On Sunday, September 28, over 180 visitors graced the grounds of the UCLA William Andrews Clark Memorial Library for its annual open house and adopt-a-book fair. Our staff invited scholars, local families, curious community members, and regular supporters of the Clark Library to explore our historic rare book and manuscript library, built in 1926 by…

Congratulations to Clark Head Librarian Anna Chen, who has been appointed Associate University Librarian for Special Collections and Director of Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina, and who will be leaving the Clark Library as of October 2024. In her new role, she will oversee 50 staff in 5 curatorial units: Research and…

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….

Congratulations to Anna Chen, who has been appointed Associate University Librarian for Special Collections and Director of Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina. She will oversee 50 staff in 5 curatorial units: Research and Instructional Services, Technical Services, Preservation and Conservation Services, the North Carolina Digital Heritage Center, and exhibitions and engagement programs….

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…

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…

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…

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),…

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…

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…

The name Paul Chrzanowski should be familiar to Los Angeles-based Shakespeare fans. Over the years, he has donated a remarkable collection of books—all based on the premise that they are books that The Bard may have read. In April, the Clark Library received an additional twenty-seven titles, ranging in date from 1496 to 1637. The…

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…

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…

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…

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…