2015 Exhibits

Celebrating W.B. Yeats at 150

2015 marks 150 years since the birth of Irish poet and Nobel laureate William Butler Yeats in 1865. This exhibition explores Yeats’ work as a noted poet and playwright as illuminated by artwork, rare books, and printed ephemera drawn from the University of Victoria’s Legacy Gallery and Special Collections and University Archives. A prolific author, Yeats’ writings can be traced not only in his books, but also through his contributions to magazines and to the theatre. Yeats’ first publication Mosada: A Dramatic Poem was originally published in the Dublin University Review and throughout his career Yeats’ writings were widely distributed through his contributions to magazines and journals. Yeats’ involvement in the theatre, most notably the Irish Literary Theatre (which became the Abbey Theatre) represented an important creative and political outlet for Yeats. In addition to penning plays for production, Yeats also participated in managing the theatre, from selecting plays to hiring (and firing) actors. The exhibition also features unique items documenting the artistry of Yeats’ family, including his father John Butler Yeats, brother Jack Butler Yeats, and sisters Susan Mary Yeats (Lily) and Elizabeth Corbet Yeats (Lollie), all of whom were artists of note.

Dates: August 22, 2015-February 14, 2016

Location: Legacy Maltwood Gallery, Mearns Centre for Learning—McPherson Library

Otello: Old and New Traditions

This year saw a pivotal change within opera when the Metropolitan Opera staged their first production of Verdi’s Otello without blackface makeup — departing from over a century of tradition. Coinciding with the Pacific Opera Victoria's production of Verdi’s Otello, this exhibition explores the opera’s origins in nineteenth-century Italy, and ongoing debates surrounding its casting. The exhibition highlights how dramatic and comedic musical moments in Shakespeare’s Othello make the play a compelling opera, and showcases unique scores from both Verdi and Rossini’s operatic adaptations. Additional ephemera from Special Collections and University Archives — including programs, promotional materials, and photographs — demonstrates how Othello has been cast in past theatrical productions, and attests to how recently the tradition of blackface has persisted in the theatre, in addition to opera. While Verdi’s music is timeless, the exhibition shows how longstanding operatic and theatrical traditions are beginning to change within an evolving cultural context.

Dates: October-December 2015

Location: Special Collections and University Archives, Mearns Centre for Learning—McPherson Library

Alcuin Society Awards for Excellence in Book Design in Canada, 2014 Winners

Dates: August 2-28, 2015

Location: Special Collections and University Archives, Mearns Centre for Learning—McPherson Library, Room A005

Divided Germany: Commemorating the 25th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall