This past month I had the pleasure of attending the MISHA Summer Seminar at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in Rochester, NY. MISHA stands for Multispectral Imaging for Cultural Heritage Artifacts. This technology has the ability to image in 16 bands of light including wavelengths that are visible and some invisible to the human eye….

On Wednesday, July 8, 2026, members of the Book Club of California visited the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library for a private tour and luncheon. Nina Schneider, Rare Books Librarian and member of the book club, welcomed our guests at the entrance of the Library and provided historical background on William Andrews Clark Jr. and…

Johanna Drucker, a distinguished research professor emerita in the UCLA department of information Studies and Center & Clark Core Faculty member, has created a striking new interpretation of the Declaration of Independence for the nation’s 250th anniversary. The UCLA Newsroom featured the story in their weekend edition on July 3, 2026. Commissioned by the American…

On June 9, 2026, the Clark Library hosted Oscar Wilde: Gowns in Miniature, an event recognizing the accomplishments of UCLA MFA costume design students enrolled in Museum Masterworks, a class taught by Oscar-winning costume designer and Distinguished Professor Deborah Nadoolman Landis. This event celebrated Oscar Wilde, the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, and The David…

On May 31, 2026, the UCLA Early Music Ensemble, under the direction of Dr. Marylin Winkle, and joined by renowned vielle player Shira Kammen, presented a delightful performance of Adam de la Halle’s thirteenth-century pastoral play with music, Le Jeu de Robin et Marion (The Play of Robin and Marion), considered by some to be…

Friday, May 8, was the final conference in the Clark Library 2025-26 Core Program Strange Synchronicities and Familiar Parallels in Asia, 1600–1800: Joseph Fletcher’s Plane Ride Revisited. This third conference, Empires of Things, explored how objects, commodities, infrastructures, and embodied practices shaped early modern Asian empires and their interconnections. Scholars of the Ottoman, Mughal, Qing,…

Every summer we eagerly look forward to the Henry J. Bruman Summer Chamber Music Festival, curated by our remarkable Artistic Director, violinist Ambroise Aubrun, D.M.A. Mark your calendar now for this summer’s festival dates and learn more about each ensemble and their programs on our website. Arcana Nomadica Tuesday, July 28 from 12:00–1:00 p.m. 2×3:…

As my time as Instruction and Engagement Fellow comes to a close, it is hard not to feel a little melancholic. Being given the opportunity to work at the Clark in this capacity has completely changed my final year in graduate school for the better. When I approached this fellowship in September, I was not…

Our very famous Oscar Wilde portrait traveled to Basel, Switzerland in February to be a part of the exhibition, The First Homosexuals: The Birth of New Identities 1869–1939, at the Kunstmuseum Basel, after a very successful first iteration in Chicago in 2025. The Kunstmuseum exhibition closes August 2, 2026. The painting itself is one of…

On April 13, the Clark hosted Merlin Holland for a conversation on his recent book After Oscar, an account of the many truths, untruths, and stories surrounding the afterlife and legacy of his grandfather, Oscar Wilde. Holland has been a guest and researcher at the Clark many times, and we were pleased to have him…

On April 10, 2026, UCLA’s Clark Library hosted a conference on “The Meaning of the American Revolution.” Scholars from various universities shared their interpretations and understanding of the Revolution and examined how the Revolution continues to shape and divide interpretations of American history. Dr. Johann Neem, from Western Washington University, challenged the understanding of the…

The Center and Clark thank the following for their generous support during 2025–2026: Major Supporters The Ahmanson Foundation Catherine G. Benkaim and Barbara A. Timmer Legacy Fund Frances L. Brody* Garden Endowment at The Clark Memorial Library Henry J. Bruman* Endowments for Chamber Music at the Clark and Summer Chamber Music Festival Dr. Paul L….

My dissertation, “Georgic Ecologies: Nature, Poetry, and Ideology in an Age of Improvement,” addresses changing eighteenth-century concepts of nature and critically appraises the period’s dominant ideological program of scientific “improvement.” In early eighteenth-century Britain, broadly accepted notions of “nature” as a divinely created providential order increasingly came under pressure from newer scientific, economic, and technological…

CBS LA’s “Look at This!” segment recently offered viewers a two-minute history—and a bird’s-eye view—of the world-renowned William Andrews Clark Memorial Library. Sean Brenner, Director of Strategic Communications for the UCLA College of Humanities, shared the following on the Humanities website. In a recurring CBS LA news segment, reporter Desmond Shaw presents aerial views and…

We are saddened to share the news that former librarian and Head of Reader Services, Carol Sommer, died unexpectedly on Sunday, February 8th. Carol was at the Clark Library for almost 30 years, working in a variety of roles including cataloging, preservation, archival processing, and reader services before retiring in 2011. Born and raised in San…

Another new initiative this year is the inaugural Ahmanson Lecture on Clark Library Legacies: Landscape and Legacy, a program centered on the Clark grounds and their future. This new lecture series brings conversations around landscape design, environmental humanities, and conservation and stewardship into our regular programming. Presented in recognition of Lee Walcott, whose enduring support…

Johan Nieuhof’s (1618-1672) promising career as a merchant with the Dutch East India Company (VOC) was upended in 1665 when he was accused of mismanaging the Company’s pearl fishery in Tuticorin (Thoothukudi, India). Arrested and tried in Colombo, he was convicted and moved to Batavia (Jakarta, Indonesia) in 1667, where he spent three years appealing…

On March 6, 2026, I attended the second meeting in this year’s workshop series, Empires in Practice, following Empires of Thought in December 2025, as part of the Core Program Strange Synchronicities and Familiar Parallels in Asia, 1600–1800. With a third meeting, Empire of Things, planned for May, the series has already exceeded expectations and…

The mainstay of our programming has consisted of string quartets and piano trios, supplemented on occasion by other ensembles and solo artists.  Only once have we presented a vocal recital—and that was nearly thirty years ago, in the first years of the series.  So, we were very excited to present Schubert’s Winterreise song cycle on March 15,…

Dr. Zirwat Chowdhury held an Ahmanson class at the Clark this winter called At Home in 18th —Century London. This class met weekly, at first providing grounding in the topic – with readings, discussions, and sample collection materials – and in the final weeks doing research to put together a proposal for an exhibit for…