Current Exhibitions The exhibitions at the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center are a vital part of our role as cultural presenter. The exhibitions enable Boston University students, faculty and staff, as well as the general public, to explore first-hand the Center's remarkable collections. Drawing on personal papers, news articles, historic pictures, personal effects and other memorabilia to tell their stories, our exhibits provide rare insights into both the public personae and the private lives of the more than 2,000 extraordinary people whose archives are housed here. The Center also presents exhibits on political, social, religious and cultural movements that have played critical roles in contemporary culture, such as the African American experience, 20th century espionage, or the history of comic art. Whatever the exhibit's focus, viewers come away with a deeper understanding of the people and events that continue to shape our lives.
| The Richards-Frost Room featuring the exhibition, The American Civil War: Treasures from the Vault. |
The Bay State Banner
Boston Revisited: Fifty Years of the Bay State Banner
This major exhibition is presented in conjunction with the publication of the book, Boston's Banner Years: 1965 - 2015.; This volume is a celebration of the challenges and successes of the community chronicled by The Bay State Banner over five decades. What the book tells in text, the exhibition displays in images.
Dr. Adelaide Cromwell
Adelaide McGuinn Cromwell: In Memoriam, 1919-2019
This exhibition examines the life and work of Dr. Adelaide M. Cromwell, who passed away on June 8, 2019. A cofounding faculty member of the African Studies Center and founder of the African American Studies program at Boston University, Dr. Cromwell (Hon.'95) was a long-time professor of sociology at Boston University and was renowned for her research on African American elites and black leadership.
W. E. B. Du Bois
W. E. B. Du Bois
This small exhibition celebrates the life and work of author, historian, sociologist, editor, and civil rights activist W. E. B. Du Bois and was created in collaboration with the conference, "W. E. B. Du Bois and the History & Philosophy of Science," March 29, 2019.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Pin His Ear to the Wisdom Post: Martin Luther King, Jr., and the School of Prophets
The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who received his doctorate from the School of Theology in 1955 six months before he stepped into history as the leader of the legendary Montgomery Bus Boycott, is not merely the most celebrated graduate of Boston University; he is its quintessential alumnus, the personification of the vision its founders had in establishing the institution in 1839.
Robin Williams
What's New in Our Vault
This exhibition showcases a variety of material from the recent additions to our collections at the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center.