Exhibits

Current Exhibit

For the Health of the State: The Medical School of Maine at Bowdoin College

Spring 2021

Shortly after Maine achieved statehood in 1820, the Medical School of Maine was established at Bowdoin College. For 100 years the School educated physicians to serve across the state and the world. In celebrating the bicentennial of Maine’s first medical education institute, we also look closely at the anniversary of its demise and contemporary issues surrounding access to healthcare.

Explore Exhibits Online

An mini exhibit to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the student newspaper, The Bowdoin Orient. The Orient was established in 1871 and is considered to be the oldest continuously-published college weekly in the U.S. Complete exhibit available online (Spring 2021)

In 1955, Roscoe H. Hupper (Class of 1907) presented Bowdoin College with a unique copy of John James Audubon’s double-elephant folio The Birds of America. Learn more about the book, its history, and public programming here. Complete exhibit available online.

In celebration of #BowdoinReunion we’ve dug into the College Archives to curate some memorable moments for Polar Bears celebrating their 2020 reunions. See what’s changed. See what will always remain the same. Complete exhibit available online (Spring 2020)

Maine’s complicated road to statehood culminated on March 15, 1820, when it became the twenty-third state. The State of Maine uses rare books, political tracts, maps, and other materials to explore the unexpected and familiar narratives that propelled statehood, and considers Bowdoin’s unique role in that journey. Preview digital exhibit (Spring 2019)

Tension and Tenacity: Africana Studies at 50 — 2019 marks five decades of the Africana Studies program, the African American Society, and the John Brown Russwurm Center at Bowdoin College. Culled from the College Archives’ collections, Tension/Tenacity seeks to consider the programs’ strengths and struggles while highlighting the people who have championed their existence. Complete exhibit available online (Fall 2019)

Interwoven: The Lives and Works of Martha Hall — For fiber and book artist Martha Hall (1949–2003), making art was a means of making sense of her world, including her extended battle with cancer. In this exploration of Hall’s archive, engage with her creative expressions as the tools she used to build powerful narratives to establish identity and community. Preview digital exhibit (Spring 2019)

Four hundred years of scientific tracts and book arts illustrate how artists, scientists, and thinkers have interpreted the most basic, and most mysterious, phenomenon: color. Preview digital exhibit (Spring 2018)

An exploration of how typography, illustration, printing, binding, and other physical aspects of the book bear witness to cultural, social and historical innovation. Preview digital exhibit (Fall 2017)