Deanʼs Greeting
Welcome to the start of the spring semester at Johns Hopkins University!
As many of you know, 2026 marks Johns Hopkins’ sesquicentennial (or 150th anniversary). As the division that stewards the university’s archives, we have been working with colleagues across the university as they have created events and materials celebrating this milestone. We also have been preparing our own celebrations.
During the week of February 22, Libraries & Museums staff will mark Commemoration Day, aka the anniversary of the inauguration of Daniel Coit Gilman, the university’s first president, by hosting or participating in several salutes to Hopkins history. Then in March, Dreams of Scholarship: 150 Years of Discovery will open at George Peabody Library. The exhibition chronicles the development and expansion of the university’s library collections and considers how they continue to catalyze discovery for our community.
Speaking of community, while Hopkins’ sesquicentennial is top of mind, we also continue to offer a broad array of exhibitions, talks, workshops, concerts, and performances that will appeal to a range of audiences. To paraphrase Walt Whitman, “We contain multitudes.”
Sincerely,
Elisabeth M. Long Sheridan Dean of University Libraries, Archives, and Museums
MARCH 22, 2026–FEBRUARY 21, 2027, MON-THURS, 10 A.M.–5 P.M.; SUN 11 A.M.–5 P.M.
Dreams of Scholarship: 150 Years of Discovery
Exhibit Gallery, George Peabody Library / FREE
For 150 years, Johns Hopkins University has advanced bold ideas through a distinctive approach to research, learning, and service. This exhibition considers the university’s past and future through the lens of its libraries, tracing the growth of collections and the people and ideas that shaped them. From rare books to digital archives, experience how dreams of scholarship continue to shape the future of discovery. The exhibition and related programming are made possible, in part, by the Johns Hopkins University Sesquicentennial Celebration and the Friends of the Libraries.
RELATED PROGRAMS
FEBRUARY 26, 6–8 P.M.
Retrospectives
Homewood Museum, Johns Hopkins Homewood campus / FREE
Curators and contributors behind Dreams of Scholarship and If Homewood’s Walls Could Talk will explore the creativity and historical research on display in their exhibitions.
MARCH 29, 3–5 P.M.
Opening Celebration
George Peabody Library / FREE
Join Dean Elisabeth Long to celebrate the opening of Dreams of Scholarship with remarks followed by exhibition viewing and a reception for mingling and conversation.
APRIL 18, 10 A.M.–NOON
Curatorsʼ Open House
George Peabody Library / FREE
Explore Dreams of Scholarship alongside its curators in this casual, drop-in event.
THROUGH AUGUST 23, TUES-SUN, 11 A.M.–4 P.M.
Rare Air: Endangered Birds, Bats, Butterflies,
& Bees
North Wing Gallery, Evergreen Museum & Library / Included with regular museum admission or $5 for exhibition only
Evergreen celebrates the art of contemporary illustrator Sarah Kaizar, whose biologically accurate pen-and-ink portraits of winged species draw attention to threatened and endangered animals in North America. In pairing Kaizar’s works with rare books and decorative arts from Evergreen’s collection, Rare Air continues the legacy of Evergreen’s John Work Garrett (1872-1942), a lifelong birder and amateur naturalist.
This exhibition and its related programming are supported in part by the Evergreen House Foundation.
RELATED PROGRAMS
FEBRUARY 5, 6–8:30 P.M.
Rare Air Exhibit Opening + Owl Prowl
Evergreen Museum & Library / FREE
Celebrate the opening of Rare Air with a panel discussion featuring artist Sarah Kaizar, JHU Museums Curator of Collections Michelle Fitzgerald, and founder and program director of Birds of Urban Baltimore Eric Fishel. After the discussion, enjoy refreshments and visit the exhibition, with an optional nocturnal walk with Fishel around Evergreen’s grounds in search of owls.
FEBRUARY 22, NOON–3 P.M.
Shine On Stained-Glass Workshop
Evergreen Museum & Library / $60-65
Inspired by Rare Air: Endangered Birds, Bats, Butterflies & Bees, this workshop allows participants to create exhibition-connected works of stained glass out of pre-cut pieces. Participants will also be able to tour the exhibition.
THROUGH MARCH 7
TUES-FRI, 11 A .M. – 6 P .M. ; SAT 11 A .M. – 5 P .M.
