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Justice Illuminated: The Art of Arthur Szyk

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• Justice Illuminated: The Art of Arthur Szyk
  
  January 7- March 28, 2009
  
  This traveling exhibit from The Arthur Szyk Society supports curricula in art, art
  history, aesthetics, American history, modern European history, World War II studies,
  Holocaust studies, Slavic studies, Jewish studies, ethnic studies, and political science.
  
  The exhibit is free and open to the public, Monday through Friday, 1-4 pm. Classes and groups of fifteen or more, please contact Maranda Reilly at 412-268-1407 to check availability. To schedule an appointment for other times, contact Mary Kay Johnsen at 412-268-6622.
  
  
• Press Release
• Postcard
• Listen to Gloriana St. Clair and Anne Malloy talk about Szyk and exhibit
• View live webcast of lecture by Rabbi Irvin Ungar, Curator of the Arthur Szyk Society (January 25, 2009, 2pm)
  
  IMAGE Freedom from Fear (1942), Reproduced with the cooperation of The Arthur Szyk Society, Burlingame, CA

• Poetry and Prose Performances Project, p4 fall 2008
  
  The exhibit documents the p4 audio project (in process), which will bring high-quality recordings of great literature to YouTube later this semester.
  
  Conceived by fall 2008 Posner Center intern, Jessica Dickinson Goodman, a sophomore political science major, p4 features Carnegie Mellon student performers reading 15 of William Shakespeare’s sonnets and some of Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn.
  
  The exhibit created by Ms. Goodman illustrates her sources and documents the creative process. On why she proposed and created this project, she says: “I am not presenting these works as background material for modern works. I am presenting these works, here, in this format, in this year, because they can and do have immediate relevance to our lives, our loves, and our futures.” Jessica credits her alternative middle school, where teachers read assigned books aloud in class, with inspiring her work. She hopes the podcasts and videos on YouTube will enrich the cultural commons and become resources for students with reading disabilities.



• Representations of Queen Elizabeth I in Literature and Portraiture summer 2008
  
  Exhibit researched and prepared by spring 2008 Posner Center Intern Julianne Mentzer, H&SS 2008 (English & Philosophy).
  
  Representations of Elizabeth Tudor were used by her supporters to enhance her image as a worthy female ruler -- a force to be reckoned with, in England and abroad. The images evolved through various stages of her life and reign, and were crafted and explicated in the visual and literary arts of her time.



• Epistemology & Cognition spring 2008
  
  Featuring books from the Newell-Simon Collection, University Libraries' Special Collections



• The Familiar and the Strange: Science and The Time Machine summer 2007
  
  Exhibit by Posner Intern and junior professional writing major Christine Beaty.
  
  "The Familiar and the Strange" examines the influence of 19th century science on the development of science fiction using H.G. Well's 1895 The Time Machine as case study.
  
  The exhibit features landmark scientific works from the Posner Memorial Collection by Darwin, Pasteur, Maxwell, Einstein and others.



• Polyglot Press by Arthur Graham summer 2007
  
  Collection of Dr. Rudolph Fellner



• Striking Images: Chinese Matchbox Covers Highlight Country's History and Culture spring 2007
  
  Exhibit by Yuan Xiang.
  
  
  
• Vanity Fair: A Study in Adaptation spring 2007
  
  Exhibit by Posner Intern Deanna M. Mulye.
  
  The most common criticism of Mira Nair’s 2004 film, Vanity Fair, is one that often plagues films adapted from literature: critics and viewers alike thought that Nair’s adaptation was not faithful enough to the novel of the same name, written by William Makepeace Thackeray.
  
  Adaptation is not a direct translation of material, but rather a reshaping that retains a number of qualities from the original work. This exhibit considers the merits of Nair's Vanity Fair as a work of art in its own right, reflecting a literary source.
  
  
• Benjamin Franklin occasional display
  
  Exhibit by Mary Kay Johnsen, Fine Arts and Special Collections.
  
  
• Protean Probability: How A Mathematical Theory of Probability Wrestled Answers from Randomness summer-fall 2006
  
  Exhibit by Doctor of Philosophy candidate and Posner Intern Benjamin C. Jantzen.
  
  The mathematical theory of probability emerged abruptly during the Enlightenment. With a review of treatises from Huygens, Bernouilli, Montmort and De Moivre, this exhibit displays texts that represent different probability concepts bound together by a unified mathematical theory. Mathematics’ probability theory predicts results of seemingly random processes. Probability projects the possible outcomes of an event as well as the relative likelihood of those outcomes. It is the science of dice, atomic decay, the spread of disease, and myriad random occurrences. It also models processes we suppose to be in our heads, like the rules that govern our degree of belief in propositions about our world. The subject matter of probability is manifold, but the mathematics is strikingly uniform.
  
  
  
• Beautiful Books: An Exhibit of Fine Bindings from the Posner Collection occasional display
  
  Exhibit by Evangeline Levis, Fine Arts and Special Collections.
  
  Artistry, craftsmanship and design to delight the mind and eye.
  
  
  
• Charles Darwin's Impact on Science and Society [exhibit web pages] fall 2005
  
  Exhibit by Posner Intern and senior biological sciences major Rachel Gougian.
  
  Evolution is a relatively young concept. Only 150 years ago Charles Darwin and Alfred Russell Wallace were the first scientists to publish evolutionary research. On the Origin of the Species was published in November 1859 and, with this book, Darwin’s name became synonymous with his theory of evolution. As scientific research continued, the Darwinian model of evolution gained credibility as genetic principals were discovered. However, the theory still faces opposition from religious critics and others, and remains a heated debate in the public eye.
  
  
  
• Bill of Rights [fulltext] occasional display
  
  Exhibit by Bella Gerlich and Mary Kay Johnsen, Arts and Special Collections.
  
  In honor of Independence Day, one of four existing copies of the original U. S. Bill of Rights (1792) will be displayed.
  
  
  
• Scheherazade's Legacy spring 2005
  
  Exhibit by Posner Intern Mary Grace Duncan.
  
  Juxtaposes selected tales from the Arabian Nights with the work of women Carnegie Mellon art students, whose contemporary painting, sculpture and textiles interpret the themes of creativity, independence and cunning found in the tales -- and draw attention to women's diverse roles in Islamic cultures.
  
  

• Music of the Spheres fall 2004
  
  Exhibit by Posner Intern and music master's student Eric J. Goldman.
  
  At the scholarly core of the exhibit is an original Johannes Kepler treatise, Harmonices Mundi (Harmony of the World, 1619), which discusses the integral role of music in celestial movement, using geometry, astronomy and astrology. Examining the precedents and modern-day applications of Kepler's monumental ideas, the exhibit showcases the work of the ancient Hebrews, Euclid, Shakepeare, and Ptolemy (all in original editions), along with jazz great John Coltrane and composer Paul Hindemith. Former Purdue University Convocations Asst. Director Donald Seybold contributed his first-hand knowledge of the performance and music of John Coltrane to the exhibit.

With funding from the Posner Fine Arts Foundation, Carnegie Mellon student interns work directly with Posner Collection materials to research and create exhibits.

• About the Posner Internship Program

Additional ongoing and special Posner Center exhibits are the work of University Libraries faculty and staff.

The Posner Memorial Collection of six hundred twenty-two titles includes landmark titles of the history of western science, beautifully produced books on decorative arts and fine sets of literature.