnkennedymusic.com/">John Kennedy ’82</a> was there in New York City to witness the work in its early stages. “I said to Rhiannon, ‘You know, I went to 91ֱ�� too.’ And then a couple of the singers said they did. And she was like, ‘Man, we gotta do it at 91ֱ��,’” he says with a laugh.</p> <p>Years later, that vision will finally come true when the 91ֱ�� Orchestra and choral ensembles present a concert version of <em><a href="/events/concert-performance-omar">Omar</a></em> on December 6 and 8. The Pulitzer Prize-winning opera loosely follows the life of Omar ibn Said, a 19th-century Islamic scholar from West Africa who was enslaved in South Carolina.</p> <p>Kennedy, who conducted the work’s premiere and a later production, will lead the students and a cast of 91ֱ�� alumni soloists. Giddens herself will be among them.</p> <p>“I know it's extremely meaningful to Rhiannon that this be performed at 91ֱ��,” Kennedy says. It’s also a bit of a homecoming for himself, as he hasn’t visited campus in almost 15 years. After arriving in just a couple of weeks, he’ll rehearse with the students for more than a month to prepare for the big undertaking.</p> <p>Rather than perform <em>Omar’s Journey</em>, a truncated version of the opera scored for a small ensemble, 91ֱ�� will present the entire 170-minute work, minus the staging. Giddens, singing the role of Julie, will be joined by <a href="https://www.limmiepulliam.com/">Limmie Pulliam ’98</a>, <a href="https://www.michaelpreacely.com/">Michael Preacely ’99</a>, <a href="https://www.danielokulitch.com/">Daniel Okulitch ’99</a>, <a href="https://www.danielmcgrewtenor.com/">Daniel McGrew ’15</a>, and <a href="https://www.krystyswann.com/">Krysty Swann</a>.</p> <p>“Opera is, first, music and singing, and it's sometimes really wonderful to distill an opera just to its music and to listen to it that way,” Kennedy says. He adds that the strength of the score speaks for itself. Giddens wrote the libretto and composed the music together with Michael Abels, who also provided orchestrations.</p> <p>“I think that the two composers have accomplished something remarkable in sort of fusing the African American musical traditions that are so important to Rhiannon’s aesthetic with the idiom of opera,” Kennedy says. “To me, they're expanding what we might consider to be classical cultural traditions.”</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2024-10-11T12:00:00Z">Fri, 10/11/2024 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Stephanie Manning '23</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2356">Conservatory</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=3878">Conservatory of Music</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=3449">91ֱ�� College Libraries</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2378">Allen Memorial Art Museum</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2974">Conservatory Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2368">Alumni</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-flex-content field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden vertical-spacing--basic field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div id="obj-32155" class="paragraph paragraph--type--pb-el-bq paragraph--view-mode--default"> <blockquote class="blockquote--quotemark" data-text-color-red data-text-size-giant> <p><em>Omar</em> has a visceral and powerful impact on people."</p> </blockquote> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div id="obj-28172" class="paragraph paragraph--type--para-el-copy paragraph--view-mode--default o-flex--basic-copy basic-copy"> <p>He has especially high praise for Giddens’ gift for writing arias — “‘Omar’s Aria,’” he says, is “one of the great arias of the last hundred years” — as well as Abels’ ability to draw out different sounds from the orchestra. “There's no banjo. There's no kora. And yet the orchestra sometimes is able to evoke one in a really fantastic way.”</p> <p>Though audiences won’t hear a real kora during the opera, they can on December 7, when <a href="https://www.seckoukeita.com/">Seckou Keita</a> performs on the West African instrument as part of the <a href="/artsguide/artist-recital-series">Artist Recital Series</a>.</p> <p>“I've actually been an admirer of Seckou’s music even before the <em>Omar</em> opportunity came up,” says <a href="/sally-takada">Sally Takada</a>, the Conservatory’s Associate Dean of Artistic Programming and External Relations. “However, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to bring him for the Artist Recital Series during our <a href="/events/series/omar"><em>Omar at 91ֱ��</em></a> weekend because we wanted to present the opera in the context of all the other topics and themes it covers.”