Special Collections Research Center

Dark wood card catalog with one drawer opened
Past Exhibits

Past Exhibits

  • The Nunnally Ichthyology Collection

    Fish Collection at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science

    On Display: October 19 - 29, 2015

    Location: Media Wall Area Near Main Entrance

    Through its 56-year history, the VIMS collection has grown from an uncatalogued teaching collection to one of the largest repositories for freshwater, Chesapeake Bay, and coastal fishes in Virginia.

  • Senior Sketchbook Exhibition

    On Display: September 25 - October 15, 2015

    Location: Media Wall Area Near Main Entrance

    Senior art students in Professor Brian Kreydatus's ART 460 Senior Exhibition course each selected one of their sketches from the summer sketchbook project to be featured in an exhibit in Swem Library.

  • Historic stone house with a modern glass addition and people outside.

    The Menokin Project: Re-imagining a Ruin

    Through Their Eyes: A Photographic Journey

    On Display: May 21 - October 6, 2015

    Location: Botetourt Gallery

    The Menokin Foundation hopes to transform the historic mansion of Francis Lightfoot Lee and 500-acre classroom into an educational and environmental experience like no other. You are invited to step…

  • Scholarship on Display: Economics Department

    On Display: December 1, 2014 - September 30, 2015

    Location: Bright Gallery, 2nd Floor Rotunda

    Scholarship On Display is a rotating exhibit series showcasing faculty work from academic departments at William & Mary. This installment features publications and research from current faculty…

  • Black and white photograph of Louis Draper

    Louis H. Draper

    A glimpse into the world and artistry of the Richmond-born, black photographer

    On Display: February 17 - May 17, 2015

    Location: Swem Lobby

    During Louis H. Draper's photography career, he amassed nearly 1,000 prints and negatives of street photography in Harlem, abstract images, portraits, and photographs of trips to Senegal and the…

  • Antique cannon on wooden carriage standing on green grass.

    The Siege of Petersburg

    The Fall of the “Cockade City” and the End of the Confederacy

    On Display: November 14, 2014 - May 17, 2015

    Location: 1st Floor Rotunda

    As Swem Library wraps up its commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War and the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, it is clear that both the politics and execution of war are…

  • Colorful yarn hanging on a line against a snowy landscape and cloudy sky.

    2014 Global Education Office Study Abroad Photo Contest

    On Display: April 9 - May 3, 2015

    Location: Botetourt Gallery

    The Global Education Office Study Abroad Photo Contest gave returning students the chance to share their experiences abroad and demonstrate their skill with a camera.

  • Map showing ocean currents with arrows indicating flow direction on a blue background.

    The American Civil War: A Global Conflict

    On Display: June 19, 2014 - April 5, 2015

    Location: Marshall Gallery, 1st Floor Rotunda

    The American Civil War was not fought just within the borders of the United States. There were global machinations as well as naval conflicts on the high seas.

  • A painting of a royal figure with a mask and scepter sitting beside two individuals carrying a stick.

    Medieval Africa in History

    Student Poster Project from Professor Chouin's HIST 282 Course

    On Display: December 10, 2014 - January 10, 2015

    Location: Media Wall Area Near Main Entrance

    Students in Professor Gérard Chouin's Fall 2014 HIST 282 Medieval African History course developed original posters illustrating the theme "Medieval Africa in History."

  • Illustration of Santa Claus with a sack, emerging from a chimney decorated with stockings and bows.

    Twas the Night Before Christmas

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

    On Display: December 10, 2014 - January 10, 2015

    Location: Swem Lobby Exhibit Case

    Continuing our annual tradition, this year's exhibit showcases the linguistic diversity that has proliferated since the poem’s publication more than 180 years ago.

  • Illustration of a dog in a pastoral landscape.

    Tracking Animals

    Animal Studies in the Archive

    On Display: June 20, 2014 - January 8, 2015

    Location: Special Collections Lobby

    Conducting historical research in animal studies presents some unique challenges. Non-human animals did not leave diaries or letters behind for historians to piece together life from the animals'…

  • Vintage camera illustration on a teal background.

    Viewing the World

    Travel Photography through Doris Baker's Lens

    On Display: December 5, 2013 - December 7, 2014

    Location: 3rd Floor Rotunda Gallery

    During her travels as a freelance photographer, Doris Baker was fascinated by the cultures of other countries, and the photographs she took during her excursions bring to light the lives of those she…

  • Senior Sketchbook Exhibition

    On Display: October 1 - December 5, 2014

    Location: Media Wall Area Near Main Entrance

    Senior art students in Professor Nicole McCormick Santiago's ART 460 Senior Exhibition course each selected one of their sketches from the summer sketchbook project to be featured in an exhibit in…

  • Colorful pinwheel lollipops and candy canes in a festive arrangement.

    Filipino American History Month

    On Display: October 1 - 31, 2014

    Location: Read & Relax

    October is Filipino American History Month and is a time to reflect on the Philippines history and culture, and allow all Americans the opportunity to learn and appreciate the Filipino and Filipino…

  • Black Chinese character on a dark red background

    情趣与精神 / Sentiment and Spirit

    Expressions through Ink and Brush

    On Display: July 11 - September 28, 2014

    Location: Botetourt Gallery

    This exhibit features student artwork from two Spring 2014 courses in Chinese calligraphy taught at William & Mary.

  • Vintage photo of a crowd gathering in front of a man with a "NO Integration" sign.

    Job Half Done

    William & Mary (In)action During the Civil Rights Movement

    On Display: March 14 - September 14, 2014

    Location: Marshall Gallery, 1st Floor Rotunda

    Drawing from Special Collections’ University Archives holdings, this exhibit highlights selected articles, lectures and other events on William & Mary’s campus from the 1940s-1960s, that relate to…

  • Vintage illustration of a classical statue of a woman with architectural and ornamental details.

    Behind the Battle Lines

    Paperwork of the Civil War

    On Display: November 19, 2013 - July 11, 2014

    Location: Marshall Gallery, 1st Floor Rotunda

    While the maxim that an army marches on its stomach is true, it is equally true that an army marches on its paperwork.

  • A mosquito on a light background.

    Fitting Things Together

    Selections from the Vinyard Collection featuring the work of Gaylord Schanilec

    On Display: October 23, 2013 - June 19, 2014

    Location: Special Collections Lobby

    From the individually cast and hand-set letter types, the color wood engravings carved by Gaylord Schanilec himself, to the special paper and the hand-made bindings, each limited edition book is…

  • Scholarship on Display: Art and Art History

    On Display: August 15, 2013 - May 31, 2014

    Location: Bright Gallery, 2nd Floor Rotunda

    This exhibit features research and artwork from current and emeriti faculty members in the Art and Art History Department.

  • Painting of industrial smokestacks with dark smoke against a yellow-orange sky.

    Climate Change

    On Display: April 7 - May 18, 2014

    Location: Botetourt Gallery

    These environmentally inspired paintings, by Professor Emeritus Maynard Nichols, highlight the important issue of climate change, which increasingly occupies the attention of environmentalists,…