University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries Magazine 2017 Summer Libraries Magazine | Page 6

A Year of Shakespeare Comes Full Circle
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By Erin Doherty
6 | LIBRARIES Summer 2017
016 was the Year of Shakespeare in Wisconsin. What a year it was,
with the University of Wisconsin–Madison Libraries leading the
effort to bring William Shakespeare’s work and legacy to the state
like never before. After months of Shakespeare-themed events, the
Libraries, along with their partners the Chazen Museum of Art and
the UW–Madison Arts Institute, welcomed Shakespeare’s First Folio to
campus in the fall. With the Chazen serving as the official exhibition
host, the community enjoyed the First Folio, along with several
supplementary exhibits hosted at the Chazen and the Department of
Special Collections.
The celebrations leading up to the Folio’s arrival included events
like performances of Shakespeare’s plays by American Player’s Theatre
and “Holding History” sessions hosted by UW–Madison English
professor Joshua Calhoun. Susan Barribeau, the UW–Madison English
Language and Humanities Librarian who served as Project Manager
for Shakespeare in Wisconsin, reported that the success of the year-
long efforts exceeded her expectations.
“Our outreach was very successful, creating new connections with
K-12 groups, theatre companies, campus student groups, and faculty
members,” she said. “I was extremely pleased with the programs and
collaborations that occurred during the Year of Shakespeare.”
The Folio exhibition itself attracted nearly 20,000 visitors, including
hundreds of students of all ages from Wisconsin schools. Barribeau
praised the Chazen Museum in particular for its contributions and
exhibition of the Folio.
“The Chazen Museum outdid itself in bringing the perfect complementary exhibition of
large and dramatic posters from Shakespeare theatre productions around the world,” she
said. “The juxtaposition of the First Folio in its relative simplicity and the vibrant and visually
compelling posters was perfect.”
The Libraries would like to extend their profound thanks to the Chazen, the UW–Madison
Arts Institute, the American Library Association, and the Folger Shakespeare Library for their
tireless efforts in putting together the Year of Shakespeare.
Opposite page: The public enjoys the official opening of the First
Folio exhibition at the Chazen Museum of Art, Nov. 4, 2016.
Top: Assistant Professor Joshua Calhoun looks through a copy of
the Second Folio in the Department of Special Collections.
Above: The First Folio on exhibit at the Chazen Museum of Art.
Right: Title page of the First Folio (Folger Library).
Below: Members of the public get their first look at the First
Folio exhibit.
University of Wisconsin–Madison | 7