Cultivating Urban Greenery at the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library’s Nature and Garden Festival

Published: June 2, 2025

On Saturday, May 31, as the late-spring sun shone brightly on the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, we welcomed birdwatchers, garden enthusiasts, and those invested in urban greenery to the Clark Library Nature and Garden Festival. As guests of all ages enjoyed refreshing popsicles from Mateo’s Ice Cream and Fruit Bars, they perused nature stations…

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Geology and Myth: Print and Productive Misperceptions in Early Republican China

Published: June 2, 2025

In 1915, stalagmites in a cave in Hubei, China, were mistaken for dinosaur and dragon fossils. Soon, news spread throughout the Western world, attracting attention from Western scientists. As the Chinese warlord Yuan Shikai learned of the incident through translations and photographs in journal articles, he saw the timely appearance of the “relic” as an…

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2025 UCLA Library Prize for Undergraduate Research

Published: May 29, 2025

In celebration of Undergraduate Research Week, we are delighted to recognize Shihui Lin, the winner of the 2025 UCLA Library Prize for Undergraduate Research in the category of best project using resources from the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library. Sihui’s project focuses on William Andrews Clark Jr.’s Christmas gift books and their representation of facsimile,…

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Announcing the 2025 Henry J. Bruman Summer Concert Festival

Published: May 28, 2025

The Henry J. Bruman Summer Chamber Music Festival returns to UCLA this summer, offering a series of free lunchtime concerts that celebrate the rich tradition of chamber music. Under the artistic direction of violinist Ambroise Aubrun, the festival continues its mission to introduce new audiences to chamber music through performances by distinguished instrumentalists. Tuesday, July…

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Special Thanks

Published: May 27, 2025

The Center and Clark thank the following for their generous support during 2024–2025: 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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Ahmanson-Getty Fellow, Leonardo Moreno-Álvarez Researches the History of Cartagena de Indias Using Materials in the Clark Library

Published: May 27, 2025

During my time as an Ahmanson-Getty Postdoctoral Fellow at the Clark, I embarked on the process of revising my doctoral dissertation into an academic monograph. My work focuses on the Spanish port of Cartagena de Indias, in modern-day Colombia, and studies how sailors, bureaucrats, and free and enslaved laborers adapted to wider changes in the…

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Introducing Our Work-Study Students

Published: May 27, 2025

Hello, I’m Christine! I am a third-year Cognitive Science major and I work as a Graphic Designer for the UCLA Center for 17th– 18th –Century Studies. I first saw the job listing on the work-study portal and I thought it was a great opportunity because I’ve always loved history as it was my favorite subject…

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Myrna Ortiz Retires After Twenty-One Years of Service to UCLA

Published: May 27, 2025

Myrna Ortiz, Academic and Staff Personnel Manager, retired on April 25, 2025 after twenty-one years of service to UCLA, fifteen of them at the Center and Clark. Myrna started her career at UCLA in 2004 at Olive View Medical Center as a Case Manager/Community Representative, and then moved to the Center for Network-Embedded Sensing as…

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“Energy Transitions in Long Modernity” Conference: the Power of Exchange in the Energy Humanities

Published: May 22, 2025

After being postponed due to the 2025 L.A. wildfires, the “Energy Transitions in Long Modernity” conference resumed critical dialogues in energy humanities. Organizers Robert N. Watson (UCLA), Tiffany Jo Werth (UC Davis), and Todd Borlik (Purdue) advocated for multidisciplinary approaches to energy questions, drawing on Olivia Judson’s framework of five energetic epochs—geochemical, sunlight, oxygen, flesh,…

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Miró String Quartet collaborates with violist Masumi Per Rostad

Published: May 21, 2025

When we consider which ensembles to invite, one thing we look at is what programs they will be offering.  We were intrigued to see that the Miró String Quartet, who had played at the Clark twice before, would be collaborating this year with noted violist Masumi Per Rostad.  And we were excited to learn that…

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A Musical Journey through Europe to the USA from 1700 to 1930

Published: May 9, 2025

On Sunday, May 3, the Center & Clark were thrilled to present Art of Duo: A Journey through Europe to the USA from 1700 to 1930, an engaging lecture-concert tracing the evolution of the violin and piano duo across centuries and continents. The program featured works spanning the Baroque to the early twentieth century, each introduced…

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Encore Performance of The Selma Moidel Smith Recital at the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library

Published: May 7, 2025

On Sunday, May 4 the Center was pleased to present an encore performance of The Selma Moidel Smith Recital at the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library (@clark_library). The recital featured performances by pianist Davide Di Rienzo (@diridavide), pianist and composer Kaitlin Webster-Zuber, and pianist Emily Webster-Zuber (@emilyandkaitlinwebsterzuber). The artists presented “Reflections,” a program featuring works…

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Borromeo String Quartet Concert in Honor of Bruce Whiteman

Published: May 2, 2025

On April 27, 2025, the Borromeo String Quartet delivered a compelling all-Beethoven program, commemorating the 30th anniversary season of the Chamber Music at the Clark series. This special concert honored Bruce Whiteman, who served as Head Librarian of the Clark from 1996 to 2010 and contributed insightful program notes to the series for over 25…

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Early Global Caribbean: Materialities conference concludes this year’s Core Program at the Clark Library

Published: April 30, 2025

The Early Global Caribbean final conference convened on April 11-12, 2025.  Using Puerto Rico as a central node, Reniel Rodríguez Ramos explained the pre-Columbian patterns of circulation of the Circum-Caribbean area. The material evidence of stone tools, species translocation, cultivation practices, and symbolic representations tell a story of a far more integrated maritime Caribbean before…

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25 Years of Program Notes

Published: April 9, 2025

If you have attended one of our Chamber Music at the Clark concerts, you have had the pleasure of reading the engaging program notes. These brief narratives that give concertgoers historical and artistic context for the music they’re hearing have been crafted by our very own Bruce Whiteman, Clark Librarian Emeritus. Bruce began composing program…

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“Striving for Expertise” presented by Carla Pestana at this year’s Annual William and Lois Mathews Samuel Pepys Lecture

Published: April 9, 2025

The Center & Clark’s Director, Carla Pestana, UCLA Distinguished Professor and Joyce Appleby Endowed Chair of America in the World, recently presented this year’s Annual William and Lois Mathews Samuel Pepys Lecture, “Striving for Expertise,” hosted by our colleagues at @uclacmrscegs . In her lecture, Pestana emphasized Pepys’s lifelong quest for expertise, focusing on his career…

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Librarians and Conservators Lead Successful Family History Workshop at the Clark Library

Published: March 19, 2025

On Saturday, March 8, librarians from the UCLA William Andrews Clark Memorial Library partnered with conservators from the UCLA Library Preservation & Conservation Department to lead “Preserving Your Family History,” a workshop designed to teach members of the Los Angeles community to care for their paper-based family heirlooms. Participants brought their photographs, photo albums, scrapbooks,…

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Graduate Certificate in Early Modern Studies Provides Research Opportunities and Funding

Published: March 19, 2025

For over ten years the Center for 17th– & 18th-Century Studies has administered the Graduate Certificate in Early Modern Studies, an Interdisciplinary Certificate for Matriculated Graduate Students that has been approved by and adheres to the criteria set by the UCLA Graduate Council. This program opens pathways for graduate students at UCLA to explore the…

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