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.

Eleonora Duse (b. 1858-d. 1924) is considered one of the early 20th century's preeminent performers. After a long retirement, the Italian actress returned to the stage in 1921 to tour Europe and America. Her April 5th, 1924, performance of Marco Prage’s La Porta Chiusa at Pittsburgh’s Syria Mosque was tragically her final appearance on stage. In the days following, she developed pneumonia and died in her suite at the Schenley Hotel on April 21, 1924. The University of Pittsburgh Library System (ULS) is contributing to several events celebrating this legend of the stage on the centennial of her final performance and passing.

This display features materials from the ULS Archive & Special Collection’s Ford E. and Harriet R. Curtis Theatre Collection.

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.

We might think contemporary fan culture is a unique phenomenon with the creation of social media and the 24-hour news cycle. However, actors, singers, and it-girls have always captured the attention of admirers with passion and fervor. As material goods became mass produced and more accessible after the Industrial Revolution, fans in the 1890s-1920s had a new way of feeling close to their favorite celebrities: collecting them. The average fan could now collect affordable ephemera such as cabinet cards, sheet music, and even cigar boxes with their favorite diva on the front, even if they could not attend every show. This exhibit highlights materials from the Ford E. and Harriet R. Curtis Theatre Collection.

Curated by Victoria LaFave

The Voice of the Adult Student – ASL Alpha Chi: Celebrating 50 Years of Academic Excellence is a digital exhibit tracing the first years of Alpha Chi, the 45th Chapter of the Alpha Sigma Lambda National Honor Society for Non-Traditional and Adult students at Pitt. The exhibit showcases photos, newspaper clippings, and archival documents chronicling events through the 1970s, with special emphasis on the period between 1971-1975.

The exhibit tells the story of the chapter's founding members, highlighting their efforts that led to establishing a strong student cabinet and the Alpha Chi chapter, as well as the many individuals (students, staff, and faculty) who advocated for the non-traditional student at Pitt.

“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 Charles and Frankie Pace Collection documents the careers of a husband-and-wife team who ran one of the earliest and most successful independent Black gospel music publishing businesses. Despite the Paces’ historical significance, only a fraction of their printed music has been preserved. Almost all the music, though, can be recovered from pre-printing materials found in the Pace Collection. A team of artists, librarians, preservation specialists, and student workers is hard at work on this now.

Curated by Chris Lynch, Head of the Finney Music Library

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.