Exhibitions

Falstaff and Music

Shakespeare’s character of Falstaff has inspired composers over the centuries. Trace Falstaff’s history through this exhibit of rare books, scores, and performance artifacts from the University of Victoria’s Special Collections.

The exhibit, part of the Shakespeare Onstage--Offstage special event, runs from September 16 to November 29, 2013 in the Special Collections reading room.

The Long Now of Ulysses: Curating Literature after the Internet

The Long Now of Ulysses brings together traditional physical materials from the University's Special Collections and the University of Victoria Art Collections with 3D replications of objects, as well as a digital environment. Guided by the question of self-remediation –how do we see ourselves as others see us– the exhibit places Ulysses in its contemporary context and engages its long, often unanticipated, afterlife.

The exhibit runs from May 21 to August 12, 2013 in the Maltwood Prints and Drawings Gallery. An index of digital projects created for the exhibit is available.

Macbeth, Shakespeare, and Music: Resources at the University of Victoria

In collaboration with Pacific Opera Victoria, University of Victoria Libraries is mounting an exhibit of selected scores, editions, and adaptations of Macbeth. The exhibit draws on resources of Special Collections, the Shakespeare Music Project fonds, and the private collections of faculty and friends to showcase the textual and performance history of Macbeth and its music.

The exhibit, curated by Janelle Jenstad with assistance by Sarah Dawson, Telka Duxbury, Nathan Phillips and Brittany Vis, opens on October 4, 2012 and runs until mid-November in the Special Collections reading room.

Alcuin Society Awards for Excellence in Book Design in Canada

The Alcuin Society has announced the winners of its 30th Annual Awards for Excellence in Book Design in Canada. The best-looking books of 2011 will be exhibited in the Special Collections reading room from October 31 to November 30, 2012.

This year's judges selected 35 winning titles from 252 entries, from 9 provinces and 103 publishers.

A list of the winning titles is available.

For the Love of Books: Selections from the Gift of Dr. Patricia Köster

For the Love of Books is a presentation of a cross-section of Patricia Köster's personal library held at Special Collections. Patricia Köster was Associate Professor in the Department of English until 1995. After her death, her large collection of early books was donated to the University of Victoria. Highlights include eighteenth-century canonical works, works by women writers, conduct books, a 1526 Latin Bible from Leiden, and first editions of Pope and Dryden.

The exhibit, curated by Sandra Friesen and Janelle Jenstad with assistance by Jillian Phillips, Alexandra Coates, and Kevin Elliott, will be on display in the Special Collections reading from from April 19 - May 31, 2012.

Alcuin Society Awards for Excellence in Book Design in Canada

The Alcuin Society has announced the winners of its annual Alcuin Society Awards for Excellence in Book Design in Canada. The best-looking books of 2010 will be exhibited in the Special Collections reading room from June 1-30, 2011.

The winning books will be entered in the international book design competition in Leipzig, Germany in February 2012.

A list of the winning titles is available.

Ex officina Plantiniana…ad Victoriensem bibliothecam

Ex officina Plantiniana…ad Victoriensem bibliothecam is an exhibition of 13 titles printed by the humanist printer Christophe Plantin. Plantin (1520-1589) could be presented as the epitome of Renaissance humanist printers. Born in France, exiled in the Low Countries and settled in Antwerp, he founded a dynasty of learned editors and publishers.

The exhibition, curated by Helene Cazes and the graduate students of FREN 524 "Old Books in New Libraries", will run from March 28-April 29. 2011 in the Special Collections reading room.

Modernist Studies Association Conference 12

The University of Victoria Special Collections is proud to be a part of this year's 12th annual Modernist Studies Association conference, Modernist Networks. The conference is being held at the Fairmont Empress Hotel from November 11-14, 2010.

Look for our electronic exhibit at the conference highlighting some of Special Collections' internationally recognized holdings in Modernist British, American and Anglo-Irish literature.

Alcuin Society Awards for Excellence in Book Design in Canada

This year's winning titles for the 28th annual Alcuin Society Awards for Excellence in Book Design in Canada will be on display in the Special Collections reading room September 15th to October 29th, 2010. The 30 books were chosen from 252 Canadian entries published in 2009, from 9 provinces and 108 publishers. The titles will compete in the international book design competition in Leipzig, Germany in February 2011.

A list of the winning titles is available.

Victorian Poetry and the New Print Media

Victorian Poetry and the New Print Media: An Exhibition for Eng 551 will run from May 31 to August 31, 2010 in the Archives and Special Collections reading room (A005). The exhibit highlights the primary content used in Eng 551, a Graduate Seminar taught in the 2010 Winter Session by Dr. Alison Chapman, a Victorian poetry specialist with UVic's English Department. On display are primary works used for each week of the seminar, providing a window into the world of the poetry and print media of this remarkable period. Hours are 10:30-4:30 Monday to Friday throughout the Summer.

History of Medicine in UVic Special Collections

Special Collections presents Imaging and Imagining the Body, a day of papers and debates organized by the research collective History of Medicine (Faculty of Humanities). The symposium will be held in the Special Collections classroom on April 24, 2010 from 9:30 am - 12:50 pm (A003) and from 12:50 - 5:00 pm in the Clearihue Building (CLE D132).

A mini-exhibition, History of Medicine in UVic Special Collections, has been organized for this occasion.

Worshipping Books in UVic Special Collections

On the occasion of the French Department's annual Graduate Student Conference, Special Collections is happy to present a mini-exhibition on the theme of the conference: Le Livre dans tous ses états, i.e. Books by any Names.

The presentation of Bibles in many forms will be held on March 19, 2010 from 2:00 - 3:00 pm at the McPherson Library, Room 210. The exhibition will also be available for viewing in the Special Collections reading room from March 19 - April 1, 2010.

Alcuin Society Awards for Excellence in Book Design in Canada

On display in the Special Collections reading room October 5th-November 14th, 2009 is the Alcuin Society Awards for Excellence in Book Design in Canada exhibit. Thirty-two winning titles, as selected from the 243 entries submitted by 89 publishers and representing eight provinces, will be featured.

In February 2010, these books will compete in the annual Stiftung Buchkunst competition, the largest bookdesign competition in the world, in Leipzig, Germany.

The Lion and the Fox: Art and Literary Works by Wyndham Lewis from the C.J. Fox Collection

April 1-May 28, 2009, the University of Victoria Libraries, Friends of UVic Libraries and the Maltwood Art Museum & Gallery present an exhibition of art works, books, journals and archival materials by the renowned Canadian-born Modernist, Wyndham Lewis.

The exhibit celebrates former Reuters/Canadian Press journalist and Modernist scholar Cy Fox's donation of his extensive English Modernism collection to the University of Victoria. Several concurrent events are planned, including a symposium on Wyndham Lewis and Modernism on April 2, 2009.