</p> <p>Two days before his performance, Keita will lead a lecture demonstration on West African music and performance practices. And that’s just one of numerous campus events that weekend open to the public.</p> <p>The Contra Dance Club will host a lesson and dance session, 91ֱ�� faculty will organize several academic panels, and the <a href="https://amam.oberlin.edu/">Allen Memorial Art Museum</a> will have a specially curated collection of works on display —as will the <a href="https://libraries.oberlin.edu/">College and Conservatory Libraries</a>. There will also be pre-and post-concert discussions around the opera’s December 8 performance at the <a href="https://case.edu/maltzcenter/calendar-events/concerts-events-silver-hall/oberlin-conservatory-music-presents-omar">Maltz Performing Arts Center in Cleveland</a>.</p> <p>Even with so much going on, <em>Omar</em> itself remains at the heart of it all. Kennedy recounts the music's effect on a singer who performed in the work’s premiere. During the first rehearsal, “he comes up to me at the break, and he goes, ‘This is the greatest opera I've ever sung in my life,’” the conductor says.</p> <p>Whether the students will react similarly remains to be seen, but Kennedy is optimistic. “I think that <em>Omar</em> has a visceral and powerful impact on people. So it would surprise me if that doesn't happen again."</p> <hr> <p>Stephanie Manning’23 completed her bassoon performance degree while finding her way into journalism as a classical music critic. She recently returned to Cleveland after finishing a graduate diploma in journalism at Concordia University in Montreal. Her writing has appeared in The Montreal Gazette, Early Music America, and ClevelandClassical.com.</p> </div> </div> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Bearing Witness</h1> <p>azaleski — Tue, 26 Sep 2023 16:54:18 +0000</p> <span>Bearing Witness</span> <span><span>azaleski</span></span> <span><time datetime="2023-09-26T12:54:18-04:00" title="Tuesday, September 26, 2023 - 12:54">Tue, 09/26/2023 - 12:54</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>In the mid-2000s, she curated and produced content for the memorial exhibition at the 9/11 Memorial Museum. For the last eight years, she’s been the curator of Kennesaw State University’s Museum of History and Holocaust Education. Founded in 2006, the Georgia museum has produced more than 18 traveling exhibitions that visit schools, libraries, community centers, and houses of worship. </p> <p>Langer says her time at 91ֱ�� nurtured her intellectual curiosity. It also connected her with Sheena Ramirez ’06, a soprano who studied <a href="/voice" target="_blank">voice performance</a>. In fact, the pair met when both were first-years living in Dascomb Hall. </p> <p>“Some of what we did at 91ֱ�� collaboratively involved engaging deeply with poetry that Sheena would be performing as art songs,” Langer explains. “As a <a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/creative-writing" target="_blank">creative writing</a> major, that was a love of mine, and it related to my concentration in poetry. We always enjoyed doing that and have kept it up over the years.” </p> <p>In 2020, Langer and Ramirez started working on a large-scale project that resulted in a museum exhibition, <em>Words, Music, Memory: (Re)presenting Voices of the Holocaust</em>, that will be on display at 91ֱ�� starting September 29. The 10-panel traveling exhibition memorializes the poetry and diary excerpts of people who experienced the Holocaust—some who survived and others who perished—through music, composition, and performance. </p> <p>"It highlights the idea of witness and then of translating that experience into art," Langer says. "It connects the past and the present, and it connects the people who are trying to interpret and understand the past to really bring it to life."</p> <p><em>Words, Music, Memory</em> features eight witnesses to the Holocaust whose written works are interpreted in varying ways. <em>[see below, "The Exhibition's Voices"]</em> Each panel showcases a different witness and explains how their words were preserved, archived, or translated and then ultimately adapted into some form of performance art, including music, film, and plays. A digital gallery guide that accompanies the exhibition delves deeper into the biography of each writer, plus interviews with the modern-day composers, lyricists, performers, and commissioners who interpreted their words. </p> <p>“The goal is to highlight the entire commemorative process,” says Langer. “We wanted to show how you first engage with poetry, then select a piece of work to focus on, and then turn it into something that can then be accessed by an artist who wants to adapt it and perform it.” </p> <p><em>Words, Music, Memory</em> reflects the combined expertise of Langer and Ramirez. After 91ֱ��, Ramirez earned a master’s in music at the New England Conservatory of Music and a DMA in vocal performance, pedagogy, and literature from James Madison University. For the latter, she wrote her dissertation on four soprano song cycles based on Holocaust poetry, pairing this research with a lecture recital that accompanies <em>Words, Music, Memory</em>.