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Past Exhibits

  • Green outline of the Wren Building on a lighter green background

    Founders

    The People Behind W&M

    On Display: February 12 - March 11, 2018

    Location: Swem Lobby Exhibit Case

    This year’s Charter Day marked the 325th anniversary of the founding of William & Mary by William III and Mary II, the first and (to date) only joint-monarchs in British history. An exhibition in the…

  • Vintage illustration of a rhinoceros with patterned skin on textured paper.

    The World in a Book

    Travel for Curiosity, Adventure, and Profit in Early Modern Europe

    On Display: June 21, 2017 - February 25, 2018

    Location: Special Collections Lobby

    This exhibition shows only a sampling of the travel books in Swem Library’s Special Collections at William & Mary. The works on display describe the world in words but also with maps and…

  • Illustration of a gingerbread house with "Twas the Night Before Christmas" text on a night background.

    Twas the Night Before Christmas

    The Nancy H. Marshall "A Visit from St. Nicholas" Collection of Clement Clark Moore's Immortal Poem

    On Display: December 1, 2017 - January 2, 2018

    Location: Read & Relax

    Drawing inspiration from Moore’s words, “The children were nestled all snug in their beds, / While visions of sugarplums danced in their heads,” the focus of this year’s exhibit is the food culture…

  • Black Chinese character on a dark red background

    情趣与精神 / Sentiment and Spirit

    Expressions through Ink and Brush

    On Display: October 17 - December 22, 2017

    Location: Read & Relax

    This exhibit features student artwork from Chinese calligraphy courses taught at William & Mary in MLL's Chinese Studies Program.

  • A whimsical pattern featuring a cartoon owl, flowers, leaves, and abstract shapes in pastel colors.

    Between the Pages

    Found at Swem

    On Display: November 3 - 30, 2017

    Location: Swem Lobby Exhibit Case

    This collection features objects that our patrons left behind in library books or around the building. Many were not exactly lost but rather forgotten; others may have been more purposely left behind.

  • A close-up of a cream-colored dog with curly fur looking at the camera.

    Magical Creatures & the Staff Who Keep Them

    On Display: June 16 - September 17, 2017

    Location: Botetourt Gallery

    The verdict is in: We love our pets! Staff at Swem Library and affiliated organizations have submitted images and videos of their beloved pets. We hope you enjoy our companions as much as we do.

  • Two pugs wearing gold collars sitting in front of a Christmas tree.

    Pugs, People, and the Peter Chapin Collection

    On Display: December 22, 2016 - September 10, 2017

    Location: Marshall Gallery, 1st Floor Rotunda

    Special Collections highlights the contributions of pug-enthusiast donors to our collection of dog-related materials, which range from books and representations in popular culture to ephemera and…

  • Fact & Fantasy

    Selected Costume History Books, 1804-1936

    On Display: June 20, 2016 - July 11, 2017

    Location: 3rd Floor Rotunda Gallery

    The costume history books represented in this exhibit were intended to give mostly French and English audiences a view—through the lens of costume—into the lives of peoples and places near and far,…

  • Four framed pictures with descriptive texts hanging on a brick wall.

    Hidden Virginia History

    The Connection Between the Buffalo Soldiers and the Philippines

    On Display: February 13 - May 15, 2017

    Location: Botetourt Gallery

    Between 1899 and 1902 the United States engaged in a war of imperialism in the Philippines. African-American soldiers were expected to "take up the white man's burden" during this war for a country…

  • A man and a woman in sports attire using a piece of gym equipment.

    Scholarship on Display: Kinesiology and Health Sciences

    On Display: November 4, 2016 - May 14, 2017

    Location: Swem Entrance Gallery

    Scholarship On Display, located in Swem Library’s lobby, features publications and research from current faculty members in the Kinesiology & Health Sciences Department. 

  • Partial sketch of a person with a colored geometric overlay on a textured background.

    Written in Confidence

    The Unpublished Letters of James Monroe

    On Display: February 11 - May 14, 2017

    Location: Muscarelle Museum of Art

    William & Mary Libraries’ Special Collections Research Center recently acquired 30 unpublished letters related to James Monroe, one of the university's most famous alumni. Revealing new pieces of…

  • Map of Good Vibes

    Student Portraiture by Aaron Bayles '17

    On Display: April 5 - May 7, 2017

    Location: Botetourt Gallery

    Aaron Bayles '17 explores the connections that people create with locations around them and how we project positive emotions ("good vibes") onto these physical places through portraits of students in…

  • A cartoon drawing of two donut characters with stick-figure legs. The left donut has pink frosting and a swirl design, while the right donut has brown frosting.

    Queer Comics

    On Display: January 27 - February 28, 2017

    Location: Read & Relax

    Wonderfully smart and insightful, and at times sad and painful, the queer comics on display in this exhibit were completed as part of a class assignment for Queer Comics (GSWS 290) in Fall 2016.

  • This Just In

    New Acquisitions at Special Collections

    On Display: August 31, 2016 - February 28, 2017

    Location: Special Collections Lobby

    The Special Collections Research Center regularly acquires new materials for our University Archives, Manuscript, and Rare Book collections to provide valuable learning and research opportunities to…

  • Abstract yellow and orange silhouette of a person with overlayed cursive text and skull and gun icons on an olive background.

    UnMade in Cuba

    Carteles de Cine

    On Display: February 5, 2016 - January 31, 2017

    UnMade in Cuba is brought to you by W&M Libraries in partnership with the New Media Workshop, co-taught by Professor Ann Marie Stock (Hispanic Studies, Film and Media Studies) and Troy Davis …

  • An artistic depiction of a bearded man in a festive hat smoking a pipe, with abstract patterns.

    ‘Twas the Night before Christmas

    The Nancy H. Marshall “A Visit from St. Nicholas” Collection

    On Display: December 6, 2016 - January 15, 2017

    Location: Read & Relax

    Continuing our annual tradition of showcasing the books, this year’s exhibit reflects on the enduring popularity of Moore’s poem through its visual and narrative structure.

  • Vintage botanical illustration of a flowering plant with green leaves on a beige background.

    Exceptional in Any Age

    On Display: April 26 - December 11, 2016

    Location: Marshall Gallery, 1st Floor Rotunda

    By considering Lady Skipwith’s ownership of books, how her library differed from those of men, and what it allowed her to do, we gain some insight into the intellectual life of elite women during an…

  • Black Chinese character on a dark red background

    情趣与精神 / Sentiment and Spirit

    On Display: August 4 - November 30, 2016

    Location: Read & Relax

    This exhibit features student artwork from Chinese calligraphy courses taught at William & Mary in MLL's Chinese Studies Program.

  • The Cabell Papers

    The Measure of a Family

    On Display: October 21 - November 30, 2016

    Location: Read & Relax

    The Cabell Family Papers in Swem’s Special Collections Research Center include correspondence, publications, genealogical records, literary manuscripts, accounts and land transactions, dating from…

  • Vintage illustration of a modernist building.

    Swem Library Celebrates 50 Years

    On Display: August 29 - November 2, 2016

    Location: Swem Entrance Gallery

    This year, William & Mary’s Earl Gregg Swem Library marks its 50th birthday. Taken from the University Archives Photograph Collection, the images in this exhibit show the planning, construction, and…