Ceremony
Irene and Richard Frary Gallery, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center / FREE
Drawing on artist Lindsay Adams’ background in international studies and cultural anthropology, Ceremony explores the histories of Black movement, migration, and worldbuilding. Guest curated by Claudia M. Watts, the exhibition places Adams’ new works in conversation with never-before-seen archival objects from the Johns Hopkins Sheridan Libraries’ collection, including rare books and personal correspondence from Billie Holiday, Josephine Baker, and more.
THROUGH JANUARY 10, 2027
TUES –SUN, 11 A .M. – 4 P .M.
If Homewoodʼs Walls Could Talk: A History of an American House
Homewood Museum, Johns Hopkins Homewood campus / FREE–$12
This house-wide exhibition explores Homewood’s 225-year history, from its 1801 construction for the family of Declaration of Independence signer and enslaver Charles Carroll of Carrollton, through its 1902 acquisition by Johns Hopkins University, to its 1980s restoration and launch as a historic house museum. Using archival photography, textiles, student diaries, historic documents, furniture, oral histories, and more, the exhibition amplifies the voices of those who lived, worked, or studied on site, allowing visitors to experience how individual histories contribute to a larger story of the university and the United States.
The exhibition and related programming are made possible, in part, by the Johns Hopkins University Sesquicentennial Celebration, with additional support from John Guess, A&S ’71, SAIS ’76 (MA); Hopkins Retrospective; and the Program in Museums & Society at the Krieger School of Arts & Sciences.
RELATED PROGRAM
APRIL 16, 6–7 P .M.
The Power of Song
Homewood Museum, Johns Hopkins Homewood campus / FREE
Inspired by themes of protest and resistance in If Homewood’s Wall Could Talk, this program will showcase the songs that soundtracked the student movements of the late 1960s and ’70s. Gather outside at Homewood to hear songs performed by soprano Teresa Ferrara and readings of student and faculty oral histories. Lyrics will be made available to facilitate singalongs.
Digital Humanities Workshops
Hybrid; Mergenthaler 429, Johns Hopkins Homewood campus or online / Noon–1:30 P.M. / FREE
FEBRUARY 19
Historical Language Models with Elisabeth Fittschen
Elisabeth Fittschen, a graduate student in the Center for Digital Humanities at the Krieger School of Arts & Sciences, will discuss her work implementing historical models for diachronic change discovery.
MARCH 12
The Human in Computing and Cognition with Christopher Dancy
Christopher Dancy, associate professor of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering, and African American Studies at Penn State, will discuss the intersection of human behavior and computational systems, using theory, perspectives, and methods from Black studies, computational cognitive science, and artificial intelligence to ground his multidisciplinary research.
APRIL 16
Creative Computation with Carly Schnitzler
Carly Schnitzler, a lecturer in the University Writing Program at Johns Hopkins, will discuss critical code studies as method and rhetorical strategy in researching works of creative computation, from the first work of e-literature produced in 1953 to contemporary experiments.
ABOUT THE SERIES
The Digital Humanities Workshop Series is presented by the Sheridan Libraries Digital Scholarship group in partnership with the Center for Digital Humanities (CDH) and LifexCode, with support from the Alexander Grass Humanities Institute. The series offers monthly events highlighting the work of a researcher applying digital methods to humanities materials.
Lunch with the Lib Online Speaker Series
FEBRUARY 25
Humble Beginnings: A Brief History of Johns Hopkins University
As JHU marks its sesquicentennial year, Hopkins Retrospective Program Manager Allison Seyler will revisit the university’s beginnings, exploring founder Johns Hopkins’ visionary gift, the early history of the institution, and archival photographs from the Sheridan Libraries’ Special Collections.
MARCH 12
Reimagining Eisenhower Library
Get an inside look at the Milton S. Eisenhower Library renovation in this virtual tour and Q&A with Sheridan Libraries & University Museums Dean Elisabeth Long. Using construction footage, photographs, and architectural renderings, you’ll go behind the walls to see the transformational work underway, discover key elements of the reimagined design, and learn how the the building’s revitalized spaces will support Hopkins research, teaching, and intellectual life when it reopens in early 2027.
