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In Lowell, Massachusetts, the old brick buildings often loom large in the background. Hidden behind the Lowell National Historical Park, a former generator room and machine shop has sat shuttered for three decades. Its machines and equipment abandoned to the birds. This photographic series seeks to document the beauty in the decay. The machines, which once brought vitality to the city now monuments to its change.
The Undergraduate Architecture & Design Student Work Exhibit gives prospective students a visual sense of the types of classes and the variety of work they might encounter in the pursuit of an undergraduate Architecture Major or Design Minor at MIT. MIT’s undergraduate Architecture Major provides both a deep and broad education in the field of architecture. The program emphasizes the interconnected relationship between architectural design, building technology, computation, history, theory and criticism. The Department’s extensive offerings reflect the program’s commitment to the cultural, social, political, technological and ecological issues of the built environment. The Minor in Design (D-Minor) provides a hub […]
Artist & Curator: Thomas Gearty Location: Main Gallery & Reading Room In old books, time and pressure cause ink from engraved portraits to seep into the surrounding pages and imprint a copy of the original image. These copies are imperfect likenesses, but they may be more accurate portraits. What we believe we know of Shakespeare is as clear as a cliché; what we actually know of him resembles these faces that stare out at us—secondhand, obscured and blurred by time. An exhibition of prints from photographer and MIT staff member Thomas Gearty, “Book Marks” brings together a gallery of fading […]
In 1877, the first student from China matriculated at MIT. By 1910, China was sending more students to MIT than any other foreign country. From these beginnings, the Institute became one of the most popular overseas destinations for Chinese students, many seeking to contribute to their country’s modernization through engineering, science, and commerce. These students played a key role in bringing new technology and science back to China during an era of rapid modernization, while also promoting American understanding of China and its people. Early Chinese graduates of MIT produced numerous inventions, from the world’s first Chinese typewriter to the […]
Long before telephone or text, instantaneous messages travelled by telegraph. Explore the historic significance of this technological triumph of the 19th century through an exhibit featuring books, telegrams, photographs, and ephemera from the Libraries’ Peterson Telegraphy Collection. The Whole Wired World One of the great innovations of the 19th century, the telegraph, signaled the dawn of the Information Age. The Marconi Legacy Princess Marconi, the daughter of Guglielmo Marconi, Nobel Prize winner and inventor of wireless telegraphy, comes to MIT to speak with us about his legacy.
Humans interact with animals in many different ways. We see some as friends, others as mortal threats. Animals plow our land, pull our wagons, feed us and clothe us. They serve as mascots for sports teams and institutions. Animals orbited the earth before we did, and were the very first hot-air balloon passengers as well. “Quadrupedia: The Animal Kingdom Considered” looks at the complicated relationships between humans and animals – quadrupeds in particular – as reflected in the MIT Libraries’ rare book collections. Classic works by Linnaeus and Cuvier will be on display, along with Audubon prints and a book […]
DRESSES is a series that turns “digital collages into objects that can be seen, worn, and felt instead of living on a computer screen.” Special thanks to Derek Palmer Photography and Nadya Peek. Location: Reading Room Columns
For nearly ten years (1966-1975) Hanoi artist Lê Lam risked his life and lived in South Vietnam recording, in paint, the war which raged all around him. This exhibition contains more than twenty of the thousands of striking sketches and paintings he made during those years. Location: Main Gallery + Entrance Case
This photography series highlights the advertising methods used for retail shops without large display windows in Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda. In the context of Rwanda’s “Vision 2020” of becoming a knowledge-based middle income country, how will these evocative storefront typologies fit within or even influence this narrative of progress? Location: Reading Room Case
“Living on the Somerville/Medford line, I have been fascinated by the statues of the Virgin Mary, Jesus, and various saints that often decorate the yards in the neighborhood. In an era where one’s religious conviction is a private matter, I am drawn to these public proclamations of faith from a previous generation that is often the first on this side of the Atlantic. The shrines have been placed in commemoration of a loved one, of a promise made to God in a time of stress, or as a simple reminder of faith. Some of them are maintained with great care […]
