MIT Libraries

Wojnarowicz in Cambridge is a series of photographic portraits composed in response to David Wojnarowicz’s Rimbaud in New York series. It brings queer visibility into the public sphere, inviting viewers to consider identity—as something constructed, as something fluid and changeable—so that the current dialogue (and debate) about identity politics becomes more nuanced, more inclusive, more representative.

Reception: September 14, 2022, 4-6pm in Rotch Library Gallery

This exhibition is of paintings by MIT alumna Susan E. Schur. Her work utilizes various techniques of employing oil paint on paper and board to create works that provide exciting, multi-layer visual experiences, with each viewer becoming an active participant in the realization of the vision presented.

Soft City is a large-scale textile series that maps the urban fabric of Black neighborhoods in the Boston area. The tapestries map historic (redlined) and contemporary Black neighborhoods, including Roxbury, Dorchester, and East Cambridge.

Reception: March 11, 5-6pm

By combining the intensity of poetry with vivid imagery, The Poetry of Science aims to strengthen the voices and experiences of distinct communities of color, synthesizing a striking poetic and visual language.

The Shingles Nest is a small pavilion installation that inhabits the Rotch Library and serves as a reading corner; visitors are invited to sit inside and enjoy the privacy and warmth of the wooden cocoon.

With a renovation of Charles Hayden Memorial Library, the MIT Libraries aim to create physical spaces that reflect the library of the future.

This exhibit brings together items from Hayden’s past — archival materials relating to its planning and dedication — with the vision for its future in a celebration of the library’s enduring role fueling research and learning at MIT.

What does it mean to remember? Sited in four Italian towns that have been indelibly changed by natural disasters, this exhibition explores the notion of architectural memory. Across Pompeii, Catania, Poggioreale, and Gibellina, each town...

Despite being known mostly for its strength in science and technology, MIT is home to many skilled artists who pursue their work inside and outside the Institute.

These works present a variety of thoughtful images reflecting their lives at home, in our community, and traveling.

The Irrawaddy River is the major waterway and largest river in Myanmar. It flows from north to south and it is used by Burmese people daily to take baths, do laundry, wash vegetables, and transport goods for trade and other commercial purposes.

Camila Chaves Cortes has taken three trips along the Irrawaddy watching the life, landscapes, and boats along the way. These inspired her to show these color photographs, cyanotypes, paintings, and a three-dimensional sculpture of one of the boats.

This exhibition is by Boston-based writer and artist and 2007 MIT alumni Will Dowd. These thirteen prints use the paintings of Vermeer—those paragons of visual perfection—to explore issues of sight and optics.

By manipulating these iconic artworks, Dowd allows viewers to see through his eyes—and visual impairment—thereby offering a fresh look at an old master.