APRIL 10
Early Marylandiana from the Garrett Library
In honor of America’s semiquincentennial and the university’s sesquicentennial, Early Marylandiana explores the rich and complex history of early Maryland through rare primary sources. Join Earle Havens, Nancy H. Hall Curator of Rare Books and Manuscripts and director of the Virginia Fox Stern Center for the History of the Book, along with Stern Center fellows, for an examination of rare books and manuscripts from Evergreen’s John Work Garrett Library that illuminate Maryland’s colonial foundations, people, institutions, and everyday life, offering fresh perspectives on the region’s early past and enduring legacy.
raries & Museums
MAY 15
Edible Books: A Delicious Tradition
Heidi Herr, librarian for English, Philosophy, and Special Collections Student Engagement, will share the story behind the Sheridan Libraries’ Edible Books Festival, which invites participants to transform their favorite books into edible creations competing across a range of playful categories. Herr will discuss how the event began, what it aims to encourage within the Hopkins community, and how it has developed over time. She will also highlight memorable entries from past festivals and offer a look at what may be next for this popular campus tradition.
JUNE 12
With Profit and Pleasure: Japanese Prints at Evergreen
In 19th-century Japan, woodblock prints known as ukiyo-e, or “pictures of the floating world,” delighted the Japanese public with images of famous actors, dreamy landscapes, and idealized depictions of laboring classes. The prints’ portability made them some of the earliest pieces of art to enter the Western souvenir trade, and their impact became global. Mining Evergreen Museum & Library’s robust but rarely seen collection of Japanese prints, JHU Museums Curator of Collections Michelle Fitzgerald will highlight the artistry and reception of ukiyo-e, as well as their impact on both Western and Japanese artists into the 20th century.
ABOUT THE SERIES
Presented in partnership with Lifelong Learning and Hopkins at Home, Lunch with the Libraries & Museums is a series of free, online, public lectures through which staff from the Sheridan Libraries & University Museums discuss ongoing research, teaching, and curatorial work.
FMARCH 3, 6–8 P .M.
How Are Marine Robots Shaping Our Future?
The Kenney Link (4th Floor), Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center / FREE
rom national security to new resource discovery, Earth’s unmapped oceans hold unanswered questions with global consequences. Could autonomous marine robots reveal what has long remained out of reach? Marine technologies expert and Arctic expedition leader James Bellingham will explore this question and discuss his new book, How Are Marine Robots Shaping Our Future?, in conversation with NPR science correspondent and Hopkins alum Nell Greenfieldboyce, A&S ’94, ’95 (MA).
This event is presented by the Sheridan Libraries & University Museums. Its sponsor, Johns Hopkins Wavelengths, is a public engagement program of Johns Hopkins University Press in partnership with the Office of the Vice Provost for Research.
MARCH 5, 5–6 P .M.
Decision Points at Homewood House
Homewood Museum, Johns Hopkins Homewood campus / $5–7
From 1936 to 1971, five presidents of Johns Hopkins and other top administrators had their offices at Homewood House, as it was then known. There, they made impactful and often surprising decisions, setting Hopkins on a distinctive course as higher education underwent fundamental changes. Andrew Jewett, teaching professor in Medicine, Science, and the Humanities at the Krieger School of Arts & Sciences and co-author of the forthcoming book Johns Hopkins: The First 150 Years, will trace those fraught decades and the decisions made in Homewood that still reverberate today.
The Workers of Evergreen
Bakst Theatre, Evergreen Museum & Library / $5–7
Beginning with its construction in the 1850s as a 12-room house for Stephen and Mary Broadbent and their children, through its many expansions by two generations of Baltimore’s Garrett family, Evergreen has been shaped as much by the people who labored there as by its owners. Drawing on recent archival research, JHU Museums Director Lori Finkelstein will discuss the history of the house’s workforce in relation to larger free and enslaved domestic labor patterns in Baltimore between the 1850s and 1930s.
IJUNE 4, 6–7 P.M.
Becoming Women: Girlhood, Blackness, and Coming of Age in the Antebellum South
Homewood Museum, Johns Hopkins Homewood campus / $5-7
n antebellum America, enslaved girls were among the most vulnerable members of society due to anti-Black racism, sexism, and ageism. But Black girls and their community laid claim to childhood innocence despite enslavers’ persistent efforts to adultify them. Through a close reading of Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl and Louisa Picquet, the Octoroon: A Tale of Southern Slave Life, MaDeja Leverett, a doctoral candidate in History, will highlight the girlhood experiences of Harriet Jacobs and Louisa Picquet as significant examples that speak to the intricacies of enslaved girls’ lives.
Music at Evergreen
Bakst Theatre, Evergreen Museum & Library / 2-4 P.M. / $10–20 per concert
MARCH 8
Ziggy & Miles, guitar duo
Music at Evergreen’s 72nd season will conclude with a performance by Australian guitarist brothers Ziggy and Miles, the first guitar duo accepted into Juilliard’s Artist Diploma Program.
