News

Wrap-up: Curating & Exhibitions interest Group Meetup Akito Tsuda: Pilsen Days Exhibition Tour

On April 4, 2025, the Curation & Exhibitions Interest Group visited the Chicago Public Library’s Harold Washington Library Center’s exhibition Akito Tsuda: Pilsen Days.

The exhibition tells the story of Akito Tsuda and showcases his photography. Arriving in Chicago from Japan in 1988 at the age of 21, Tsuda enrolled at Columbia College Chicago in 1990. For a class photography assignment, Tsuda encountered Pilsen, where he was accepted in the homes and lives of the residents. Despite knowing only some English and no Spanish, Tsuda developed relationships with the people he photographed and made over 500 striking and intimate images in collaboration with the community. Exhibition project manager Johanna Russ guided CAA guests through the exhibit and shared insights into CPL’s exhibition development process.

Curation & Exhibitions Interest Group moderator Patti Gibbons and nine attendees participated in the event.

Please join us in congratulating the CAA’s 2025 Member of the Year award winner Patti Gibbons! Award winners were announced at the CAA Annual Meeting on March 19.

Patti is currently the organizer of CAA’s Curating and Exhibitions Interest Group. Since she assumed leadership in 2022, she has been active in planning both in-person and virtual events for the group. Along with Carol Ng-He, Patti co-wrote the book Exhibits & Displays: A Practical Guide for Librarians, which came out in 2021. Recently, she launched a new initiative called "On View: Exhibition Announcement" in which she has encouraged CAA members to share information about current and upcoming exhibitions in libraries and archives to help increase the visibility of their work.

Patti is the Head of Collection Management and Exhibits at the University of Chicago's Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center. She’s been a member of CAA since 2020.

Please join us in congratulating the Chicago Area Archivists 2025 Janet Olson Award winner Stephanie Giordano! Award winners were announced at the CAA Annual Meeting on March 19.

Stephanie became the CAA webmaster in 2010 and has worked tirelessly behind the scenes for many years to keep our website operational and useful for both our members and the public. She has been creative and resourceful, and her work has helped CAA grow and stay relevant and accessible. Stephanie's fourteen year tenure as webmaster was an unprecedented length for CAA, and we have all benefited from her long service to the organization.

Stephanie is the Heritage Communications Manager at Rotary International, where she leads a dedicated team of archivists, asset managers, researchers, and content creators in preserving and celebrating Rotary's rich 120-year history. She has been with Rotary for 17 years, and prior to joining Rotary, she spent close to 10 years working at various cultural heritage institutions in the Chicago area.

A member of CAA since before 2008, Stephanie has also served on the Steering committee and the business archives group subcommittee.

CAA’s 2024-2025 Annual Meeting was held March 19th at the Chicago Symphony Center. There was a robust turnout with 25 in-person attendees and another 10 joining us over Zoom. Updates were given by the Steering Committee and our subcommittees and interest groups. The Steering Committee candidates for this year gave statements in advance of the election. And, the Member of the Year and Janet Olson Award winners were announced.

We wrapped up the evening with a chance for members to meet with the various subcommittee chairs and interest group leaders.

Meeting minutes can be accessed here.

It was a great celebration of all CAA has accomplished in 2024-2025!

On View: Exhibition Announcement

The Black Alchemists
The Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection, Chicago Public Library
George Cleveland Hall Branch, Chicago Public Library, 4801 S Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60615

Opened March 20, 2025

The Black Alchemists highlights a pivotal group of 20th-century African American visual artists who harnessed the power of creativity to bring about positive transformation within their community and society. From the 1930s to the 1950s, these visual artists of the Black Renaissance played a critical role in empowering communities and individuals on Chicago’s South Side at a time when the city and society was insistent on doing the opposite.

Delving into the legacy of four of the era’s visionaries – William Edouard Scott, Marion Perkins, Gordon Parks, and Margaret Burroughs, The Black Alchemists provides insight into the social challenges artists of the era faced, informs of the preservation of the historical materials that tell their stories, and demonstrate how these artists empowered and transformed their community through their artistic practice, which many continue to benefit from today. The exhibit’s historical narrative conveys the impact of African American artistic alchemy and its lasting impact on art and culture in Chicago.

