{"id":49,"date":"2025-11-26T11:19:58","date_gmt":"2025-11-26T16:19:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/library\/?page_id=49"},"modified":"2026-07-16T15:25:02","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T19:25:02","slug":"exhibitions","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/library\/visit-study\/exhibitions\/","title":{"rendered":"Exhibitions"},"content":{"rendered":"

Current Exhibitions<\/h2>\n

\"black<\/p>\n

Orbiting the Archives:\u202fSpace, Science, and Imagination in Boston University\u2019s Archival Collections<\/h3>\n

Orbital<\/em> by Samantha Harvey, Boston University\u2019s inaugural\u202fCommon Read<\/a>\u202fselection, envisions a single day on the International Space Station,\u202fwhere six astronauts grapple with\u202fissues ranging from the\u202fpersonal to the planetary. Though set in space,\u202fOrbital\u202fis decidedly realistic, pondering our planet viewed from the\u202fperspective of astronauts working in low Earth orbit. As the Boston University\u202fcommunity engages with the \u202fCommon Read<\/a>\u202fprogram,\u202fthe\u202fBU Libraries invite\u00a0readers to consider life beyond\u202fthe\u202fterrestrial\u202fthrough the\u00a0lens\u00a0of reporters,\u202fartists,\u202fresearchers, actors, directors, writers, and thinkers reflected in this diverse selection of materials held in our Special Collections\u2019 archives.<\/p>\n

The exhibition is on display on the first floor of\u00a0Mugar\u00a0Memorial Library.<\/p>\n

\"art<\/p>\n

Painting Two at Boston University – Painting, Perception and Contemporary Figuration<\/h3>\n

This exhibition presents examples of final paintings made by students from two sections of Painting Two, taught during\u00a0the\u00a0Fall 2025\u00a0semester\u00a0by Jill Grimes and Wilhelm\u00a0Neusser,\u00a0lecturers\u00a0in\u00a0BU School of Visual Arts.\u00a0Students in both sections made an important multiple-session\u00a0figure painting in class with variable approaches to the psychology and narrative elements of figure painting.\u00a0Also\u00a0on display are\u00a0independent final painting projects, many involving concepts around\u00a0self-portraiture, expression, and identity. Additionally included are sustained still life paintings created\u00a0mid semester as an\u00a0endcap\u00a0to the still life section, and full of narrative\u00a0implications themselves.<\/p>\n

On display on the first floor of\u00a0Mugar\u00a0Memorial Library.<\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

BU Wheelock: Two Institutions, One Enduring Legacy<\/h3>\n

In 2018, Wheelock College and the Boston University School of Education merged, creating the Boston University Wheelock College of Education and Human Development<\/a>. This merger united BU’s century of research excellence and doctoral leadership with Wheelock’s legacy of community-centered education and social justice. This strategic combination leveraged major university resources while preserving deep community partnerships, creating an institution that advances educational equity through both rigorous scholarship and responsive practice.<\/p>\n

This small exhibition showcases material from these two historic schools of education and highlights their joining into one, BU Wheelock, which embodies the traditions, visions and strengths of both former institutions. This joining is paralleled by the historic Wheelock College Archives becoming part of the University Archives, held by the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center at the Boston University Libraries. The exhibition shows reproductions of archival documents and memorabilia from both Wheelock College and the Boston University School of Education.<\/p>\n

Featured materials are related to the unique and close-knit culture of Wheelock College, including Wheelock \u201cflair,\u201d teaching tools, and photographs. Also featured are examples of Wheelock history and material directly relating to Wheelock\u2019s educational ideals and mission. Items selected from the history of BU-SED include conference programs, school histories, yearbook pages, and brochures for events and outreach. The exhibition is on display in the lobby of Boston University Wheelock College of Education and Human Development (2 Silber Way) through Spring 2026.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"drawing<\/p>\n

The Charm of the Chapel: Celebrating 75 Years of Marsh Chapel at the Center of Boston University<\/h3>\n

It has been said that \u201cthe function of art is (1) to teach us to see; (2) to teach us what to see; and (3) to teach us to see more than we see.\u201d\u202f This Chapel is art at its highest, – art expressed in architecture, in painting, in sculpture, in stained glass, in line and form, in curve and color.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

