In collaboration with the School of Music, Theatre & Dance (SMTD), we have launched the Center for American Band History Research, a new initiative bringing together historical collections, scholarship, teaching, and performance to advance the study of the music, musicians, and social resonance of the wind band in the cultural life of the United States.
Last month, we hosted a “What’s In Your Attic?” open house-style events where members of our community brought their own paper treasures (letters, journals, photographs, prints, books, and maps) for discussion with Clements Curators and guest Americana collectors. A handful of our guests generously chose to donate materials to the Clements Library at this event, here are a few of those newly donated acquisitions!
Last night, October 29, we hosted our third annual Haunted Histories event. Organized by student intern Sam Huck, the historic murder mystery featured a variety of activities which provided guests with clues to solve the case.
The Thomas Gage papers, which have been housed at the Clements Library since William L. Clements himself purchased and donated them in 1937, give unique insight into the Revolutionary War from the British perspective. However, they also greatly inform the reader about everyday life in the colonies prior to the revolution. It is this aspect of the Gage story that Deborah Gage, a descendant of General Gage, focused on during A Conflict of Emotions: Thomas and Margaret Gage and the American Revolution on Wednesday, April 2, 2025.
Historic Visual Culture Graduate Assistant Annika Dekker describes her experience attending and speaking at Ephemera 45, the Ephemera Society of America’s annual conference.
