On March 12, Sylvia Tongyan Qiu, a first-year Ph.D. student in Art History at UCLA delivered an online lecture as the recipient of the 2023–24 Kenneth Karmiole Endowed Graduate Research Fellowship. The lecture delved into the intersection of early modern diplomatic literature and the European representation of Chinese architecture. In her lecture, Qiu explored the journeys of European ambassadors…
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On February 21, Joseph Bristow, Distinguished Professor of English at UCLA and renowned Wilde scholar, presented a wonderfully illuminating exploratory public lecture, using documentary evidence (including letters, bills, invoices, and personal accounts) to elucidate the circumstances surrounding the final days and hours leading to Oscar Wilde’s untimely death from encephalomeningitis at the age of forty-six….
Read MoreProjects using the resources from the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library can receive a cash prize of $700. Two new prizes this year recognize projects completed by a first-year freshman and for the Cluster Program. Please submit your applications by March 27. If you need assistance with your application materials or have questions, please send an…
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On Saturday, February 3, 2024, the Clark Library held a film screening of Linda Hoaglund’s film, Edo Avant Garde. The screening was followed by a Q&A and reception with the filmmaker, which allowed viewers to explore their thoughts after unfolding Edo Art. Kristopher Kersey arranged this special viewing in conjunction with the Center & Clark’s 2023-24 Core…
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On February 2, 2024, the scholarly conference “Eco Edo: Ecological Perspectives on Early Modern Japanese Art” was held, serving as a pivotal second event in the “Open Edo: Diverse, Ecological, and Global Perspectives on Japanese Art, 1603–1868” series, organized by the Center for 17th- & 18th-Century Studies. This year-long 2023-24 Core Program brought together six…
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Oscar Wilde’s life has been examined in minute detail in numerous biographies and countless articles. But the details of his death have been widely misunderstood, according to UCLA’s Joseph Bristow. Bristow, a distinguished professor of English and leading scholar on Wilde, will help set the record straight in a free lecture at UCLA’s William Andrews…
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This year’s Stephen A. Kanter Lecture on California Fine Printing lecture was presented by Tia Blassingame (Book/Print Artist, Scholar of Color Collective, Scripps College). Tia’s art and collaborations uncover histories for nuance discussions on issues of race and racism. She discussed her research, collaborations, and artistic process. A special collection of her work was on display…
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The Clark Library was featured in the Fall 2023 issue of UCLA magazine. Multiple photos of the Clark Library can be seen throughout this issue. On page 4, in the table of contents, is a photo of the vestibule ceiling. Page 11, under “Bruinology” is a lovely photo of the North Book Room as Arie…
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Erin Severson, UCLA Ph.D. student and former student library assistant at the Clark Library, was one of the winners of this year’s David Ruggles Prize in Book Collecting. Erin was featured in Fine Books and Collections’ “Bright Young Collectors” series (November 2023): https://www.finebooksmagazine.com/fine-books-news/david-ruggles-prizewinner-erin-severson-collecting-18th-century-and-odd-volumes
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On December 1 and 2, 2023, scholars from various disciplines convened at a two-day conference titled “Converting Natural Resources: Representations, Performances, Narratives,” hosted by the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library in Los Angeles. This gathering, building upon discussions initiated at the Renaissance Society of America meetings in Dublin in 2022 and San Juan in 2023…
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Dr. Marissa Nicosia recently spoke at the Clark on manuscript recipe books and their connection to Early Modern English literature, as well as how she adapts the recipes for modern kitchens. She walked the audience through some contemporary recipe-book history, telling listeners about the connectedness of food and medicine, the practice of sending recipes in…
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On November 15, 2023, I had the pleasure of being in attendance at Arthur L. Little, Jr.’s “Citing Race and Seeing Death in Shakespeare,” the inaugural talk in The Clark Memorial Library’s Spotlight Talk series. Dr. Little’s presentation, which begins with Ben Jonson’s reading of Shakespeare in the First Folio and concludes with a careful…
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In what was no doubt a particularly laborious act of diplomacy, representatives from the Netherlands sent three gargantuan lanterns to Japan as diplomatic gifts during the Edo period (1603-1868). Unbeknownst to the Dutch, however, the lanterns’ true provenance was later altered to further enhance the objects as markers of shogunal authority and prestige. One of…
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“A library is a focal point, a sacred place to a community; and its sacredness is its accessibility, its publicness,” author Ursula K. Le Guin famously said. “It’s everybody’s place.” To celebrate one such world-class resource, the UCLA William Andrews Clark Memorial Library held its annual open house and adopt-a-book fair Oct. 7, inspiring more…
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I write with sad news. Our dear colleague and friend Mary Terrall, Professor of History Emerita, passed away on September 11, 2023. Mary was a brilliant historian of science and a beautifully literary writer, whose work, teeming with the richly observed and vibrant detail with which her subjects imagined the natural world, transformed our understanding…
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We are pleased to welcome Juliette Wise, the Center & Clark’s new Financial Analyst, to our team. As a graduate of the University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB) with a B.A. in English and a specialization in early modern literature, Juliette’s academic interests are perfectly aligned with the Center and Clark Library’s programs. Juliette began…
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Please join us in welcoming Laura Clennon, the Center & Clark’s new Chief Administrative Officer and Assistant Director. Laura has worked at UCLA in various capacities for the past 17 years and is eager to immerse herself in all things Center & Clark. Laura began her academic career as a Ph.D. candidate in Comparative Literature…
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In March, Rebecca Fenning Marschall, Nina Schneider, Anna Chen, and Oakland University (OU) librarians Emily Spunaugle and Molly McGuire organized a two-day joint conference, “Item Not Found: Accounting for Loss in Libraries, Archives, and Other Heritage and Memory Organizations.” The conference was anchored by keynote speakers Tamar Evangelestia-Dougherty, T-Kay Sangwand, and Gabriel Solís, and featured…
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On Saturday, July 22, the Clark Library held “Regency Fun and Fanfare: A Workshop on Jane Austen and the Art of the Conversation Fan.” Participants enjoyed discovering the fascinating history and artistry of Regency-era fans in this interactive workshop led by Dr. Leigh-Michil George. Dr. George took inspiration from the charades in Austen’s Emma and…
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The leaf of a late eighteenth-century folding fan held at the Clark Library titled General Idea of Sciences lists, as its final item, “Economy: Informs us how to regulate our expences & is always commendable.” “Architecture,” meanwhile, “Is the Art of Building with Taste and Solidity.” Delegating only two branches of the Vitruvian triad to…
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