</p> <p>Langer says she “caught the research bug” during her sophomore year at 91ֱ��, when she and two friends took a road trip to Georgia. They stopped in Cades Cove, an abandoned town in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, where Langer became immediately fascinated by the history of the area. A year later, she returned to pore through scrapbooks, oral history transcripts, and other documents that both provided answers and served as the basis of her honors thesis on National Parks. </p> <p>After earning a bachelor’s degree in history and creative writing, Langer earned a master’s in archives and public history at New York University. She is currently pursuing a PhD in public history from Georgia State University.</p> <p>In spring 2023, Langer had the opportunity to work closely with students in professor Renee Romano’s Intro to Public Humanities course, a cornerstone of the <a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/public-humanities" target="_blank">Public Humanities integrative concentration</a>. The students identified potential promotional avenues for the <em>Words, Music, Memory</em> exhibition at 91ֱ��, even creating a supplemental zine on the topic of memory.</p> <figure class="captioned-image obj-right"> <figcaption>Sheena Ramirez '06 (left) and Adina Langer '06</figcaption> </figure> <p>“The students learned that so much of public humanities work is about making connections, building relationships, and trying to forge collaborations,” Romano says. “They saw what needs to be done to actually execute a project to go from A to Z.”</p> <p>For Langer, though, this time wasn’t just about practicalities and marketing. Working with students gave her an opportunity to pass on knowledge and experience in the same ways alumni once did for her. </p> <p>"As a student, I remember how powerful it was to have conversations with people who had been in my shoes only a few years before. I could see these students making connections about what it means to be out in the world, carrying forward your intellectual passions and interests."</p> <p>After its time at 91ֱ��, <em>Words, Music, Memory</em> will be on display at Wake Forest University’s Lam Museum of Anthropology starting in December, followed by Elon University in March 2024. However, Langer and Ramirez say they feel particularly honored to bring their shared project to their alma mater, where both their friendship and their career paths began. </p> <p>“This is something we’ve been doing for more than 20 years, where I’ve been coming to Adina and saying, ‘Let’s talk about poetry and how music enhances it,” Ramirez says. “This project looks at how music and other forms of commemoration can honor the words of people who have experienced the darkest chapters of our history.”</p> <p><a href="/events/words_music_memory_representing_voices_of_the_holocaust_exhibit" target="_blank">Words, Music, Memory: (Re)presenting Voices of the Holocaust</a> <em>opens September 29 in the first floor gallery of the Mary Church Terrell Main Library, and is open daily through Saturday, November 18. The exhibition culminates with a <a href="https://calendar.oberlin.edu/event/words_music_memory_representing_voices_from_the_holocaust" target="_blank">lecture performance on November 16</a>, featuring soprano Sheena Ramirez, oboist Courtney Miller, and pianist Daniel Michalak. Curator Adina Langer will provide commentary during the performance and discuss Holocaust commemoration and curating traumatic histories. Langer will also be <a href="https://calendar.oberlin.edu/event/curating_histories_of_violence_and_resilience_a_conversation_with_adina_langer06" target="_blank">in conversation with Professor Renee Romano</a> on November 16. </em></p> <p><strong>The Exhibition's Voices </strong><br> The individuals whose words are featured in <em>Words, Music, Memory</em> were carefully selected to represent a diversity of Jewish witnesses to the Holocaust, including (but not limited to) recognizable voices like Anne Frank and Elie Wiesel.