Creativity in Work and Life
The Stanford University Libraries have venues for exhibitions and lectures in several locations. Visitors in April, for example, can view the showcases in Green Library and the nearby East Asia Library described below. Visit on a Friday and make a day of it by registering in advance for a guided tour at 2pm of the David Rumsey Map Center! When you are making plans to be on campus, please check the Exhibits, Events and Workshops listings for opening hours and other information.
ART/WORK | Creative Pursuits of Stanford Libraries Staff
Fifty varied artworks, selected from over a hundred entries of creative work in any medium by the staff of Stanford University Libraries, are on view in Green Library through April 27. The intentions of the librarian artists range from innovation in traditional techniques, such as black and white photography and acrylic oil painting, to experimentation in bold, new genres such as digital painting, flash fiction, and free verse poetry.
Audrey Chang ‘28, a writer for The Stanford Daily, reviewed the exhibit and interviewed its designer, Deardra Fuzzell, and a few of the artists. “Behind the scenes of Stanford’s libraries, a dedicated staff works tirelessly to make resources and services run smoothly. From conservation units and administration to a digitization lab, these individuals and their work are often unseen by students or the larger community,” said Chang, adding that the exhibit aims “to bridge this gap and celebrate the creativity and talent of the library staff.”
Each artist also submitted a brief personal statement of artistic motivation and experience. Some took up their arts and crafts for the first time during the COVID isolation, when others renewed their creative interests. Several said that they normally do not seek an audience but took this unusual opportunity to do so. Others described close connections to their library work and to their backgrounds in letterpress printing and bookbinding.
The combined productions are a dazzling array of prints, collages, photographs, artist books, sculptures, ceramics, and a diorama. Drawings and paintings are accomplished in colored pencils, inks and markers, Conté crayons, charcoals and watercolors. Among the textiles and fabrics, there are quilts, crochets, embroideries, felts, linens, and handspun wool. Exhibit hours and additional information are available on Stanford’s Events Calendar.
Translating Three Japanese Masters, Yumiko Kurahashi, Ryuichi Tamura, and Kazuko Shiraishi: Selections from the Yumiko Tsumura Collection
Selections from a recent donation from Yumiko Tsumura, a local poet and translator, related to three major modern Japanese authors are on view in the East Asia Library through May 13. Items in the exhibition include original manuscripts and seldom seen books and ephemera.
Dr. Regan Murphy Kao, director of the East Asia Library, said: “Yumiko Kurahashi’s meteoric career began with Parutai (The Party), a brilliant satire of the Japanese leftist students' movement that she wrote while still a student. The poetry of Ryuichi Tamura, perhaps the most renowned post-WWII Japanese poet, searingly reveals the agony of war. Kazuko Shiraishi, known for performing her provocative poetry with jazz accompaniment, has been called the ‘Allen Ginsberg of Japan.’ Each left a powerful critique of the modern world.”
Dr. Murphy Kao interviewed Ms. Tsumura to learn more about her background, the history of this collection, and the artists whose work is featured in the exhibition. Tsumura’s grandfather operated a vineyard in Fresno until being incarcerated in an internment camp and shipped to Japan following the end of World War II. “The experience of living through the war definitely affected my direction in life. I was drawn to poetry, having seen my samurai father writing tanka poems and listened to him reciting kanshi (Chinese poems) as a child,” Tsumura said. “Poetry offered me a vehicle for realizing my dream of bridging the gap between Japan and America.”
The East Asia Library regularly hosts small, focused book and art exhibitions, which are increasingly popular with the students who study there. Vivian Liang ’26 wrote about the prior exhibit in The Stanford Daily: “Walking into the East Asian Library, one is immediately enveloped by the quiet hum of contemplation. The very atmosphere lends itself to the delicate interplay of ink, space and spirit in South Korean artist Cheonggae Ilsu Cha’s literati paintings.” Exhibit hours are posted on Stanford’s Events Calendar.