These words, taken from a prayer recited by Daniel L. Marsh at the dedication of Boston University\u2019s Marsh Chapel in 1950, highlight the charm of the Chapel and its importance as the centerpiece of the University. Designed to act as \u201cthe heart of Boston University,\u201d Marsh Chapel has been the defining landmark on BU\u2019s Charles River Campus, and the Chapel, along with its plaza, has been at the center of many era-defining events in the University\u2019s history.<\/p>\n

As Marsh Chapel celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2025, this small exhibition examines the Chapel\u2019s illustrious history, and focuses on the building’s architecture, the symbolism of its details and designs, and the outstanding work done by the Chapel\u2019s staff over the years. The exhibition features reproductions of architectural plans, promotional brochures, event flyers, photographs and archival documents highlighting Marsh Chapel\u2019s 75 years of excellence and outreach across both the BU Campus and the city of Boston. The exhibition is on display in Marsh Chapel (735 Commonwealth Ave.) through the Spring 2026.<\/p>\n

Learn more about additional events<\/a>celebrating Marsh Chapel\u2019s 75th anniversary.<\/p>\n

\"photograph<\/p>\n

Howard and Sue Bailey Thurman: Cultivating Experiences of Unity<\/h3>\n

This exhibition showcases Howard and Sue Bailey Thurman\u2019s commitment to building the beloved community and implementing their enduring ethic of love in the real world. The Thurmans envisioned a shared life that transcends boundaries of race, culture, and creed, urging communities to cultivate experiences of unity that honor differences without erasing them.<\/p>\n

This exhibition features reproductions of material directly pulled from their archives held in the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center at Boston University Libraries. The materials showcase these themes in both theory and in action through book and sermon drafts, articles, correspondence, and photographs. The exhibition highlights their educational careers, their theological work, their social activism, their community outreach, as well as their influence mentorship of the next generation of social, political, and theological leaders. The exhibition also focuses on Dr. Thurman\u2019s views on mysticism and his ideals of emphasizing a conscious, direct experience of God within the “divine common ground” of all life.<\/p>\n

Howard and Sue Bailey Thurman: Cultivating Experiences of Unity exhibition is in support of the BU Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground<\/a>\u2019s Howard and Sue Bailey Thurman Speaker Series. The exhibition is on display at the Howard Thurman Center (808 Commonwealth Ave.) through the Spring 2026 semester.<\/p>\n

\"students<\/p>\n

Martin Luther King, Jr. Reading Room<\/h3>\n

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Reading Room offers all visitors access to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.\u2019s papers on view in a permanent exhibition. The exhibition provides an intimate view of Dr. King\u2019s time at the University, and his leadership of the nonviolent Civil Rights Movement for racial equality in the United States through photographs, handwritten letters and other materials in his papers.<\/p>\n

Visitors can find the reading room on the 3rd floor of Mugar Memorial Library<\/a> during the library’s open hours<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n

Past Exhibitions<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Textiles Tell Stories:\u202fExploring the African Studies Library Collection<\/h3>\n

Textiles are some of the building blocks of everyday life. But textiles are so much more than just material\u2014textiles tell stories and offer ways of understanding how people saw the world at an exact moment in time. Textiles play an important role for those living in Africa and its diasporas by commemorating major historical events, reflecting social status, and offering a glimpse into the diversity of African life.\u00a0 This exhibition, showcasing the textiles held in the African Studies Library, provides an overview of how symbolic, political, and ceremonial textiles have been used in Africa and how they continue to have significance today.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"textiles<\/p>\n

Textiles Tell OUR Stories: Celebrating the BU Community<\/h3>\n

Textiles Tell OUR Stories: Celebrating the BU Community<\/em>\u00a0displays garments and cloths contributed by BU students, faculty, and staff and describes in their own words the significance that these garments hold for them. This community exhibition complements the BU Libraries Special Collections exhibition\u00a0Textiles Tell Stories: Exploring the African Studies Library Collection. <\/em><\/p>\n