</p> <p>“We really wanted to bring both lesser-known and very well-known people into this space,” says Langer. “The exhibit is presented from younger to older and from those who perished to those who survived.” </p> <ul> <li><strong>Franta Bass </strong>wrote poems in the Theresienstadt Ghetto before dying at Auschwitz at age 14. His poems were included in the Czech children’s anthology<em> I Never Saw Another Butterfly</em>, which inspired commemorative works by composers and playwrights alike.</li> <li><strong>Selma Meerbaum-Eisinger</strong> was a teenager who died at Michailowka labor camp, though her boyfriend managed to keep her poetry notebook throughout his own incarceration. Her poetry inspired a soprano song cycle titled “In Sleep, the World Is Yours" by composer Lori Laitman.</li> <li><strong>Anne Frank</strong>, a German-Jewish teenager who died at Bergen-Belsen, became posthumously famous after the publication of her diary. Her story has been adapted many times, as in the play <em>The Diary of Anne Frank</em> and the 1995 Japanese animated film <em>Anne No Nikki</em>, both featured in the exhibition.</li> <li><strong>Éva Heyman</strong> died in Auschwitz at age 13, but her mother published her<em> Diary of Éva Heyman</em> in 1947. In 2018, the Instagram account @Eva.Stories won a prestigious Webby Award for its poignant presentation of the late teen’s words. </li> <li><strong>Krystyna Żywulska</strong> was a Polish-Jewish political prisoner who penned the memoir <em>I Survived Auschwitz</em>, which, along with openly gay German-Jewish survivor Gad Beck’s memoir, inspired two short operas. </li> <li><strong>Shmerke Kaczerginski</strong> was a radical activist and Yiddish poet whose “Yid Du Partizaner” was turned into a sonata for cello and piano, composed by Laurence Sherr.</li> <li><strong>Nelly Sachs</strong>, a poet who escaped Berlin for Sweden, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Many of her poems have been turned into choral and instrumental arrangements.</li> <li><strong>Elie Wiese</strong>l, who spent time in both Auschwitz and the labor camp Buna, became a renowned speaker and writer on the topic of memory. His memoir <em>Night </em>is the basis of performances featuring the music of composer Leib Glantz. </li> </ul> <ul></ul></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Two alums collaborate on a powerful museum exhibition.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2023-09-28T12:00:00Z">Thu, 09/28/2023 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Kate Kaput</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>As a public historian, Adina Langer ’06 knows a thing or two about commemoration.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2390">Events</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=3449">91ֱ�� College Libraries</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2356">Conservatory</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2377">Arts & Humanities</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25326">Creative Writing</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25381">History</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=35596">Voice</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/public-humanities" hreflang="und">Public Humanities</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/vocal-studies" hreflang="und">Vocal Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/creative-writing" hreflang="und">Creative Writing</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">The Words, Music, Memory: (Re)presenting Voices of the Holocaust exhibition is on display from September 29-November 18.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pull-images field--type-list-string field--label-hidden field__item">Yes</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Courtesy of Adina Langer</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Art in the Archives: Works Presented for the First Time</h1> <p>anagy — Mon, 01 Feb 2021 18:40:59 +0000</p> <span>Art in the Archives: Works Presented for the First Time</span> <span><span>anagy</span></span> <span><time datetime="2021-02-01T13:40:59-05:00" title="Monday, February 1, 2021 - 13:40">Mon, 02/01/2021 - 13:40</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>While archives are not museums, they are often the keepers of visual works considered of enduring historical value to their institutions. <a href="https://libraries.oberlin.edu/archives/exhibitions/art-in-the-archives-of-oberlin-college"><em>Art in the Archives of 91ֱ�� College</em></a>, published in January 2021, showcases artworks and textiles with deep stories informing 91ֱ��’s rich history, of early post-secondary