Final weeks: See these 3 library exhibits before they close this month
Three exhibitions scheduled to end in January draw on Yale Library’s varied collections to explore very different topics: the videotaped testimonies of Holocaust survivors and witnesses, the symbolism of pearls in 18th-century imagery, and the aesthetic potential of representing data as art. All library exhibitions are free and open to the public.
In the First Person: The Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies
This is the first large-scale public exhibition of footage from the Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies. Excerpts from 19 video testimonies present the experiences of survivors and witnesses to the atrocities and genocide committed by Nazi Germany and its collaborators. Also on display are books, pamphlets, manuscripts, and documents from Yale Library collections. At the Beinecke Library through Jan. 28, 2025.
The Paradox of Pearls: Accessorizing Identities in the Eighteenth Century
Pearls figure prominently in pictures of celebrated and imagined figures across the 18th century. As jewelry, as embellishments to the body and dress, or set in precious objects, pearls accessorize, highlight, colonize, and perform. The exhibition explores the “paradox of pearls” by considering how the jewel’s varied and often contradictory meanings appear in period images and how practices from the past connect us to the powerful presence of pearls today. At the Lewis Walpole Library (Farmington, CT) through Jan. 31, 2025. “The Paradox of Pearls” may also be viewed as an online exhibition.
Curated to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Medical Library’s Bioinformatics Support Hub, this exhibition invites visitors to explore the aesthetic potential of scientific data, challenging the conventional perception of data as purely objective and highlighting its capacity to inspire artistic expression and creativity. The data visualizations and representations on view—created by Yale students, researchers, clinicians, and staff—transcend their scientific origins, revealing the inherent beauty and interpretative depth within data. At the Cushing/Whitney Medical Library through Jan. 15, 2025.
