The Art Institute of Boston: Celebrating 100 Years

Central Library, Copley Square (Wiggin Gallery)
March 22–June 29, 2013
Monday, Wednesday, Friday, & Saturday: 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
Tuesday & Thursday: 9 a.m.–7 p.m.; Sunday: 1 p.m.–5 p.m.

The Art Institute of Boston: Celebrating 100 Years is 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 celebrates 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. The exhibition will showcase prints, drawings, and photographs by faculty and students selected from the Print Department’s collection of works on paper by artists with ties to Boston.

Boston in the Gilded Age: Mapping Public Places

Central Library, Copley Square (Norman B. Leventhal Map Center)
November 16, 2012–April 23, 2013
Monday–Thursday: 9 a.m.–7 p.m.; Friday & Saturday: 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
Sunday: 1 p.m.–5 p.m.

The Gilded Age–the era from the late 1860s to the late 1890s–was a period of significant growth and transformation in Boston. Ingenious engineering projects allowed the city to expand, and a devastating fire led to swift and progressive redevelopment of the commercial district. Designed to document Boston’s radically changing geography, this exhibition focuses on the evolving street pattern and emerging park system, developed for the City’s growing population. This story begins with the Boston Common and Public Garden. Moving west, the exhibition examines the growth of open spaces in Back Bay, then south to Frederick Law Olmsted’s Emerald Necklace, finishing with the development of Copley Square – the permanent home of the Boston Public Library.

Boston Sports Temples

Central Library, Copley Square (Johnson Lobby)
November 17, 2012 – May 31, 2013
Monday–Thursday: 9 a.m.–9 p.m.; Friday & Saturday: 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
Sunday: 1 p.m.–5 p.m.

Boston Sports Temples showcases Boston’s beloved sports venues—most notably the Boston Garden, Fenway Park, Braves Field, and Suffolk Downs—and their unique roles in the daily lives and hearts of generations of New Englanders.  Featuring the BPL’s outstanding collection of historic sports photography, the exhibition will follow the creation and evolution of these four great public venues; their varied and changing roles, functions, and communities of users; and their powerful connections with millions of devoted fans who have filled their seats night after night, season after season. This exhibition is sponsored by the Boston Public Library Foundation.
 

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

Central Library, Copley Square (Rare Books Lobby)
February 25–May 31, 2013
Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.

Not only did Daniel Defoe (c.1660-1731) write some of the first English novels, he imagined some of our most compelling novelistic plots, including Robinson Crusoe (1719) and Moll Flanders (1721).  This exhibition features the riches of the Boston Public Library’s William P. Trent Collection of Defoe and Defoeana.  One the most comprehensive rare book collections of Defoe’s works, the Trent Collection also features works that represent the early print culture of his time.  This is 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.