shakespeare – News & Announcements

Sep 15 2016

Sunday! Shakespeare Family Festival – Book Arts, Crafts, Fencing, and Celebrating Shakespeare

Posted on September 15, 2016December 2, 2016 by Colleen Theisen

SHAKESPEAREAN FAMILY FESTIVAL

Hands-on demonstrations of book arts, acting, fencing

18 September 1:00 – 4:00 pm

Main Library, North Plaza

Rain location: Just inside the Main Library’s north entrance

Free of charge, open to the public

All are welcome to attend this event filled with activities for all ages. Come celebrate the art of book making and other Shakespearean delights, featuring a lively cast of actors, artists, scholars, book makers, and fencers. Roll up your sleeves for book art fun with paper making, book binding, and more.In Shakespeare’s time, all books were made by hand. But that didn’t mean book craftspeople were slow. A team of 3 papermakers could make 2000 or more sheets in a day! Individuals and families are encouraged to come join us, have a chance to try various aspects of bookmaking, and take home a piece of paper, a printed sheet or a bound small book that you make yourself!

Papermaking—Form your own sheet of paper from wet pulp, press it, and take it with you to dry at home. Handouts will be provided for more information about papermaking history and how to make it at home.

Printing—Print a small keepsake on a hand press similar to the presses that were used in Shakespeare’s time. The printed impression will be a piece of Shakespeare’s writing, with a bit of background on the Bard.

Bookbinding—Bind a simple pamphlet structure, using xerox copied Shakespeare text, and a handmade paper cover. Requires basic sewing with a (dull!) darning needle.

Visitors are welcome to take part in one, two, or all three activities!

Hands Making Paper

Sep 09 2016

Special Collections News 9/9/2016

Posted on September 9, 2016January 14, 2019 by Colleen Theisen

Newsfeed:

Old Gold – Wishing Herky a Happy Birthday: https://now.uiowa.edu/2016/09/old-gold-wishing-herky-happy-birthday
Gene Wilder’s Superfans Made a ’70s Zine Called Geneology, and It’s Wonderful http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2016/09/06/gene_wilder_s_superfans_made_a_70s_zine_called_geneology_and_it_s_wonderful.html
Avicenna – John Martin Rare Book Room: http://blog.lib.uiowa.edu/hardin/2016/09/06/avicenna-september-2016-notes-from-the-john-martin-rare-book-room-hardin-library/
Regents May Move on Main Library Renovation Funding, http://daily-iowan.com/2016/09/08/regents-may-move-on-main-library/
UI proposes naming residence hall after Elizabeth Catlett, https://now.uiowa.edu/2016/09/ui-proposes-naming-residence-hall-after-elizabeth-catlett

Exhibitions:

University Archives partnered with the UI Department of Physics with creation of “Hawkeyes in Space,” an exhibit in the Old Capitol Museum that opened this week and will run until May 2017: https://clas.uiowa.edu/news/hawkeyes-space-exhibition-explores-past-present-and-future-ui-space-research

Autograph Book from Hancher’s Opening Season in 1972:

In honor of Hancher Auditorium’s ribbon cutting and grand opening, here is a live video from our Facebook page showing some signatures in the autograph book that each performer signed in the opening season in 1972.

New Acquisition:

We have an exciting new addition to Special Collections: Uncut pages from 1797!

This is an example of sheets of a book as they came off the printing press without ever being folded or cut. The way a compositor lays out the pages of the book can be difficult to visualize. This will become an important tool for our classroom for continuing to teach and demonstrate historic printing processes.

First Folio Events:

Shakespeare’s Herbs and Flowers

Saturday, September 10th

9AM and 11AM

Iowa City Farmer’s Market

A view of the First Folio from Instagram:

First Folio! The Book that Gave Us Shakespeare, the exhibition visiting from the Folger Shakespeare Library continues through September 25th in the Main Library Gallery.

Making its Iowa City debut, featured in a traveling exhibition organized by the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC, here we have the First Folio! #uiowa #specialcollections #libraries #firstfolio #libraryexhibits #shakespeare

A post shared by U. of Iowa Special Collections (@uispeccoll) on Sep 7, 2016 at 11:13am PDT

Donate to the University Libraries’ Special Collections Fund

Want to stay connected? Follow us on social media:

People performing on the Festival Stage at City Park for the Shakespeare parade in 1916

Aug 24 2016

Shakespeare Invades Iowa City Once Again – 100 Years Later

Posted on August 24, 2016January 14, 2019 by Hannah Hacker

By Hannah Hacker

On August 29 through September 25, the University of Iowa Libraries’ Main Gallery will be featuring the Folger Shakespeare Library’s traveling exhibit First Folio! The Book That Gave Us Shakespeare. This exhibition will mark the 400^th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death.

This exhibition will also be marking another anniversary more pertinent to the history of Iowa City and the University. One hundred years ago, on May 12, 1916, the University and the city hosted a Shakespeare parade in honor of the Bard’s 300^th death anniversary. A procession of people walked from campus to the City Park, roughly a mile away, to present portions of Shakespeare’s plays under the guidance of the Iowa City Center of the Drama League of America. There were roughly 5,000 participants, with three hundred and fifty Shakespearean characters represented.

Pictures of this event can be found at the University Libraries’ Frederick W. Kent Collection of Photographs, as well as digitized online through the Iowa Digital Library.

The University of Iowa Libraries will be hosting a similar event at the City Park. This event is not only meant to highlight the Folger exhibition and anniversary, but will also serve as a throwback to the parade held 100 years ago.

