Friends and Donors Special Thanks

Published: August 15, 2024

The Center and Clark thank the following for their generous support during 2023–2024: Major Supporters The Ahmanson Foundation Catherine G. Benkaim and Barbara A. Timmer Legacy Fund Frances L. Brody* Garden Endowment at The Clark Memorial Library Henry J. Bruman* Endowments for Chamber Music at the Clark and Summer Chamber Music Festival Dr. Paul L….

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2024 Henry J. Bruman Summer Chamber Music Festival

Published: August 12, 2024

The 2024 Henry J. Bruman Summer Chamber Music Festival has just concluded after a highly successful series of free concerts held in Lani Hall on the UCLA campus and livestreamed on the Center’s YouTube channel. We extend our thanks to everyone who joined us virtually and in person, and look forward to seeing everyone again…

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Professor Carla Gardina Pestana to Serve as Center & Clark Director in 2024-25

Published: July 11, 2024

We are pleased to announce that Professor Carla Gardina Pestana, Distinguished Professor and Joyce Appleby Endowed Chair of America in the World (Department of History), will serve as Director of the Center for 17th– & 18th-Century Studies and the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library for Academic Year 2024-25. Professor Pestana studies the seventeenth- and eighteenth-century…

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Kenneth Karmiole Endowed Graduate Research Fellowship Lecture 2023-24

Published: July 11, 2024

On May 9, John Sullivan, a PhD candidate in history at Northwestern University, delivered an online lecture as a 2023–2024 recipient of the Kenneth Karmiole Endowed Graduate Research Fellowship. The lecture considered how cities figured in and spurred the production of various genres of historical writing that naturalists and governmental officials used to comprehend catastrophic…

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Understanding Edo from Outsiders

Published: June 4, 2024

While the nationalistic myth of Japan as a homogeneous society has persisted, two marginalized groups—the Ainu and the Ryūkyūan—challenge this misconception. This pivotal topic took center stage at the final conference of the Open Edo series, hosted at the UCLA William Andrews Clark Memorial Library on April 19, 2024. Titled “Edo Outsiders: Ainu and Ryūkyūan…

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Clark Library Collections Webinar

Published: May 24, 2024

The Renaissance Society of America (RSA) hosts Webinar: Library Showcase II.  Ikumi Crocoll will present for the Clark Library.  Join us on Thursday, June 13, 2024 as staff from libraries with holdings of interest to early modern researchers will present on their collections. This webinar will showcase resources at William Andrews Clark Memorial Library (UCLA),…

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Two Core Faculty receive fellowships at I Tatti!

Published: May 22, 2024

We are pleased to announce that Raphaëlle Burns, Assistant Professor, Department of European Languages and Transcultural Studies (ELTS) and Javier Patiño Loira, Assistant Professor, Spanish and Portuguese, are recent fellowship recipients at I Tatti, The Harvard University Center for Italian Renaissance Studies. Information on their research can be found in the following links; Raphaëlle Burns…

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Cancelled: Doric String Quartet, Chamber Music at the Clark

Published: April 29, 2024

We regret to inform you that the concert has been cancelled, due to unforeseen circumstances for the Doric String Quartet. Please accept our apologies for the short notice of this cancellation. We are all disappointed, as we know you are, that the concert is not able to be held as scheduled. Refunds will be processed for…

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Call for Applications: Instruction and Engagement Fellowship

Published: April 8, 2024
Image of Clark Library Librarians engaging with patrons

The Instruction and Engagement Fellowship comes with a great deal of responsibility, ideal for someone who is eager to learn about incorporating primary sources into curriculum and outreach in libraries, contribute to our strategy and mission, and develop professional skills. We are seeking an enthusiastic and dedicated Instruction and Engagement Fellow who will play an…

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Imaging Diplomacy: The Meridian Gate and the Making of European Perspectives on China (1655–1795)

Published: March 15, 2024

On March 12, Sylvia Tongyan Qiu, a first-year Ph.D. student in Art History at UCLA delivered an online lecture as the recipient of the 2023–24 Kenneth Karmiole Endowed Graduate Research Fellowship. The lecture delved into the intersection of early modern diplomatic literature and the European representation of Chinese architecture. In her lecture, Qiu explored the journeys of European ambassadors…

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The Final Hours of Oscar Wilde: “My wallpaper and I are fighting a duel to the death”

Published: March 14, 2024
“Photo taken by Robert Ross of Oscar Wilde two hours after death by flash light,” 3:50pm, Friday, November 30, 1900

On February 21, Joseph Bristow, Distinguished Professor of English at UCLA and renowned Wilde scholar, presented a wonderfully illuminating exploratory public lecture, using documentary evidence (including letters, bills, invoices, and personal accounts) to elucidate the circumstances surrounding the final days and hours leading to Oscar Wilde’s untimely death from encephalomeningitis at the age of forty-six….

