2010-11 VCU Libraries Exhibits
Holidays Past – Ukrop’s, Miller & Rhoads and Reynolds’s Metals Co.
A grocery store, a retail department store, and a firm that sells aluminum foil were all long time Richmond companies that had strong cultural and economic ties to the city. They are all gone now - either out of business (Ukrop's and Miller & Rhoads) or have left Richmond (Reynold's). This exhibit spotlighted some unusual artifacts from these companies - including Holiday Aluminum Wrap from the Reynold's Co., gift boxes from Miller and Rhoads, and a variety of ephemera from Ukrop's. |
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Charles Vess
Charles Vess (1951-) is a VCU alumnus and respected fantasy art and comic-book illustrator. He’s won several awards, including Will Eisner Comics Industry Awards. Born in Lynchburg, Vess earned a BFA in Printmaking at VCU in 1974 prior to moving to New York City. Vess lives in Abdingdon, Virginia where he runs Green Man Press Studio. In 2007, he began donating his working library to VCU Libraries. |
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Spiral-Bound:Top Secret Summer by Aaron Renier, published in 2005.
Comic art is often difficult to classify based on age group. You can’t judge the maturity of a story by its art. This exhibit showcases many of the comic books and graphic novels that may appear to appeal to a younger audience, but in actuality, they can be enjoyed by everyone. The graphic novels displayed come from a variety of genres, including fantasy, funny animal, and biography. |
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Out of RVA
Richmond and the VCU campus have always been hubs of artistic creativity and production in Virginia. This exhibit highlights some of the comic artists who have lived, worked, and/or attended school in the area. These artists include Michael Wm. Kaluta, Wiley Miller, Bill Nelson, Phil Trumbo, Charles Vess, Mark Waid, and Mike Weiringo. A few of these artists contributed to Fan Free Funnies, a three-issue supplement to The Commonwealth Times in the early 1970s. In addition to the artists, two local publishers are highlighted as well as issue number three of the comic book Local that takes place in Richmond. |
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A Sandman convention sketch by Charles Vess.
Neil Gaiman (b. 1960) is a science fiction and fantasy writer whose works spans several forms of writing, such as short stories, novels, comic books, audio theater, and screenplays. His most recognizable works include American Gods, The Sandman, Stardust, and Coraline. |
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B-11226: fifty years of silence, Eugene Kellner's story
Items from the Women’s Studio Workshop (WSW) - Founded in 1974, WSW is the largest publisher of hand printed, hand bound artists’ books in the country. They have specialized studios in printmaking, papermaking, photography, letterpress printing, and ceramics. Their programs are centered on the artistic process and often informed by feminist values. VCU’s Special Collections and Archives is a repository for WSW with about 170 books from their collection. For more about the Women’s Studio Workshop, see their website. http://www.wsworkshop.org/index.ht |
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VISIONAIRE issue #39, Play VISIONAIRE
VISIONAIRE is an art and fashion multi-format serial produced three times a year since 1991. Collaboration among various artists, designers, and celebrities is a key component of the series. Each issue is created with a unique theme and format. Special Collections and Archives houses six of these limited edition issues at VCU Libraries: Solar (no. 56), Surprise (no. 55), Sound (no. 53), Dreams (no. 43), Play (no. 39), and Love (no. 38). For more information on the VISIONAIRE series, please visit their web site at http://www.visionaireworld.com/index.php |
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George E. Hoffer Automobile Catalog Collection
The automobile catalogs presented in this exhibit are from the George E. Hoffer Automobile Catalog Collection which is housed in Special Collections and Archives. The collection contains over 1000 catalogs and was compiled by Dr. George E. Hoffer, Emeritus Professor of economics at VCU. Dr. Hoffer began teaching at VCU in 1970 and has focused his professional research for the last 33 years on the automobile industry. Dr. Hoffer began collecting automobile catalogs in 1960 from local Richmond area car dealers. Most of the catalogs in the collection come from the annual car shows in Detroit. The collection documents over 40 years of automotive history and advertising of both domestic and foreign car manufactures. |
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Artifacts of Richmond Professional Institute
On display are a number of student annuals, posters, RPI cafeteria tray, and other ephemera and school artifacts produced in the 1950s and 1960s by Richmond Professional Institute which merged with the Medical College of Virginia to become Virginia Commonwealth University in 1968. |
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