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Upcoming Events: Kislak Center

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Jul 17
  • Workshop
Open to the Public

Coffee with a Codex: On the Spirit and the Soul

For Coffee With a Codex on July 17, Dot Porter will bring out a 15th century Italian manuscript of treatise De spiritu et anima, erroneously attributed to St. Augustine (actually written by Alcherus of Clairvaux).

  • July 17, 2025
  • 12:00pm - 12:30pm
  • Online
Sep 12
  • Symposium
Open to the Public

Making the Medieval Archive: Celebrating Elizabeth A.R. Brown at Penn

This day-long symposium will commemorate Elizabeth (Peggy) A. R. Brown’s extraordinary legacy in the field of Medieval Studies and will mark the official launch of the Elizabeth A. R. Brown Medieval Historians’ archive.

  • September 12, 2025
  • 10:00am - 7:00pm
  • Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts & Online
A black and white photo of a person wearing glasses retrieving a book from a shelf in a library.
Sep 16
  • Workshop
Open to the Public

Reimagining Illumination: Illuminated Manuscripts

On Tuesday, September 16, Schoenberg Curator of Manuscripts Nick Herman will talk about the practice of illumination in premodern manuscripts, showing us a variety of manuscripts from Penn's collections.

  • September 16, 2025
  • 2:00pm - 3:00pm
  • Kislak Center Vitale II, Rm 623, 6th Floor
Photo of a manuscript page with gold letters shining in the light
Sep 17
  • Workshop
Open to the Public

Manuscript Studies Interest Group: Contemplating the Cosmos

The theme for September is Contemplating the Cosmos and will include manuscripts focused on cosmology, astronomy, and astrology.

  • September 17, 2025
  • 2:00pm - 3:00pm
  • Kislak Center Vitale II, Rm 623, 6th Floor
Photo of a manuscript page containing several astronomical diagrams
Sep 19
  • Lecture
Open to the Public

Pages of Stars: Case Studies in the History of the Astral Sciences from the Lawrence J. Schoenberg Collection

Michael Zellman-Rohrer offers a progress report on a larger project to place manuscripts on the astral sciences (astronomy and astrology) from Europe and the wider Mediterranean world in social context and to bring these products of premodern science and their producers and users, in the fullness of their languages and faiths, into dialogue with social history and the history of science.

  • Friday, September 19, 2025, 12:00 - 1:30 pm EDT
  • 12:00pm - 1:30pm
  • Virtual
Circular diagram of the lunar phases from an illuminated manuscript.
Oct 15
  • Workshop
Open to the Public

Manuscript Studies Interest Group: Scientific Experimentation

The theme for October is Scientific Experimentation and will include manuscripts focused on alchemy and related early experimental sciences.

  • October 15, 2025
  • 2:00pm - 3:00pm
  • Kislak Center Vitale II, Rm 623, 6th Floor
Oct 21
  • Workshop
Open to the Public

Reimagining Illumination: Make Your Own Illuminated Initial

On Tuesday, October 21, SIMS Curator for Digital Humanities Dot Porter and Program Coordinator of Technology and Play Christine Kemp will lead a workshop where we will make our own illuminated initials on parchment using gold leaf and paint.

  • October 21, 2025
  • 2:00pm - 4:00pm
  • Kislak Center Vitale II, Rm 623, 6th Floor
Photo of an illuminated initial S

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