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The 2024 Library Prize for Undergraduate Research is accepting submissions

Published: March 12, 2024

Projects using the resources from the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library can receive a cash prize of $700. Two new prizes this year recognize projects completed by a first-year freshman and for the Cluster Program. Please submit your applications by March 27. If you need assistance with your application materials or have questions, please send an…

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Edo Avant Garde Film Screening

Published: February 14, 2024

On Saturday, February 3, 2024, the Clark Library held a film screening of Linda Hoaglund’s film, Edo Avant Garde. The screening was followed by a Q&A and reception with the filmmaker, which allowed viewers to explore their thoughts after unfolding Edo Art.  Kristopher Kersey arranged this special viewing in conjunction with the Center & Clark’s 2023-24 Core…

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Eco Edo: Uncovering the Ecological Heart of Edo Art

Published: February 7, 2024

On February 2, 2024, the scholarly conference “Eco Edo: Ecological Perspectives on Early Modern Japanese Art” was held, serving as a pivotal second event in the “Open Edo: Diverse, Ecological, and Global Perspectives on Japanese Art, 1603–1868” series, organized by the Center for 17th- & 18th-Century Studies. This year-long 2023-24 Core Program brought together six…

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Oscar Wilde’s final hours: UCLA’s Joseph Bristow to correct the record in lecture at Clark Library

Published: January 30, 2024

Oscar Wilde’s life has been examined in minute detail in numerous biographies and countless articles. But the details of his death have been widely misunderstood, according to UCLA’s Joseph Bristow. Bristow, a distinguished professor of English and leading scholar on Wilde, will help set the record straight in a free lecture at UCLA’s William Andrews…

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Our Histories and Futures: Making New Print and Book Arts Work with/in Libraries

Published: January 26, 2024

This year’s Stephen A. Kanter Lecture on California Fine Printing lecture was presented by Tia Blassingame (Book/Print Artist, Scholar of Color Collective, Scripps College). Tia’s art and collaborations uncover histories for nuance discussions on issues of race and racism. She discussed her research, collaborations, and artistic process. A special collection of her work was on display…

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The Clark Library featured in the Fall 2023 issue of UCLA Magazine

Published: December 22, 2023
Photo of Arie Nair, Clark Library Student Assistant, in the North Reading Room

The Clark Library was featured in the Fall 2023 issue of UCLA magazine. Multiple photos of the Clark Library can be seen throughout this issue. On page 4, in the table of contents, is a photo of the vestibule ceiling. Page 11, under “Bruinology” is a lovely photo of the North Book Room as Arie…

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David Ruggles Prize winner Erin Severson

Published: December 22, 2023
Photo of Erin Severson

Erin Severson, UCLA Ph.D. student and former student library assistant at the Clark Library, was one of the winners of this year’s David Ruggles Prize in Book Collecting. Erin was featured in Fine Books and Collections’ “Bright Young Collectors” series (November 2023): https://www.finebooksmagazine.com/fine-books-news/david-ruggles-prizewinner-erin-severson-collecting-18th-century-and-odd-volumes

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Converting Natural Resources conference

Published: December 15, 2023

On December 1 and 2, 2023, scholars from various disciplines convened at a two-day conference titled “Converting Natural Resources: Representations, Performances, Narratives,” hosted by the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library in Los Angeles. This gathering, building upon discussions initiated at the Renaissance Society of America meetings in Dublin in 2022 and San Juan in 2023…

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Cooking the Books

Published: December 4, 2023

Dr. Marissa Nicosia recently spoke at the Clark on manuscript recipe books and their connection to Early Modern English literature, as well as how she adapts the recipes for modern kitchens. She walked the audience through some contemporary recipe-book history, telling listeners about the connectedness of food and medicine, the practice of sending recipes in…

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