Past Major Exhibitions

Crossing Boundaries: Art/Maps

Central Library in Copley Square (Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center)
October 9, 2018 – April 20, 2019

Crossing Boundaries: Art // Maps explored the ways in which artists traverse the traditional boundaries of cartography and art. Contemporary works of art are juxtaposed with historical maps spanning several centuries to create a dialogue between geographic representation and how artists use cartographic imagery to explore themes rarely touched by conventional mapmakers. Featured artists included Mary Armstrong, Abel Barroso, Tony Berlant, Jonathan Callan, Tiffany Chung, Kirsten Fisher, Carly Glovinski, Abby Goldstein, Alexander Gorlizki, Joyce Kozloff, Daniel McDonald, Abelardo Morell, Bruce Myren, Naoe Suzuki, Heidi Whitman, and Richard Youngstrom.

Charles Coe Photography and Stories

Central Library in Copley Square (Gallery J)
April 25, 2018 – December 2, 2018

Boston artist Charles Coe’s photography and stories display highlights Mission Hill residents and workers in “What You Don’t Know about Me,” which ran through September 30, 2018 in Gallery J on the first floor of the Boylston Street Building at the Central Library. This show was the first to occupy Gallery J, which was primarily created to feature the collections of the BPL and related programming in conjunction with the Central Library Renovation, completed in 2016.

“Boston Public Library welcomes visitors to meet the friendly faces and voices of one of Boston’s storied neighborhoods in the library’s newest gallery space, in what we hope will be the first of many displays sharing experiences and artifacts that embody our collective cultural heritage,” said Meghan Weeks, Boston Public Library’s Curator of Interpretation.

“What You Don’t Know about Me” is the second phase of a project created by Charles Coe as a 2017 City of Boston Artist-In-Residence. Coe was chosen, along with nine other artists who work in a variety of media, to establish community-based, collaborative art projects in cooperation with Boston Centers for Children & Families (BCYF). Based at the Tobin Community Center, Coe traversed the Mission Hill neighborhood collecting bits of personal history from people who live or work in the neighborhood and matched each anecdote with a photograph of the teller. The stories offer combinations of image and story that create moments of surprise and encourage us all, in an increasingly divided society, to move beyond stereotypes and preconceptions and engage our neighbors with open minds.

Breathing Room: Mapping Boston's Open Spaces

Central Library in Copley Square (Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center)
March 24, 2018 – September 30, 2018

Boston boasts some of the nation’s most recognizable and cherished green spaces, from Boston Common, to the Emerald Necklace, to hundreds of neighborhood parks, playgrounds, tot lots, community gardens, playing fields, cemeteries, and urban wilds. In this exhibition, viewers learned how the country’s oldest public park grew from a grazing pasture to an iconic recreational and social center, how 19^th-century reformers came to view parks as environmental remedies for ill health, how innovative landscape architects fashioned green oases in the midst of a booming metropolis, and what the future holds for Boston’s open spaces.

Who We Are: Boston Immigration Then and Now

Central Library in Copley Square (Norman B. Leventhal Map Center)
May 24 – October 31, 2017

Recent immigration has given Boston a new richness of ethnic, language and cultural diversity, with more countries than ever before represented among us. Boston’s foreign-born population, hailing from more than 130 countries, now accounts for 28% of the city’s total population, and the neighborhoods that make up Boston often tell unique stories of diversity and change.

This exhibition compared the landscape of today’s “new” Boston with that of over 100 years ago. The maps and graphics on display showed where Boston’s foreign-born residents originate from, and where newer immigrant groups have settled, while celebrating who we are, and the vibrant diversity that is Boston. View the online exhibition.