The Black Alchemists is the inaugural program offering of “Magnitude and Bond: Linking and Building Relationships Across Chicago’s Black Visual Art Collections" project at the Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection. The project aims to increase awareness and discoverability of Chicago Public Library’s rich archives and historical resources related to African American art history, while also supporting emerging scholars of Black, Indigenous, and communities of color heritage. The project and exhibit are made possible with generous support from the Getty Foundation and the Chicago Public Library Foundation.

Information for Your Visit:
The Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection, Chicago Public Library
George Cleveland Hall Branch, Chicago Public Library, 4801 S Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60615
Monday and Wednesday, 10am-6pm | Tuesday and Thursday, 12am-8pm | Friday and Saturday, 9am -5pm | Sunday 1pm to 5pm
Free and open to all
https://www.chipublib.org/

Special Event Information:

Opening event, Saturday March 29th, 2025 at 3pm

On Saturday, March 29th at 3pm, please join us at the George Cleveland Hall Branch for The Power of Black Art in Archives, the opening event for The Black Alchemists exhibit. This in-person presentation with Getty Fellow and exhibit curator, April Chambers, will explore the artwork, careers, and impact of visual artists of the Chicago Black Renaissance. Chambers will also delve into the establishment of Black art institutions, a testament to the power of art in shaping communities. More information available via this link.

For more information, contact: Harsh Research Collection; harshcollection@chipublib.org

Are you launching a new exhibit?

CAA members are welcome to share news of exhibits on view at their institutions. Please tell us more on this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSesaDrz5BstR9CMUtLNlVVl-uiwUSr_sbE6L1TK7BY2ehbV1w/viewform

On View: Exhibition Announcement

Archivos Vivos by Adrián 'Viajero' Roman
National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture
March 8, 2025 through January 17, 2026

An immersive exhibition that delves into the themes of memory, loss, survival, and cultural preservation, offering a poignant reflection on the ongoing journey of Puerto Rican communities both on the island and throughout the diaspora. As viewers traverse the exhibit, they are guided through the complex layers of migration, grappling with the tensions between belonging and displacement, the pervasive impact of colonialism, and the emotional toll of economic instability.

A central element of the exhibition is the integration of archival materials, including vintage photographs, historical documents, and found objects—each imbued with deep resonance for the Puerto Rican experience. The archival elements not only anchor the artwork in history but also heighten the significance of memory in the face of displacement and change. Through these objects, the exhibition emphasizes the vital role of preserving the past to better understand the present and future.

Information for Your Visit:
National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture
3015 W Division St.
Chicago, IL 60622
Tuesday-Thursday 10a-5p; Fridays 10a-4p; and Saturdays 10a-2p
Free and open to all
www.nmprac.org
For more information, contact: info@nmprac.com

Are you launching a new exhibit?
CAA members are welcome to share news of exhibits on view at their institutions. Please tell us more on this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSesaDrz5BstR9CMUtLNlVVl-uiwUSr_sbE6L1TK7BY2ehbV1w/viewform

On View: Exhibition Announcement

Digital exhibit

Wendy Clarke: Love Is All Around

Video Data Bank

February 12, 2025 through April 15, 2025  

Video Data Bank is pleased to celebrate Valentine's Day (and beyond) with Wendy Clarke's "Love Tapes" (2011) in a new VDB TV program! VDB's Archive and Collection Manager, Kristin MacDonough, has curated a selection of five excerpts from Clarke's iconic series “Love Tapes,” a collection of video recordings of 2,500 people from diverse backgrounds who share their personal feelings about love. This winter, Kristin spoke with the artist at length about the "Love Tapes," and the interview is available to read alongside the program.

Love, as described throughout the tapes, is not defined by any one singular meaning, but is instead contextualized by the variety of personal perspectives and experiences within this collection. These interpretations of love explore lust, friendship, first love, and familial love. The "Love Tapes" project consists of dozens of edited tapes from 1977-2011 and is ongoing. This VDB TV program highlights "Love Tapes" recently remastered for preservation by Clarke and the Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research through a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Digital exhibit: https://www.vdb.org/vdb-tv

For more information, contact:

Kristin Mac Donough kristin@vdb.org

Video Data Bank

www.vdb.org  

Are you launching a new exhibit?