coeducation and the admission of Black students, antislavery, education in Asia, leadership in world affairs after World War I, an eclectic and notable built environment, and excellence in teaching and learning on campus. With one exception, a public sculpture, the works featured are housed in the college archives. </p> <p>The chapters in the exhibit include Architecture in Visual Works, Drawings and Prints, Paintings, Photographic Objects, Sculpture, and Textiles. Many of the works had never been presented in an exhibit before; three were recent accessions. One example of a recent gift is an embroidered Chinese robe received in January 2020. It is emblematic of the College’s long and continuing history of involvement in Asia. It was a gift from H. H. Kung to the executive secretary of the 91ֱ�� Shansi Memorial Association (OSMA) in the 1950s. Kung received his early education from 91ֱ�� missionaries in Shanxi Province, China, just prior to the Boxer Rebellion. He came to 91ֱ�� for his bachelor’s, and went to Yale for a master's in economics. After 20 years as principal of the 91ֱ�� schools in Shanxi, he served in the highest positions of government and finance in China from 1928 to 1939, continuing his close relationship with OSMA in China and at 91ֱ��. </p> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>A women's embroidered silk robe given to Margaret Leonard, executive secretary of the 91ֱ�� Shansi Memorial Association, by Hsiang-hsi Kung (1881-1967), an 91ֱ�� graduate who went on to hold top administrative positions in the government of the Republic of China. <br> Photo credit: Courtesy of 91ֱ�� College Archives</figcaption> </figure> <p>Another notable work with international significance in the textiles section of the exhibit is a gift from the Emir Faisal of the Arab Kingdom of Syria to 91ֱ��’s president, Henry Churchill King. Woodrow Wilson had appointed King as a co-leader of the King-Crane Commission in the Middle and Near East just after World War I. The Commission was charged with gathering petitions for self-governance from the peoples of the former Ottoman Empire to present at the Paris Peace Conference. The two garments, given by a daughter of Henry Churchill King, 91ֱ��’s president, were worn at a feast given for the Commission by Prince Faisal at his home outside Damascus. These fragile garments cannot be exhibited in an open library space, given the lack of adequate security and the special exhibit furniture and lighting they would require. This is a case in which the Archives holds unique materials that can only be exhibited in a museum setting, or online. The garments and many other works in the virtual exhibit were treated by the Intermuseum Conservation Association in Cleveland between 2008 and 2020 with endowed funds. </p> <p>With this new virtual exhibit we hope to engage college and other visitors in exploring artworks with significant back stories that inform 91ֱ��’s history. When the campus is fully open again, we can draw on the virtual exhibition to develop physical installations, with iPads for visitors to access <a href="https://libraries.oberlin.edu/archives/exhibitions/art-in-the-archives-of-oberlin-college"><em>Art in the Archives of 91ֱ�� College</em></a>. </p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2021-02-01T12:00:00Z">Mon, 02/01/2021 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Anne Salsich, associate archivist, 91ֱ�� College Archives</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>When 91ֱ�� College moved to remote learning in March of 2020 in response to COVID-19, the 91ֱ�� College Archives staff was required to identify and work on projects for remote work on short notice. As the associate archivist, my work primarily entails processing collections, managing the digital archive and the finding guide delivery database, and creating digital exhibits and collections. With remote access to the digital archive, I had an opportunity to create a new virtual exhibit from home. </p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2578">Art Exhibition</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2363">Academics & Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=3449">91ֱ�� College Libraries</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2374">Archives & Special Collections</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">A bronze bust of Lucy Stone, an 1847 graduate and women's rights pioneer. The sculpture is housed in the Archives and Special Collections Goodrich Room.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Courtesy of 91ֱ�� College Archives</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> </main></body></html>