Keeping the Past Alive with Oral History
Located in the Morrison Library (inside the Doe Library)
10/5, Friday, 3 pm – 4:30 pm
What did an alumna from the Class of 1895 recall about college nearly 70 years later? How have some of Berkeley’s earliest African American faculty characterized their experiences on campus? What did a key campus administrator in the 1950s and 1960s think about the complex issues, events, and people that led to the Free Speech Movement? The answers to these fascinating questions are contained within the Regional Oral History Office’s (ROHO) vast collections on the history of the University of California and its impact on our world. Join ROHO staff to hear interview highlights and tips for documenting your own memories. You will also have the opportunity to record your own recollections about the University for inclusion in the collection.
Fiat Lux Redux Exhibit
Located in The Bancroft Library Gallery
10/5, Friday, 10 am – 4 pm, Gallery Talks at 11 am & 2 pm
10/6, Saturday, 10 am – 3 pm
In 1964, University of California President Clark Kerr commissioned photographer Ansel Adams and writer Nancy Newhall to create a commemorative book on the University’s centennial in 1968. The result, Fiat Lux (“Let there be light”), contains more than 6,000 photos capturing the spirit and growth of the University’s nine campuses at that time. This fall, Berkeley is undertaking an ambitious campuswide program of classes, exhibits, events, and more that bring these photos to light once again and invite everyone to contemplate the University’s prolific past and future prospects, especially during this difficult time. See dozens of signed fine prints in the exhibition Fiat Lux Redux: Ansel Adams and Clark Kerr, and learn about how they fit into the vision for public higher education in California. Curator Jack Von Euw will discuss the exhibit on Friday at 11 am and 2 pm.
The Magnes Collection Open House
Located at 2121 Allston Way, Downtown Berkeley
10/6, Saturday, 12 pm – 4 pm
10/7, Sunday, 12 pm – 4 pm
One of the preeminent Jewish collections in the world, The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life opened its new 25,000-square-foot home in downtown Berkeley last January. Join this open house to enjoy musical performances and curator-led tours of four new exhibitions, including prints and photographs by well-loved artists such as Marc Chagall and Neil Foldberg; a look at the Jewish fascination with list-making and inventories; art illustrating key 20th-century historial moments; and posters that offer a unique perspective on the renaissance of Jewish culture in Europe since the early 1980s.