Special Collections and Archive

Exhibition Schedule

October 3-November 18, 2011

Underground Publishing in Communist Poland,
1976-1989 from the Collection of Gwido Zlatkes
&
Liberature Publications

September 19-28, 2011

"Lead, Educate, Inspire:
The Presidents of Mills College"

This exhibition features photographs, manuscripts, and other materials from the Mills College Archive that document the history of the thirteen presidents of Mills College.

January 31-March 17, 2011

Women's Studio Workshop Artists' Books:
17 Books From the Collection of the F. W. Olin Library

March 8-May 28, 2010

"A Fish Pierced the Moon:
Visual Poetry from Catalonia"

Books and ephemera from the collection of Professor Carlota Caulfield (Mills College Spanish and Spanish American Studies Program). Poets and artists J. M. Calleja, Xavier Canals, Carme Riera, and Gustavo Vega are featured.

January-February 2010

New Acquisitions in Special Collections

November 9-December 9, 2009

"Looking Bookward:
Graduate Students Explore Book Art at Mills College"

Exhibition Opening and Panel Discussion with Julie Chen, Lara Durback, Ruth McGurk, Matt Runkle, and Dorothy Yule. Sunday, November 15, 2009
2 pm
A reception will follow.

October 1-23, 2009

Book and Manuscripts from the Albert M. Bender Collection of Mills College:
A Recreation of a 1937 Catalog

Summer 2009

"A is for Alphabet Books: A to Z"

March 16-May 22, 2009

"The Book Art of Edward Gorey"
From the collection of Malcolm & Karen Whyte

Reception & talk by Malcolm Whyte
Sunday, April 26, 2009, 2 pm
Heller Rare Book Room, F. W. Olin Library
Sponsored by the Mills College Center for the Book

January 21-February 27, 2009

"Far & Wide:
Fine Press & Artist's Books From
Europe, Asia, & North America"

October 27-December 12, 2008

Opening reception:
Saturday, November 8, 2008, 2 pm
Heller Rare Book Room, F. W. Olin Library

"Robins: a Ten-Year Celebration of
Friends & Calligraphic Books"

This exhibition features over 40 calligraphic books.  The Robins, working with six members at a time, have created a joint collection of artists' books. The group's name refers to their method of passing each book, round-robin style, from hand to hand to completion.

August 25-October 3, 2008

"Books Under Fire"

This exhibition gives an overview of challenged and banned books. First editions of James Joyce's Ulysses and Allen Ginsberg's Howl are featured along with some of the most challenged books of the 21st century. Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read is September 27-October 4, 2008. 

March 16-May 31, 2008

"Celebrating the Cultural Landscape Heritage of Mills College: Using the Past to Inform Campus Planning and Design"

This exhibition features archival photographs and original artwork from the book Celebrating the Cultural Landscape Heritage of Mills College published in 2008 by the Mills College Center for the Book and funded in part by a grant from the Getty Foundation.  

January 22-March 7, 2008
never mind the press:
25 Years of Book Art by Alisa Golden

There will be a talk by Alisa Golden entitled, "Where Do {Artist} Books Fit In?" on Sunday, February 10, 2008 at 2 p.m. in the Heller Rare Book Room, F. W. Olin Library. A reception will follow.

August 22-December 14, 2007
"Milhaud at Mills"

Highlights from the F.W. Olin Library's Darius Milhaud Collection in commemoration of the composer's 115th birthday. Work from some of Milhaud's students is also featured.

April 16-July 13, 2007
"All the Arts Know Albert Bender":
Highlights from the Albert M. Bender Papers

February 1–March 16, 2007
"Synesthesia: Selections from Granary Books,
1987–2006"
exhibition reception and lecture information

March 28–May 30, 2005
Julie Chen:
The Bookworks of Flying Fish Press
(exhibition opening information)

Spring 2004
Precious Playthings: Black Paper Dolls, 1885–2003.
From the collection of Arabella Grayson (MA Mills 1996).

Sounding Joe Catalano. Celebrating the acquisition of an archive.

Fall 2003
Walter Crane (1845–1915): Artist & Writer…. Works from the F. W. Olin Library.

Albrecht Dürer. Prints from the Mills College Art Museum. (October 2003, in the Heller Rare Book Room.)

Spring/Summer 2003
Recent Acquisitions of Arts’ Books.

Winter/Spring 2003
Many Roads: 150 Years of Mills College. At the Mills College Art Museum.

Works in Progress. Recent work by the Book Arts Program Teaching Assistants.

2002
Emma Nevada, Opera Singer
Mills College Class of 1876: “The Mockingbird of Mills; The Miners’ Canary; The Comstock Nightingale; The Empress of Treasure Island”

Extraordinary Books: The integration of structure and content in modern artists’ books.
Examples from the collection of the F. W. Olin Library.

The Mills College Special Collections Department mounts exhibitions that change three to five times during the course of the year. Frequently, there are special events such as receptions, guests, and lectures associated with exhibitions. Exhibitions feature books, archives, and other materials from Special Collections, as well as materials borrowed from other institutions, on occasion. The main cases are located outside the entrance to the Heller Rare Book Room. There is additional exhibition space in the Heller Rare Book Room.