Explore library collections through online and in-person exhibits.
See what's on display and opening soon at library locations across campus.
Opening February 9, 2026. As the nation prepares to commemorate America's 250th, this exhibit will look back on the bicentennial, sharing perspectives from the groups who raised their voices in protest and critiqued a wholly celebratory approach to American history.
Opening February 26, 2026. This exhibition surveys the revolutions that shook the Atlantic world in the 1790s, and the profound changes that resulted, from France to Haiti to Philadelphia.
On view through May 22. See a selection of photographs by Academy Award-winning cinematographer and Penn alumnus Phil Parmet, who documented life in Haiti after the fall of Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier in 1986.
On view through June 19, 2026. This exhibit will demonstrate how technologies in the Education Commons and the Bollinger Digital Fabrication Lab can be used to investigate and/or draw creative inspiration from the rare books of the Museum Library and artifacts from the Penn Museum.
On view through November 9, 2026. This special installation honors the more-than-250-year legacy of medical education at the University of Pennsylvania.
On view through November 20, 2026. Explore the overlooked yet essential role of nurses during the American Revolution, whose vital work helped shape early American healthcare.
Extended through December 2026. View a selection of correspondence between world-renowned contralto Marian Anderson and symphonic composer Florence Price, reproduced from Marian Anderson's personal archive.
Find displays featuring work by Penn students.
On view through August 30, 2026. Experience fieldwork and research travel of current undergraduate and graduate students as documented through their own lenses.
Interested in curating an exhibit with Penn Libraries collections? Our exhibit program is a collaborative process, made for both seasoned and emerging curators alike.
Anyone can propose an exhibit; no special credentials or Penn affiliation are necessary.
The Penn Libraries Exhibitions Program manages displays across multiple library locations.
The author, artist, and humanitarian Ashley Bryan responded to Civil Rights protests about police bias and brutality in the 1960s with this series of drawings, made from his studio overlooking Tremont Avenue in the Bronx. The signs carried by these protesters speak to today’s issues as well: “Stop Police Brutality Now,” “End Police Bias Now,” “Jim Crow Must Go,” “Freedom Now,” “We Demand Decent Police Now,” and “Justice Now.”
Ashley Bryan—renowned artist, writer, storyteller, and humanitarian—created thousands of drawings, paintings, collages, and linoleum block prints over the course of his long and productive life. This exhibition highlights Bryan’s portrayals of strong and resourceful women in his art. Many of these works were made for books of poetry, including Freedom Over Me, ABC of African American Poetry, and Aneesa Lee and the Weaver’s Gift.
This research portal provides online access to more than 2,500 items from the collection of Marian Anderson, one of the most celebrated singers of the twentieth century. The body of primary sources in the collection — including letters, diaries, journals, interviews, recital programs, and private recordings — spans the Philadelphia-born musician’s six-decade career as an opera singer and advocate for social justice.