Regions and Seasons: Mapping Climate through History

Central Library in Copley Square (Norman B. Leventhal Map Center)
March 4 – August 27, 2017

The mapping of broad climate zones, wind direction, ocean currents, and related weather events has a long and storied history. In this exhibition, viewers learned how “Venti” were wind personas who directed ancient ships and “Horae” were goddesses of the seasons who dictated natural order during the 15th-17th centuries, how Enlightenment scientists started to collect and map weather data, and how 19th century geographers reflecting the golden age of thematic cartography created innovative techniques to represent vast amounts of statistical data and developed complex maps furthering our understanding of climatic regions. As viewers explored five centuries of regions and seasons, they could  compare this gradual sophistication of mapping climatic data with the modern use of computers and models that analyze the impact of changing climatic conditions on future generations. View the online exhibition.

Shakespeare Unauthorized

Central Library in Copley Square (McKim Exhibition Hall)
October 14, 2016 – March 31, 2017

William Shakespeare: poet, actor, playwright, icon. More than four hundred years after his death, he remains a central figure in English literature and a cultural phenomenon on a global scale. Yet the inner workings of his life and the details of his creative process remain largely unknown. In many cases, there is still fierce debate over what Shakespeare actually wrote.

Shakespeare Unauthorized pulled back the curtain on four hundred years of collaboration, confusion, and even literary deception that surround the plays, poems, and life of William Shakespeare. Through an unprecedented exhibition of the Boston Public Library’s world-class collections—including one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of Shakespeare in a public institution— visitors could view some of the rarest, most extraordinary books in the world and learn about the countless men and women who have made and remade the works of a literary icon.

Shakespeare’s Here and Everywhere

Central Library in Copley Square (Norman B. Leventhal Map Center)
September 3, 2016 – February 26, 2017

Tying her duty, beauty, wit and fortunes
in an extravagant and wheeling stranger
of here and everywhere.
– Roderigo, The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice
(Act 1 Scene 1)

William Shakespeare’s plays are set in Europe, Asia, and Africa, from classical times to the Renaissance. How did he and other authors, mapmakers, and readers of his day imagine foreign and often-exotic settings, the “other” as well as the familiar? What roles do place, identity, and travel play in his comedies, tragedies, and histories? Armchair travel with the Bard to “here, and everywhere” by exploring these questions and more through maps, atlases, and illustrations of Shakespeare’s time and beyond. View the online exhibition.

 

Hy-Brasil: Mapping a Mythical Island

Central Library in Copley Square (Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center)
June 29 – October 23, 2016

In 1325, an island appeared on a nautical chart, just off the southwest coast of Ireland. This island, shrouded in mist, was said to appear once every seven years and was home to an advanced race that was immune to sickness and the passing of time. This mystical place, known variously as Brasil, Brazil, Breasil, Hy-Brasil, O’Brasil and numerous other names, would appear on maps for the next five centuries. Its exact location on maps would change over the years, and numerous expeditions would venture into the North Atlantic Ocean to find the island. Some mariners claimed to have discovered the legendary island; however, these reports teemed with fantastic accounts of alien beings, and eventually fell into legend.

In this online exhibition of forty maps from the collection at the Norman B. Leventhal Map Center at the Boston Public Library and the Mapping Boston Foundation, visitors saw the transition of Hy-Brasil over the course of five centuries from legitimate island destination, to “imaginary” place, to simply a “rock,” before it finally stopped appearing on maps in the late 19th century. A variety of map formats are included in the online exhibition, such as portolan charts, woodcut engravings, copperplate engravings and lithographic prints. Hy-Brasil even makes an appearance on a 1492 globe. View the online exhibition.

From the Sea to the Mountains

Central Library in Copley Square (Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center)
April 2 – August 28, 2016

In 1891 landscape architect Charles Eliot asserted the bold idea to form an organization that would preserve, for public use and enjoyment, properties of exceptional scenic, historic, and ecological value in Massachusetts. At a time when land conservation and ‘being green’ was not widely discussed, his vision was forward thinking. Today, the organization he founded, The Trustees, oversees more than 26,000 acres of preserved places from the Atlantic Coast to the Berkshire Mountains.

The Norman B. Leventhal Map Center at the Boston Public Library partnered with The Trustees in celebration of their 125th anniversary on a 70-item exhibition, featuring maps, photographs, and historical items from both collections. Visitors were introduced to Trustees properties, became familiar with a number of distinctive map formats, learned about natural landforms and geologic terms, and cultivated an appreciation for the natural, historical, and cultural treasures of Massachusetts. View the online exhibition.

