Online Exhibitions
The College maintains a regular series of physical exhibitions in both the Old Library and Longwall Library which are curated by affiliated academic staff and fellows, the librarian and archivist, and other members of the College. Some of these exhibitions have been converted to online exhibition for the permanent enjoyment for all; other online exhibitions are narratives that have been crafted specifically for an online environment.
LATEST EXHIBITION:
Marginalised histories: experiences of people of colour within Magdalen’s past
People of colour have been part of the Magdalen community for at least 175 years. Their experiences have, however, often been marginalised in accounts of the College’s past. This exhibition begins to explore what fragmentary sources from the Magdalen archives can tell us about the lives and identities of some of College’s students and staff since the nineteenth century. This exhibition emerges from the work of five student interns whose diverse skills and perspectives shape the stories we tell.
The exhibition is part of College’s long-term commitment to bring to light overlooked aspects of Magdalen’s heritage. The objects shared help us to reflect on our complex, diverse, and sometimes uncomfortable past. By uncovering these histories – and bringing the exhibition online – we seek to contribute to on-going conversations about the actions we can all take to make a welcoming and inclusive community at Magdalen, in Oxford, and beyond. Find out more about these important stories and histories in this online exhibition: marginalisedhistories.magd.ox.ac.uk
The Wolsey Manuscripts
Only half a decade before England broke with the Roman Catholic Church, two intensely beautiful liturgical manuscripts were made for the country’s leading cleric. For Thomas Wolsey, cardinal and first minister of Henry VIII, only the best would do: the manuscripts had to be handwritten, not printed, and were to be produced by the leading artisans of his day. Over time, these books moved in and out of royal and cathedral libraries and eventually found their way back to Oxford, in Magdalen College and Christ Church. Explore the two lectionaries side-by-side and read expert commentary in this online exhibition: wolseymanuscripts.ac.uk
Fragments of Note
Most of the music that survives from medieval England is preserved in fragments of manuscripts, scraps which have been cut from the original books and used for other purposes. Magdalen College is one of the few small research libraries in the country to preserve an exceptional collection of such fragments, dating from the middle of the twelfth to the late fifteenth centuries, a collection which testifies to the developments in musical style, as well as in the production of musical books. Engage with these fragments and listen to them come to life again in this online exhibition: fragmentsofnote.magd.ox.ac.uk
The Flora & Fauna of Magdalen College
More than most Oxford colleges, Magdalen is home to a hugely diverse variety of plants and animals – from the famous deer herd to the occasionally glimpsed wild birds and mammals inhabiting the college’s extensive park land. These extensive grounds, a lucky consequence of having been the first college founded outside Oxford’s old city walls, have allowed the College to play host to a long history of animal life, maintained and wild parkland, from prize-winning pigs to enormous trees. Wander the grounds and learn some of our natural history in this online exhibition: florafauna.magd.ox.ac.uk
Making History: Christian Cole, Alain Locke & Oscar Wilde at Oxford
They were bright. They were audacious. They were, without a doubt, exceptional. Making History: Christian Cole, Alain Locke and Oscar Wilde at Oxford tells the story of three nineteenth and twentieth century trailblazers who changed Oxford University and the world beyond it. Christian Cole was one of Oxford University’s first Black African undergraduates, Alain Locke was the first African-American Rhodes scholar and dean of the Harlem Renaissance, and Oscar Wilde was the greatest Irish wit and dandy of all time. By drawing these three exceptional men together, this exhibition showcases Black and Queer undergraduates’ shared histories through rare archives that bear witness to their remarkable lives and times. Discover more in this fascinating online exhibition: makinghistory.magd.ox.ac.uk
Magdalen Means Business: From Inspiration to Enterprise
This online exhibition, based on the physical exhibition that ran in the Longwall Library from October 2019 – April 2020, celebrates the wide-ranging entrepreneurial success of the Magdalen community, focusing on the achievements of eight distinguished alumni. This success has been achieved in a wide range of industries, ranging from information technology and medicine to chemistry and disaster management. This website aims to support the college’s entrepreneurial network, preserving the exhibition content and allowing it to be accessed across the globe. Enjoy looking at the exhibition and watching the event recordings: magdalenmeansbusiness.magd.ox.ac.uk
Immobility
With this online exhibition, we open up the multiple dimensions of mobility, from movement to stillness, from the physical to the imaginary. Bringing together a number of themes, ranging from migration, maps and data, to music and the stars, we rethink ideas of what movement and stillness can be. We challenge popular conceptions of mobility and argue that immobility is also movement – simply from a different perspective. We also show how movement does not always happen along a straight path from A to B, and how it can change through time and space. Discover more: immobility.magd.ox.ac.uk
Women and Power? A Magdalen Story
‘Women and Power? A Magdalen Story’ raises questions about how power has been gendered at Magdalen College, Oxford, over more than 560 years. Why has power been dominated by men in institutions such as Magdalen? How have women accepted, used, and resisted power structures within College? In what contexts have women found ways to shape Magdalen, for themselves, for their peers, and for future generations?
Who speaks and who is heard are essential political questions for any community. One aim for ‘Women and Power? A Magdalen Story’ is to stimulate debate on how we build inclusive, diverse, and meaningful communities, for today and for the future. We hope that this online version for 2021 will help to widen this much-needed conversation. Explore the site now: womenandpower.magd.ox.ac.uk
Lawrence at Magdalen: a research portal
“Lawrence at Magdalen” acts as a portal bringing together all our collections relating to T.E. Lawrence (1888-1935) and his world. Lawrence was a Senior Demy (funded postgraduate) at Magdalen from 1911-1914. The online exhibition explores Lawrence’s many connections to Oxford city and University, his exploits in Arabia and his cultural legacy. This exhibition is based on the widely-acclaimed physical exhibition at Magdalen in 2018-19, curated by Dr Rory McCarthy and Daryl Green. As well as this exhibition, “Lawrence of Magdalen” highlights our newly-acquired collections relating to Lawrence, which will be made available to researchers for the first time. lawrenceatmagdalen.magd.ox.ac.uk