CAA members are welcome to share news of exhibits on view at their institutions. Please tell us more on this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSesaDrz5BstR9CMUtLNlVVl-uiwUSr_sbE6L1TK7BY2ehbV1w/viewform

Invisible to Whom? Selections from the Robert A. Sengstacke Archive

Black Metropolis Research Consortium

University of Chicago’s Regenstein Library

February 12 through June 30, 2025

In response to Ralph Ellison’s 1952 novel Invisible Man, author Toni Morrison posed a profound question: “Invisible to whom?” Morrison challenged the idea of the Black protagonist’s “invisibility,” arguing that it reflected a worldview shaped by white supremacy. This exhibition rejects the white gaze, celebrating the powerful and profound connections that emerge when Black people see and affirm one another.

Robert A. “Bobby” Sengstacke (1942–2017) was a prolific photographer who devoted over half a century to chronicling Chicago’s cultural and political landscape. Best known for his work with the newspaper, The Chicago Defender—where he also served as editor—Sengstacke was pivotal in visually documenting the city’s Black community. This selection of photographs reflects his deep compassion and tenderness for his people, inviting us to reimagine what it means to see and be seen in a racially stratified world, while underscoring the power of controlling our own narratives and representations.

Curated by Rashieda Witter, this exhibition is made possible through the generous support of the Black Metropolis Research Consortium, Myiti Sengstacke-Rice, Chicago Defender Charities, UChicago’s Visual Resources Center, the Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, the Terra Foundation for American Art, and the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation.

Digital Exhibit: https://bmrc.lib.uchicago.edu/portal/exhibits/invisible-to-whom-selections-from-the-robert-a-sengstacke-archive/

Information for Your Visit:

Regenstein Library

1100 E. 57^th Street

Chicago, IL 60637

Mon- Thursday 8am – 12 midnight; Fri 8am -11pm; Sat 9am-11pm; Sunday 9am to 12 midnight

Free and open to all

https://bmrc.lib.uchicago.edu/   

For more information, contact: Rashieda Witter, rashieda@uchicago.edu

Are you launching a new exhibit?

CAA members are welcome to share news of exhibits on view at their institutions. Please tell us more on this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSesaDrz5BstR9CMUtLNlVVl-uiwUSr_sbE6L1TK7BY2ehbV1w/viewform

A Pressing Call: 500 Years of Women Printing
University of Chicago Library, Special Collections Research Center
January 2 through April 18, 2025

Quick, name a printer! Johannes Gutenberg, Aldus Manutius, or John Baskerville might come to mind—men whose printer's devices hang across the hall outside the Special Collections Exhibition Gallery. If asked to name a woman who worked as a printer, however, many of us will draw a blank – though it is not for a lack of women participating in the printing industry. From the earliest era of hand-press printing in late 15th-century Europe, women have worked in the print trade in a variety of roles including as publishers, print shop proprietors, typesetters and compositors, and booksellers. Using case studies and the works of women printers from Yolande Bonhomme to Virginia Woolf, this exhibition explores the following questions: Who qualifies as a printer, and how has that definition changed during 500 years of technological innovations to printing in the West?

Digital exhibit: https://www.lib.uchicago.edu/collex/exhibits/a-pressing-call-500-years-of-women-printing/

Information for Your Visit:

Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center
University of Chicago Library
1100 E. 57^th Street
Chicago, IL 60637
M, Tu, Th, F 9 am-4:45 pm, W 10 am-4:45 pm
Free and open to all

https://www.lib.uchicago.edu/scrc/

For more information, contact: Patti Gibbons, pgibbons@uchicago.edu

Are you launching a new exhibit?

CAA members are welcome to share news of exhibits on view at their institutions. Please tell us more on this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSesaDrz5BstR9CMUtLNlVVl-uiwUSr_sbE6L1TK7BY2ehbV1w/viewform

Forty-seven members of CAA gathered for the 2024 Holiday Party on Thursday December 12th, 2024. Returning to the Exchequer in the Loop for the first time in some years, members were treated to drinks, pizza, and general merriment. The event was well attended and it was a great way to reconnect with members and make new connections.

Raffle prizes were given out and a silent auction was held benefiting the Archives and Archivists of Color travel fund.

Thanks to the Holiday Party Planning Committee for organizing the event, thank you to all who donated prizes, and a special thanks to Gretchen Neidhardt for making the event possible.

On to 2025!

Thanks to Jerice Barrios for the photos.