Women in Cartography: Five Centuries of Accomplishments

Central Library in Copley Square (Norman B. Leventhal Map Center)
October 31, 2015 – March 26, 2016

Histories of map-making generally emphasize the role of men; however, since the advent of the printed map, women have worked as colorists, engravers, shop owners and publishers, and most importantly as map-makers themselves. Women are active in all aspects of cartography today, and are leaders in the world of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and digital mapping. In this exhibition of forty maps, globes, atlases and works of art from the 17^th century to the present, visitors encountered works by female map creators, designers and educators, learned about the various cartographic skills employed by women over the centuries, and observed the transition of women in cartography from marginalized, to celebrated. View the online exhibition to learn more.

We Are One: Mapping America’s Road from Revolution to Independence

Central Library in Copley Square (McKim Exhibition Hall)
May 2 – November 29, 2015

Featuring 60 maps and 40 prints, paintings and objects, this major gallery exhibition traced the American story from the French and Indian War to the creation of a new national government and the founding of Washington, D.C. as its home.

Organized by the Norman B. Leventhal Map Center, We Are One featured treasures from the Boston Public Library, the British Library, Library of Congress, and others. Highlights included rare and historically significant items that had not been exhibited previously. View the online exhibition and browse the online collection of Revolutionary War era maps.

Literary Landscapes: Maps from Fiction

Central Library in Copley Square (Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center)
February 2 – October 25, 2015

Maps of imaginary places have accompanied literature for centuries. Visualizing the fanciful worlds described in works of fiction sets the stage for events taking place in a story and often provides insight into the characters themselves.

In this exhibition of forty items, visitors discovered maps from a variety of fictional genres, learned how authors create imaginary worlds, and appreciated why descriptive geography is essential to the story. People and creatures—even those who exist only in tales—are related to place, and maps of their imaginary worlds allow readers to be transported into the geography of fantasy. View the online exhibition to learn more.

The Handel and Haydn Society: Bringing Music to Life for 200 Years

Central Library in Copley Square (Cheverus Room)
March 24 – September 5, 2015

Founded in Boston in 1815, the Handel and Haydn Society is America’s oldest continuously performing arts organization. The Bicentennial Exhibition drew from Handel and Haydn’s extensive archives–including materials housed at Boston Public Library–and wide community to tell the story of its 200 years. Its musical legacy embodies the cultural heritage and development of the city and the nation.

Purloined Letters: Literary Correspondence and its Unintended Recipients

Central Library, Copley Square (Special Collections Lobby)
October 17, 2014 – April 24, 2015

What happens when a letter reaches an unintended recipient? For writer Edgar Allan Poe, the letter has been purloined: diverted from its original destination and “stolen” by an unexpected reader. Purloined Letters featured an array of rare and important purloined letters from the Boston Public Library’s collection, including handwritten missives from such notable figures as the incarcerated Oscar Wilde, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s sister Elizabeth, and mural artist Edwin Austin Abbey. This exhibition was presented in collaboration with the Department of English, University of Massachusetts, Boston.

Back to School: Geography in the Classroom

Central Library, Copley Square (Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center)
September 2, 2014 – January 25, 2015

In this exhibition of forty maps, globes, games, atlases and related objects, visitors followed the evolution of geographic education, examined the visual aids used by teachers in the classroom, and explored unique student-produced geography projects from the late 18th to the 20th centuries. View the online exhibition.

The Soul of a Man: Toussaint Louverture & the Haitian Slave Revolt

Central Library, Copley Square (Rare Books Lobby)
June 17 – September 30, 2014

Toussaint Louverture was born a slave in the French colony of Saint-Domingue (now Haiti) in 1743. As a leader of the armed resistance against colonization and slavery, Louverture proved a seminal influence on the future of a free Haiti. This exhibition drew from the Boston Public Library’s important collection of Haitian and West Indies materials, which includes over 10,000 books and manuscripts.

