Throughout the University of Delaware’s 2023 spring semester, there will be six exhibitions on view across the Newark campus that highlight art, minerals, and manuscripts and other printed materials. These exhibitions are free and open to the public.

Six new exhibitions to explore

Article by UD Library, Museums and Press Staff Illustrations by Jaynell Keely and Kris Raser February 06, 2023

Artwork, minerals, manuscripts and other printed materials on view at UD during spring semester

Get inspired during the 2023 spring semester when you visit six new exhibitions across the University of Delaware campus.

Visitors can:

See how artists experiment with form, technique and subject matter through paintings in Focus on Painting.
Discover how book artists use their creative medium to explore modern social issues in The Artist’s Book in Our Times.
Explore how modern and contemporary artists take inspiration from textiles in Seeing Textiles in Painting, Printing and Papermaking, 1960-Today.
Learn how pigment minerals have been used throughout history to create vibrantly colored paints in Ground Minerals from Pigments to Palette.
Delve into the First State’s complex history with slavery and abolition in First and Last: Delaware’s Fraught History with Slavery and Abolition.
Celebrate the centennial of the University of Delaware Press with the story of how it came to be a leading scholarly publisher in A Small but Mighty Press: The University of Delaware Press 100th Anniversary.

These exhibitions are free and open to the public. There are also many online exhibitions available for exploration and discovery. All of the exhibitions are presented by the UD Library, Museums and Press.

Read on to learn more about what will be on view in each exhibition.

Focus on Painting

On view in Old College Gallery from Feb. 7 through May 13

Painting gives artists a blank canvas to experiment with form and technique and to capture an array of subjects and emotions. In this exhibition, explore the breadth of paintings within the University’s collections where you will find favorites from classes and previous exhibitions alongside artwork that you may not have seen before.

From the traditional to the unusual, visitors will find portraits, landscapes and seascapes, abstractions, and more. These include artworks from the 17th century through present day by American and European artists as well as African American artists and former University faculty members and alumni.

Old College Gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Artist’s Book in Our Times

On view in the Special Collections Gallery in Morris Library from Feb. 7 through May 13

Artists’ books are a type of artistic expression that uses the form or function of a book as inspiration. The book itself is art, incorporating techniques from typography, design, printmaking, papermaking and bookbinding to bring an idea to life. The medium allows for a great amount of innovation and creativity on the part of an artist seeking to make a unique statement.

In this exhibition, discover the many ways that book artists use the medium to explore social issues, including race, gender and sexuality, politics, the climate crisis, COVID-19, and more. The exhibition will include work by some of the most accomplished book artists in works drawn from the important collection of artists’ books in Special Collections at the University of Delaware.

The Special Collections Gallery is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Seeing Textiles in Painting, Printing and Papermaking, 1960-Today

On view in Mechanical Hall Gallery from Feb. 7 through May 13

Every day, people engage with textiles in the woven materials of clothing, the pieced fabric of quilts and the hand stitching of embroidery. This exhibition, guest curated by doctoral student Julia Hamer-Light, explores how modern and contemporary artists take inspiration from textiles.

Drawing primarily from the University's collections of African American and Indigenous art, the exhibition shows how artists experiment with form, color and texture across media. Whether they are quilting virtuosos or have never touched a knitting needle before, viewers are invited to think about how art can be part of everyday experience.

Mechanical Hall Gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Ground Minerals from Pigments to Palette

On view in the Mineralogical Museum in Penny Hall from Feb. 7 through May 13

Throughout history, minerals have been used as vibrantly colored pigments to make paint. Although artists today use them less frequently, the presence of mineral pigments in painted works of art assists art conservators and researchers in dating, identifying and in restoration.

In this exhibition, visitors will discover minerals like hematite and limonite that create red and yellow hues seen in prehistoric cave paintings, and lapis lazuli, a blue pigment mineral used for special applications in Renaissance paintings.

The Mineralogical Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

First and Last: Delaware’s Fraught History with Slavery and Abolition

On view in the Lincoln Exhibition Case in Morris Library from Feb. 7 through May 13

Despite being the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution in 1787, Delaware refused to sign the 13th Amendment to formally abolish slavery until 1901. In this exhibition, explore the state’s complex history with slavery and abolition.

Visitors will learn about slavery and colonization efforts in the state; Black Delawareans’ involvement in the underground railroad; and the notorious Patty Cannon gang, who kidnapped, sold and killed free and enslaved Black people in the state. Materials on view include books, letters, photographs, deeds of sale for enslaved persons, newspaper ads for runaway slaves, copies of Delaware legislative bills, and more.

The exhibition can be viewed during Morris Library’s operating hours.

A Small but Mighty Press: The University of Delaware Press 100th Anniversary

On view in the Information Room in Morris Library from Feb. 7 through May 13

Since its launch in the summer of 1922, the University of Delaware Press has seen its share of ups and downs, but its small size has never limited its horizon. Today, the UD Press is launching new series, entering into open access publishing, partnering with other publishers and growing its staff.

In this exhibition, discover how the press came to be and the many changes it has undergone over the last century to become a leading scholarly publisher in literary studies, art history, and early modern studies, as well as the premier publisher on the Delmarva region’s history, culture and natural landscape.

The exhibition can be viewed during Morris Library’s operating hours.