“Expanding the Home Circle” exhibition in Special Collections

July 23, 2012
Frances Elizabeth Willard learning to ride a bicycle.

A new exhibit, “Expanding the Home Circle: An Exhibit of Artists’ Books Paired with Illustrated Books 
from the Cairns Collection of American Women Writers,” is on display in Memorial Library’s Special Collections department. The exhibit, on display until Sept. 14, was created and curated by UW-Madison art department alumna Rachel Melis.

“This current exhibit focuses on American women writers, and features the work of Melis, a contemporary book artist, who took inspiration from the Cairns Collection,” says Curator of Special Collections Robin Rider.

Special Collections, located on Memorial Library’s ninth floor, is open weekdays 9:00-5:00. The exhibit is open to the public; visitors without a UW-Madison ID may obtain a day-long visitor’s pass with photo ID.

Authors represented in the exhibit include Lydia Maria Child, Abby Morton Diaz, Eliza Farnham, Margaret Fuller, Caroline Kirkland, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Frances Elizabeth Willard and many others. The Cairns Collection is supported by an endowment from the estate of William B. Cairns, who taught in the UW-Madison English department.

A copy of Melis’ new book, Unsexed & Unsphered, Volume 1: A Chapter from A New Home-Who’ll Follow & An Essay from A Book for the Home Circle by Mrs. Caroline Kirkland with a Preface by the Artist Ms. Rachel L. Melis, featuring letterpress-printed type and copper engravings, is also on display.

Read the full article by Kylie Peterson for UW-Madison News.

Visit these links for more information about:

Special Collections exhibitions (past and upcoming)
The Cairns Collection of American Women Writers