University of Pittsburgh Library System

Have you ever thought about the relationship between art and archives? Throughout Fall 2024, students in Sean Morrissey’s Art + Archives (ARTS 1800) course will explore theories, histories, and the future of archives alongside contemporary visual artists who use archival materials to inform their work. Students will examine institutional, independent, and personal archives, with a special focus on Archives & Special Collections at the University of Pittsburgh Library System to generate research-informed studio projects.

Late playwright and Pittsburgh native son August Wilson is best known for his unprecedented American Century Cycle- ten plays that convey the Black experience in each decade of the 20th Century. Materials on display in this exhibit will rotate periodically to showcase the breadth of the August Wilson Archive.

This exhibition takes you on a journey through the rich and diverse traditions of East Asian bookmaking. Explore a captivating collection of artifacts from China and Japan that showcase the intricate craftsmanship and innovative techniques behind East Asian texts from the 12th to the 20th century.

Curated by Runxiao Zhu, Head of the East Asian Library, and Hiroyuki Good, Japanese Studies Librarian.

Through materials largely from the Elizabeth Nesbitt Collection at the University of Pittsburgh Library System, this exhibit explores the role of dolls, action figures, or related materials on childhood play from the 19th through the 21st century. To consider dolls and the play they promote is an opportunity to witness and investigate culture writ large.

Curated by Clare Withers, Elizabeth Nesbitt Collection Curator with contributions by Pitt teaching faculty members and graduate students: Hebah Uddin, Courtney Weikle-Mills, Alonna Carter-Donaldson, Gabriela Lee, Lidong Xiang, Laura Lovett.

Each year, Archives & Special Collections adds hundreds of rare books, newspapers, manuscripts, and audio and video recordings to its collections. Our staff of librarians and archivists use their expertise to identify materials for sale at bookstores and auction houses specializing in rare and special materials. They also develop and maintain relationships with a variety of people and organizations who may wish to donate materials, such as writers and artists, Pitt-affiliated clubs, and local community members.

We add to our collections in order to support Pitt and Pittsburgh communities in addition to a growing national and international community of researchers. New (to us) materials enhance existing collecting areas, such as local history or horror studies; fill collecting gaps, such as women in the history of science and medicine; and support emerging or popular areas of research.

The items on display were acquired since 2022.

Curated by Megan Massanelli, Archives & Special Collections Engagement & Outreach Librarian; Rachel Lavenda, Rare Books Librarian; and Eva Philips, Archives & Special Collections Assistant

Explore the deep symbolism of animals in Chinese culture, from ancient beliefs to modern conservation efforts. Through prints, postage stamps, and art objects, this exhibition showcases how animals have been revered, protected, and symbolized throughout Chinese history.

Curated by Shuyang Shi, PhD student, Department of History, University of Pittsburgh and Runxiao Zhu, Head of the East Asian Library 

While it is common to differentiate artworks from archival materials and rare books, these categories don’t always do justice to the qualities, both visual and historical, of collections. What differentiates a museum’s collection from an archive’s? The question of which objects are given to museums, and which are given to the archive is an interesting, and in some ways, determinative one. To some, an object’s placement in the archive marks it as “not art”—or else, wouldn’t it be in a museum? In this display, we present several objects from the archives for you to consider. The quality of being “art” is a subjective one.

Curated by Caillie Williams Kracht, University of Pittsburgh History of Art and Architecture & Museum Studies Undergraduate, Archives & Special Collections Fall 2024 intern; Anaïs Grateau, Preservation Coordinator for Archives & Special Collections; and Megan Massanelli, Archives & Special Collections Engagement and Outreach Librarian

Selections from the George A. Romero Archival Collection features props, publicity, and production materials from across the career of George A. Romero, an independent horror filmmaker best known for Night of the Living Dead. Materials document both some of his most famous films as well as unrealized projects. Materials from the Horror Scripts and Ephemera Collection, Joe Kane “Phantom of the Movies” Collection, and periodicals collection are also on display.

Thanks to the generous donation of Pitt alumni Barry and Elizabeth Rosensteel, this collection is now home to 300 Ukiyo-e woodblock prints. This exhibit presents a series of prints by famous Edo period artists such as Utagawa, Ichirakutei, Katsukawa, and Totoya depicting portraits of Kabuki actors (yakusha-e) and women (bijinga). It also includes a set of privately published prints (sumimono), which were popular among wealthy merchants.

Ukiyo-e is an art form that originated in Japan in the mid-17th century. As the Tokugawa Shogunate unified the nation and Edo (Tokyo) enjoyed stable development, the notion of "ukiyo = hedonistic lifestyle" began to spread among wealthy merchants. As a sign of acceptance of society and customs, the spread of this hedonistic ethos had a significant impact on Edo culture. Edo artists widely adopted ukiyo-e and its style. It became an important trend in image production, such as theater posters and portraits of popular actors or women. This exhibition will show the evolution of ukiyo-e with a focus on these early and rare prints, which have been recently added to the Barry Rosensteel Japanese Print Collection.

Curated by Hiroyuki Good, Japanese Studies Librarian.

This is a work of cultural and spatial studies; visit the living map at https://arcg.is/0STDvH. View this exhibit in the mindset of Dr. Kimberly C. Ellis: "Our places are important to us because they are what we have, at any given time, as human beings grappling with meaning for ourselves, our lives, and each other. We build community with our wants, our needs, and our imaginations." (August Wilson: Pittsburgh Places in His Life and Plays, eds. Laurence A. Glasco and Christopher Rawson, xiii).

This exhibit shows the interconnections between ULS's archival holdings and rare and unique collections. Selected categories represent the ways that different holdings interact with the horror genre. The examples here are particularly interesting for their visual interpretations of textual work, but also include hidden histories and treasures available to explore with ULS!

This exhibit introduces woodblock prints by Tsukioka Kōgyo (1869-1927), who was an outstanding modern graphic artist of the Noh and Kyōgen theatres, found in our special collections. Noh and Kyōgen, originating in the fourteenth century, were associated with samurai culture. Users can explore Kōgyo's prints depicting different scenes from the same Noh plays by interacting with the digital wall.

“The copycats make money, but they’re not the ones making their own vistas,” Sam Rivers said in a 1999 interview. “I’m into making vistas.”

This exhibit chronologically documents some of the major moments in Samuel Carthorne Rivers' (1927-2011) life and career, using his own words and quotes from those who knew him best. These come from from interviews in a variety of sources documented in Rick Lopez's book The Sam Rivers Sessionography. Images from the Sam Rivers Archive at the University of Pittsburgh are also featured.

Curated by Kathryn Haines, Center for American Music

The Cathedral of Learning has captivated the Pitt community from its inception and has become a focal point of university and student activity. This exhibit highlights some of the building's milestones.

In this exhibit you will learn about selected Grimm Fairytales and how they reflect folkloric beliefs, as well as societal values. You will learn about the interconnection between fiber arts and oral storytelling. Special focus is given to how changes occur in iterations and repetitions of a story, estranging it from itself. The research process was accompanied by the production of original art—I created illustrations to reflect my research. The exhibit highlights holdings from A&SC along with my own work.