City of Neighborhoods: The Changing Face of Boston

Central Library, Copley Square (Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center)
March 22 – August 22, 2014

During the last decade, Boston as a whole has become younger, and more racially and ethnically diverse. However, the neighborhoods that make up Boston often tell their own unique stories of diversity and change. This exhibition told the story of a “new” Boston by looking at the overall city and at individual neighborhoods through photos, objects, and maps, many of which were based on recent census data. View the online exhibition.

Public Women, Private Lives

Central Library, Copley Square (Rare Books Lobby)
March 7 – May 30, 2014

This exhibition of books and manuscripts from the Boston Public Library’s special collections illustrated the public and private lives of reputed writers such as Emily Dickinson, Louisa May Alcott, and Julia Ward Howe, as well as those of lesser-known authors such as Hannah Adams, Helen Hunt Jackson, and Annie Fields.

Dear Boston: Messages from the Marathon Memorial

Central Library, Copley Square (McKim Exhibition Hall)
April 7 – May 11, 2014

To mark the one-year anniversary of the 2013 Boston Marathon, Dear Boston featured a selection of items from the makeshift memorial  which took shape in Copley Square following the tragedy.  People from across the globe contributed flowers, posters, notes, t-shirts, hats, tokens of all shapes and sizes, and—most significantly—running shoes.  This exhibition was organized by a partnership that included the Boston City Archives, Boston Art Commission, New England Museum Association, and Boston Public Library. It was made possible with the generous support of Iron Mountain.

Made in Boston

Central Library, Copley Square (Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center)
November 8, 2013 – March 17, 2014

Boston was the metropolis of England’s North American colonies, with the largest population and economy of any urban center through the 1750s. It was also the leading producer of printed maps, including major colonial “firsts” such as the first printed map, first city map, first battle plan, and first map engraved on copper. This exhibition brings together, for the first time in decades, a majority of these maps “made in Boston” in the century before the American Revolution. View the online exhibition.

The Meeting of Image and Word: Emblem Books from the Collection

Central Library, Copley Square (Rare Books Lobby)
September 30, 2013 – February 28, 2014

The emblem book is a Western European phenomenon that presents symbolic pictures combined with a brief motto or title and a passage of related prose or verse to deliver a moral or amusing message. This exhibition of emblem books from the Boston Public Library’s collection focused on the high points of the genre from the middle of the sixteenth century through the end of the seventeenth century.

Charting an Empire: The Atlantic Neptune

Central Library, Copley Square (Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center)
May 1 – November 3, 2013

The period following the French and Indian War (1754-1763) was a time of change and discovery in North America. This two-part exhibition of charts, views, and maritime objects explored the decade following the war, when Britain set out to accurately chart the coast and survey the inland areas of their new resource-rich empire in Atlantic Canada, as well as the eastern seaboard extending from New England to the West Indies. View the online exhibition.

The Imaginative Worlds of Daniel Defoe: Robinson Crusoe, Moll Flanders, and the Early Novel

Central Library, Copley Square (Rare Books Lobby)
February 25 – August 30, 2013

This exhibition featured the riches of the Boston Public Library’s William P. Trent Collection of Defoe and Defoeana. This was a collaborative exhibition between graduate students and faculty of the English Department of the University of Massachusetts Boston and the Rare Book and Manuscript Department of the Boston Public Library.

The Art Institute of Boston: Celebrating 100 Years

Central Library, Copley Square (Wiggin Gallery)
March 22 – June 29, 2013

The Art Institute of Boston: Celebrating 100 Years was one of many exhibitions and other events scheduled at venues throughout the Boston area during 2012-2013 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of The Art Institute of Boston (AIB). The exhibition also celebrated the Boston Public Library’s acquisition of works by Boston artists who have contributed to the Boston art scene both as professional artists and as long-time AIB faculty members.

Boston Sports Temples

Central Library, Copley Square (Boylston Street Building Lobby)
November 17, 2012 – May 31, 2013