Public Programs

Jump to Exhibitions

Upcoming Events

22 Jul
Photos of the front and back covers of a book bound in birch bark and decorated with colorful quillwork wreaths and a red heart. The front cover also has quillwork text reading, "G. W. O. ypsilanti".

Mike Kelly: Indigenous Agency and Intervention in the Bibliographical Record
The 2026 NEH-SHARP Living American History in Primary Documents Lecture

5:30 p.m. ET • Hybrid

This talk will draw from the past thirteen years that Mike Kelly has spent building the Native American Literature Collection in the Archives & Special Collections at Amherst College, as well as current work to incorporate Indigenous knowledge into library, archives, and museum practices. Kelly will demonstrate how a deep knowledge of traditional bibliography coupled with an understanding of Indigenous history results in a rich and complex understanding of this aspect of book history.

Photos of the front and back covers of a book bound in birch bark and decorated with colorful quillwork wreaths and a red heart. The front cover also has quillwork text reading, "G. W. O. ypsilanti".

Current
Exhibition

Poster for Objects of Poetry exhibition, with the title, location, and sponsor details overlaid against a collage image of a tall, snow-covered mountain, a splash of dark red, and, at the bottom, a plate of text turned on its side

Objects of Poetry

  • Exhibition Dates
    May through November 2026
  • This exhibition highlights the tangible forms that make poetry possible. From metal to silk parchment to paper pulp, calligraphy to typography, this show will be a feast for the senses.
Learn more about Objects of Poetry
Photo of a dark-haired woman with glasses leaning over to adjust a book on display in a glass-shelved display case.

All Exhibitions

Since 1992, Rare Book School has curated a wide range of exhibitions at the University of Virginia, as well as at the Grolier Club in New York.

View Exhibitions