Dost Thou Speak Masterly?: Iowa Reads Shakespeare, the Shakespeare public reading will be held at the Festival Stage in Lower City Park on Saturday, September 24. All are welcome to participate in, and watch, the performances. (See on the events calendar). The event will also include a costume contest.

Interested in reading? Gather your troupe, choose your scene from Shakespeare’s plays, and register to deliver your lines on the Riverside Festival Stage at City Park in Iowa City. Pick a 5 minute section of your favorite play, and get assigned a time to jump up onstage and practice your elocution in memory of Shakespeare, and how Iowa City has celebrated his legacy through time. SIGN UP here for a five minute slot HERE.

Don’t forget to VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE PLAY and professional actors will perform a scene of the winning play at the event.

There will also be a variety of other events in honor of the First Folio!, so keep an eye on the University of Iowa Libraries website http://shakespeare.lib.uiowa.edu for all the details.

References

Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Iowa), 13 May 1916. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86061215/1916-05-13/ed-1/seq-5/

The Monthly Bulletin of the St. Louis Public Library. New Series, Volume XIV, Saint Louis Library, 1916. Pg. 92. Google Books, Aug. 23, 2016.

Jun 17 2016

Special Collections News & Updates 6/17/2016

Posted on June 17, 2016December 2, 2016 by Colleen Theisen

Newsfeed:

Library Field Responds to Orlando http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2016/06/public-services/library-field-responds-to-orlando-tragedy/#_
Statement on the Orlando Shooting from SAA President Dennis Meissner https://offtherecord.archivists.org/2016/06/15/statement-on-the-orlando-shooting/
University of Iowa moving forward with $60M art museum http://www.press-citizen.com/story/news/education/university-of-iowa/2016/06/06/university-iowa-moving-forward-60m-art-museum/85498698/
Engineering the Bike – New Exhibit in the Engineering Library http://blog.lib.uiowa.edu/eng/engineering-the-bike-new-exhibit/
Conservation Lab Box Making Day http://blog.lib.uiowa.edu/preservation/2016/06/10/box-making-day/
Special Collections Instruction Year in Review 2015-2016 https://blog.lib.uiowa.edu/speccoll/2016/06/07/special-collections-instruction-year-in-review-2015-2016/

Shakespeare Events This Weekend:

Pericles in City Park from the Riverside Theater. Info: http://daily-iowan.com/2016/06/16/shakespeare-at-sea-opens-riverside-in-the-park/

King Lear on the lawn at Salisbury House in Des Moines from Repertory Theater of Iowa. Info: http://rtiowa.com/king-lear/

Big News From the University of Iowa Center for the Book:

The University of Iowa Center for the Book has been testing the numbers from historic records that indicated early paper making shops could make 2000 sheets a day. After several attempts, this year, they matched that output:

(See their gallery of images here: https://www.facebook.com/University-of-Iowa-Center-for-the-Book-118780728163253/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1127314790643170)

They did it! 2000 sheets in one day! Congrats to all who participated!

A post shared by UICB (@uictrbook) on Jun 10, 2016 at 4:11pm PDT

Instruction Update:

Amy Chen will be out of the office for two weeks to attend two conferences between Monday, June 13 and Friday, June 24. During this time, John Fifield will be answering the instruction request form. A reminder that instruction requests should always be directed to the form, not to an individual, for cases like this when Amy will be out of town. When Amy returns, the instruction request form will return to her.

50 Years of Star Trek Exhibition Continues Until August 5th

The tribbles multiplied this week, but they are contained. Don’t worry, we’ve got everything under control.

Tribble count: 93 tribbles. #uiowatrek pic.twitter.com/AeiAaA98v0

— Special Collections (@UISpecColl) June 16, 2016

From the Web & Social Media

Historical Crushes video series continues:

New episode of Staxpeditions:

Coming Soon:

Preparations are underway to launch the Iowa Women’s Archives’ Migration is Beautiful website and accompanying 8×8-foot popup exhibit of Iowa Latina/o history at the national LULAC convention in Washington DC in July. Thanks to the Friends of the University of Iowa Libraries for making the physical exhibit possible!

Donate to the University Libraries’ Special Collections Fund

Want to stay connected? Follow us on social media:

Apr 21 2016

3rd Annual Shakespeare Livestream Event Friday 4/22/2016

Posted on April 21, 2016January 14, 2019 by Colleen Theisen

THIRD Annual Shakespeare Livestream
Tune in live April 22, 10:30am-1:30pm CST [Central time in the USA is GMT -5:00]

We’re back! Celebrate Shakespeare’s birthday week by joining us – live on the internet! – for our THIRD annual Shakespeare’s 400th Death Anniversary & Birthday Week Commemoration Livestream, featuring University of Iowa Shakespeare professor Adam Hooks, alongside Colleen Theisen, Special Collections Outreach & Engagement Librarian.

Now is your chance to Ask a Shakespeare Scholar anything about Shakespeare, about being a Shakespeare scholar, and maybe even about your least favorite Shakespeare plays. We will also have a selection of historic, unusual, beautiful, and forged editions of Shakespeare’s works from Special Collections which we’ll be showing and telling stories about LIVE!

Use the hashtag #shxlive to ask a question, or type one here in the comments, or tune in live to ask a question. The event will be added to the UISpecColl YouTube channel as a video after the completion of the event. (See past livestreams).

This year in preparation for the “First Folio! The Book that Gave Us Shakespeare” exhibition arriving August 29th, 2016 the Livestream event will be bigger than ever with:

Heather Bain cutting quills and writing sonnets in calligraphy LIVE.

Students creating poetry using Shakespeare’s works.

And more surprises including guests!

Check back here, on our Twitter, Facebook, or YouTube for the URL on Friday.

Here’s the URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRAbuuDh4IE