\"digitized<\/p>\n

The Best of Times, the Worst of Times: The Victorian Age from Charles Dickens to Penny Dreadfuls<\/h3>\n

The Victorian Era (1827-1901) was an age of paradoxes: revolutionary technology alongside prudish conservatism, progressive social reforms and brutal colonialism, a mingling of highbrow and lowbrow \u2014 in short, the creation of modern culture. This exhibition draws from the holdings of the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center at the BU Libraries to illustrate a range of literature from the Victorian Era, showcasing original manuscripts and letters from authors, poets, and playwrights, including Charles Dickens, Eliabeth Barrett Browning, Oscar Wilde, Thomas Hardy, Rudyard Kipling, Thomas de Quincey, and others, as well as some 19th century serialized penny dreadfuls. Also represented is correspondence from Florence Nightingale, social reformer and founder of modern nursing; colonial administrator Lucas White King; and Queen Victoria herself.<\/p>\n

This exhibition has been created as part of the 30th Annual Charles Dickens Society Symposium hosted by the Center for Interdisciplinary Teaching & Learning, the College of General Studies, and Boston University.<\/p>\n

\"poster<\/p>\n

The Work of Trailblazers and Pioneers Through Their Archives<\/h3>\n

Black media professionals have broken barriers in the fields of journalism, public relations, marketing, advertising, and more. This exhibition showcases a selection of the work of Black media trailblazers and pioneers who not only covered important political and social issues and led creative campaigns, but also advanced civil rights and influenced art and culture. Highlighted in the exhibition is cartoonist and jazz critic E. Simms Campbell<\/strong>; publisher and activist William Monroe Trotter<\/strong>; journalist, author, and editor Alex Poinsett<\/strong>; and reporter, columnist, editor, author, and educator Dorothy Butler Gilliam<\/strong>. Curated in support of the College of Communication\u2019s Black Media: Pioneers Then and Now <\/em><\/strong><\/a>symposium at the Howard Thurman Center.<\/p>\n

\"historical<\/p>\n

Renaming Myles Standish Hall<\/h3>\n

The Myles Standish Hotel, at the corner of Beacon Street and Bay State Road in Kenmore Square, served as a hotel and then luxury apartment building before being bought by Boston University in 1949 to be a dormitory. Myles Standish Hall would serve as the name of the building for the next 60-plus years until advocacy efforts by students, faculty, and local tribal members, led the Boston University\u2019s Board of Trustees to approve its name change. Drawing on the university archives and rare books collection, this exhibition looked at what we know about the building and its place at BU.<\/p>\n

This exhibition was an invitation to \u201cLearn More\u201d and was prepared in collaboration with the\u00a0<\/span>BU Diversity & Inclusion\u2019s Learn More Series 2024\u201325 annual theme: Indigenous Identities and Experiences<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"promotional<\/p>\n

1963 Exhibition<\/h3>\n

With materials from some of the most prominent names in journalism; civil rights; film & television; literature and genre fiction; and poetry, this exhibition explores the events and upheavals of the year 1963. The exhibition places a spotlight on the Birmingham campaign, the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, and the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, while weaving through cultural, artistic, and historical connections.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"promotional<\/p>\n

CAS150: 1873-2023 Exhibition<\/h3>\n

Drawn from the Boston University Archives at Boston University Libraries\u2019 Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center, the CAS150 exhibition features images and historical material chronicling the founding, history, and student and academic life of the College of Arts & Sciences, BU\u2019s largest college.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Current Exhibitions Orbiting the Archives:\u202fSpace, Science, and Imagination in Boston University\u2019s Archival Collections Orbital by Samantha Harvey, Boston University\u2019s inaugural\u202fCommon Read\u202fselection, envisions a single day on the International Space Station,\u202fwhere six astronauts grapple with\u202fissues ranging from the\u202fpersonal to the planetary. Though set in space,\u202fOrbital\u202fis decidedly realistic, pondering our planet viewed from the\u202fperspective of astronauts working […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1301,"featured_media":0,"parent":19,"menu_order":5,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/49"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1301"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/49\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4531,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/49\/revisions\/4531"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/19"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}