Library Associate for Book Conservation Jenny Davis shows off The Recuyell of the Historyes of Troye, printed and designed by William Morris.
«On a recent Friday evening, Watson Library hosted a Special Collections "salon" for illustrators, artists, and designers affiliated with the science journal Nautilus. Co-organized by Special Collections Librarian Jared Ash and Nautilus Art Director Len Small, the event offered an opportunity to share a selection of notable titles from Watson's rare-book collections, and to provide an introduction to Watson's resources and public services.»
Launched in 2013, Nautilus is a print and online journal that envisions itself as "a New Yorker version of Scientific American," and has won numerous awards for design and illustration. Accordingly, many of the titles selected for display were related to science, natural history, color perception, illustration, book design, and other subjects related to future issues of the journal. Watson Library staff were on hand to help turn pages and provide information about the works.
Special Collections Librarian Jared Ash kicked off the event by providing overviews of the works on display, as well as Watson's resources, public services, and special collections.
Len Small (center), art director at Nautilus, shows his enthusiasm for our Special Collections. With Jenny Davis (left), Christina Dacanay (center), Jonathon Rosen (right)
Associate Manager for Technical Services Christina Manzella (left) turns pages of Inspirations: Twenty-Four Plates, with 128 Compositions by André Durenceau, 1928. With Alexis Cavaretta (center) and Marcos Chin (right)
Associate Chief Librarian Tony White (left) shows off a pop-up book from Surprise (Visionaire no. 55), which was graciously loaned by the Irene Lewisohn Costume Reference Library for the evening.
The majority of attendees never had been to Watson previously and were delighted to learn that the library is open to all researchers college-age and above. Many guests shared their intentions of returning to Watson on their own to consult material for specific design and illustration projects, and educators among the group spoke with Museum staff about arranging visits for undergraduate and graduate art, illustration, and design classes.
Exploring science, natural history, and astronomy books from Watson Library's Special Collections. With illustrator Yuko Shimizu (second from left)
Following the event, visitors were encouraged to enjoy other activities and offerings of MetFridays: New York's Night Out, which for many included a trip to the Met's Cantor Roof Garden to see the The Roof Garden Commission: Peter Huyghe and the Roof Garden Café and Martini Bar.
Photograph by James Yang (@yangblog), a Brooklyn-based illustrator
For additional photos from the event and of works displayed for the group, check out images tagged #MetLibrary on Instagram.