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Arts, Exhibits, and Events

The Art, Exhibits, & Events Committee coordinates exhibits and events for the UMass Amherst Libraries. Our primary exhibit spaces are featured on the Main floor of the W.E.B. Du Bois Library and in the lobby of the Integrated Sciences and Engineering Library.

Current Exhibits

Learning Commons, Lower Level, Du Bois Library

“The Making of a Picture Book: The Marriage of Text and Art”

September 14 through December 18, 2009

At a time when the physical creature we know of as a book is itself under siege by its virtual doppelganger, it’s worth celebrating that the picture book remains—at least for now —relatively unchallenged. Because it’s an actual piece of art, the picture book is more than just something to read, it’s something to look at and something to embrace. Every aspect of its material presence matters, including the size, the shape, the texture of the paper, and the typeface.

This exhibit aims to show some behind-the-scenes elements in the making of this unique and enduring art form. The Pioneer Valley is an extraordinary center of children’s book authors and illustrators, and each book I’ve selected here is a collaborative endeavor by a writer and artist who both live in this area.

Although a picture book is primarily intended for children, it’s the product of a sophisticated blending of two quite different creative talents—one visual, the other based on language. Sometimes the work of one individual (Eric Carle and Mordicai Gerstein are two shining local examples), more often picture books are the marriage of the work of two. The four picture books in this exhibit illustrate a variety of collaborative scenarios. Occasionally, author and illustrator are actively involved throughout the creative process, as in the case of Patricia MacLachlan and Emily MacLachlan Charest, co-authors of Once I Ate a Pie and illustrator Katy Schneider, and also the case of Richard Michelson, author of Ten Times Better and illustrator Leonard Baskin (who died in 2005, before the book was published). More commonly, author and illustrator work in sequence, as in the case of A Perfect Wizard: Hans Christian Anderson, written by Jane Yolen and illustrated by Dennis Nolan, and my own book, The Littlest Matryoshka, illustrated by Kathryn Brown.

“New Haven's Garment Workers: An Elm City Story”

October 15, 2009 through January 30, 2010

This exhibition paints a portrait of the lives, victories, and defeats of working people who, in the 1930s, combated sweatshop conditions in New Haven, Connecticut. Photographs, artifacts, and documents highlight their work, labor struggles, and social and political lives.

In 1932 and 1933, the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America and the International Ladies Garment Workers Union cooperated in an organizing campaign which resulted in large-scale unionization of the industry and brought improved wages, working conditions, and hours. The unions formed two locals, ACTWU 125 and ILGWU 151, which continued to organize together until the demise of the garment industry in New Haven in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The locals became centers of social and political activities, involving members in decision-making and in cultural and sports activities.

The exhibit consists of panels depicting the evolution of the clothing industry, conditions in New Haven’s sweatshops, and the meteoric rise and dramatic victories of the unions in 1933. Additional panels illustrate the victories of the unions and their involvement in political issues from the 1940s through the 1990s. Also depicted are garment workers’ home lives and social activities sponsored by the locals.

The exhibit is on loan from the Greater New Haven Labor History Association and was curated by Joan Cavanagh and the late Dennis Hamilton, with creative consultation by C.M. Carton and Julie Hamilton.

For more information contact Brian Shelburne (413-545-4061, bps@library.umass.edu) or Joan Cavanagh (203-776-4098, joan.cavanagh@gmail.com).

Integrated Sciences and Engineering Library

“All Roads Lead Back to Amherst”

September 15 through December 11, 2009

An exhibit of nature photographs by Annie (Fournier) Tiberio Cameron ’73

The exhibit is on view during library hours.

Annie Tiberio Cameron came to UMass in 1969 to study Wildlife Biology. She has a B.S. in Environmental Education and did graduate work at North Adams State College, UMass Amherst, and Westfield State College. Tiberio Cameron has been a photography instructor at Bay Path College, Massachusetts Audubon Society, National Wildlife Federation, UMass Amherst, among others. Her photographs have been exhibited in New York, Michigan, New Mexico, and Texas, as well as New England. Her work has been published in Sierra Magazine, Mass. Audubon's Sanctuary Magazine, and other publications.

“I make 35mm color images that help me to reveal what I feel about the natural world: its colors shapes, textures, lines, and forms,” says Tiberio. “My background in science supports my visual expressions on film where my goal is to make a connection between myself and the observer. I try to make familiar and simple things in nature acquire the elegance that I see through my lenses.”

For more information about Annie Tiberio Photography: www.a-tiberio.com.

Upcoming Exhibits

Main Floor, Du Bois Library

Library of American Landscape History: Selected Publications (Jan-March 2010).

About the Exhibits:

Reflecting the Library's role as a center for learning, exhibits highlight not only the Library's collections and the interests and activities of the UMass Amherst community, but also programs and events from around western Massachusetts. Have an idea for an exhibit? Complete and submit our Exhibit Proposal Form.

Committee Members:

Bob Charles
Madeleine Charney
Rob Cox
Jim Kelly
Sue Lychwala
Dan Paquette
Brian Shelburne, Interim Chair
Peter Stern

Last Edited: 29 October 2009