Special Collections
Vanderbilt hosts international conference on leading Afro-Hispanic writer, activist
Apr. 1, 2021—Manuel Zapata Olivella, an Afro-Colombian novelist who became known throughout Latin America as the dean of Black Hispanic writers, will be celebrated during an international conference April 8–10 hosted virtually by Vanderbilt.
New series of classes highlights diverse disciplines, with Vanderbilt at the core
Jan. 29, 2021—A series of trans-institutional courses designed through the Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities is using Vanderbilt’s campus as a living lab, giving students—future historians, architects, archaeologists, curators and engineers among them—unique hands-on experiences.
University to salute character and resilience of Vanderbilt veterans
Nov. 9, 2020—Vanderbilt University is honoring the service of military veterans and celebrating their unique contributions to campus culture through a series of videos, social media posts, photo exhibitions and more to commemorate Veterans Day. Watch a video message from Chancellor Daniel Diermeier saluting Vanderbilt's veterans.
Vanderbilt University Special Collections acquires new Lawson photographs
Oct. 27, 2020—Rare photographs of the Rev. James M. Lawson Jr., a pivotal figure in the history of the civil rights movement and Vanderbilt University, have been acquired by the Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries.
Vanderbilt-Fisk collaboration profiles careers of highly successful Black women during Depression, Jim Crow era
Oct. 22, 2020—Vanderbilt-Fisk collaboration shares achievements of Black women artists in online ‘Women of Rosenwald’ exhibition, supported by the Mellon Partners for Humanities Education program.
Documenting the pandemic: Heard Libraries launch COVID-19 Archive
May. 8, 2020—The Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries invite the Vanderbilt community to document their experience with the COVID-19 pandemic for a new archive to benefit historians and future generations.
Reimagining a Lost Book
Feb. 17, 2020—Artists from the United States, Cuba and Haiti envision social change through reinterpretation of a lost work Visionary Aponte: Art and Black Freedom brings together 20 contemporary artists working across a range of media to interpret an extraordinary—and now lost—historical artifact: a so-called “Book of Paintings” created by José Antonio Aponte, a 19th-century Afro-Cuban revolutionary...
‘All Hallows: Witches, Magic and Things That Go Bump’ exhibit opens
Oct. 29, 2019—An exhibit focused on witchcraft, magic, fantastic beasts, tarot cards and more from Vanderbilt Special Collections is now on display at the Central Library.
‘Thinking 3D: Visualizing the Brain from the Renaissance to the Present’ open at Eskind Biomedical Library
Sep. 12, 2019—"Thinking 3D," an exhibition exploring the origins of modern neuroscience—including imagery of the brain—is open at the Eskind Family Biomedical Library and Learning Center.
‘The Iris at Vanderbilt and Peabody’ topic of exhibit at Vanderbilt’s Special Collections
Apr. 24, 2019—An exhibit on the history of irises at Vanderbilt University and Peabody College is on display at Vanderbilt University’s Special Collections through July 2019.
Tichi’s latest research is ‘how-to manual’ for Gilded Age socialites
Mar. 4, 2019—Cecelia Tichi, Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of English and professor of American studies, will discuss the many rules for making it into the top tier of late-19th century high society during a reading and discussion of her book "What Would Mrs. Astor Do?" March 13 in the Vanderbilt Library's Special Collections.
NPR podcast visits Immersion seminar on literary arts
Apr. 19, 2018—Eleven students shared stories about their first-year Vanderbilt experiences with Nashville poets, and the conversations were transformed into meaningful poems during a literary arts seminar.