Evergreen Museum & Library’s popular and eclectic Music at Evergreen concert series presents concerts in Evergreen’s intimate Bakst Theatre, followed by meet-the-artists receptions. The series is made possible by the Evergreen House Foundation.
In the Stacks
George Peabody Library / FREE, suggested admission $10
FEBRUARY 12, 6:30 –7:30 P .M.
Facets of Love with Mandy Brown
Soprano Mandy Brown and pianist Tatiana Loisha will present a concert that blends poetry with music to celebrate and explore the depth and complexity of love’s expressions, including unrequited love, self-love, friendship, familial bonds, and loss. In addition, rare love songs and historic valentines from the Sheridan Libraries’ Special Collections will be on display for one night only.
MARCH 31, 6:30 –7:30 P .M.
African American Art Song
Singers from the Peabody Institute’s Vocal Studies Department will present a curated recital of art songs by African American composers, under the direction of Associate Professor Carl DuPont. Blending live performance with new scholarly insights, the program will explore how race, gender, sexuality, and class have shaped both the creation and reception of this repertoire.
In the Stacks offers an informal, dynamic way for audiences to engage with music and performance art. Throughout the year, this concert series activates Baltimore’s iconic George Peabody Library with art, music, dance, film, drama, and more.
Global Ballroom: Ba
FEBRUARY 26, 5:30–8 P .M.
This is Ballroom
Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218 / FREE
This immersive evening brings underground ballroom performance into dialogue with cinema through a screening of This Is Ballroom (2024)—a vibrant, celebratory portrait of Brazil’s ballroom scene. Meet the Rio-based filmmakers Juru & Vitã in a post-screening Q&A and experience the energy live as the night opens and closes with electrifying ballroom performances by artists from Brazil and Baltimore, including Vitã, Ciara West, Victoria Aisha, Icon Marquis Revlon, and more.
FEBRUARY 27, 5:30–7:15 P .M.
Peabody Ballroom Micro-Festival
George Peabody Library / FREE
Experience the iconic George Peabody Library as it transforms into a living film gallery featuring three film stations showing footage of Baltimore’s ballroom scene and its dramatic collaborations with the Peabody: Baltimore Beautiful Symbols (2023), Into the Light (2021), and an immersive virtual-reality experience of the 2023 Peabody Ball, with VR headsets available on site. Directed by Jason Gray and executive produced by Tabb Center Director Joseph Plaster, these works bring ballroom histories and aesthetics into breathtaking focus.
ABOUT THE SERIES
The ballroom scene in Brazil and Baltimore—part of an international LGBTQ+ performance culture rooted in Black and Latinx communities—comes alive through film, performance, and embodied exchange. These events—part of the Peabody Ballroom Experience, an arts & humanities collaboration between Baltimore’s
ltimore Meets Brazil
FEBRUARY 27, 7:30–9:30 P .M.
Vogue Workshop: Baltimore Meets Brazil with Icon Marquis Clanton
George Peabody Library / FREE
End the night in motion: ballroom icon Marquis Clanton leads an electrifying vogue workshop alongside Brazilian ballroom artists Vitã and Ciara West, bringing Baltimore and Brazil into embodied conversation. Open to all levels and all bodies, this workshop invites newcomers and seasoned performers alike to move, learn, and connect inside one of Baltimore’s most iconic spaces.
ballroom scene and the Sheridan Libraries—are presented in partnership with the Winston Tabb Special Collections Research Center, Center for Advanced Media Studies, and the Baltimore Museum of Art.
MShine: Praise, Power, and Protest in Black Musical Traditions
St. James Episcopal Church, 1020 W. Lafayette Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21217 / FREE
usic in the Black church is a means of worship—and much more. For centuries, it has also communicated messages of hope, sorrow, pride, and freedom. Based on archival research at three historic Black churches in West Baltimore—Union Baptist, Metropolitan United Methodist, and St. James Episcopal—this concert will explore sacred musical traditions across denominations and their connections to popular forms.
This program is organized by Curating and Archiving Black Baltimore (CABB), a collaboration between the Sheridan Libraries and the Billie Holiday Center for Liberation Arts, funded by a Johns Hopkins Discovery Award with additional support from the National Humanities Center.
MAY 28, 6–9 P .M.
A Murder Mystery at Evergreen
Carriage House, Evergreen Museum & Library / $65-70
Don your best flapper and zoot suit attire for an evening of Prohibition-era intrigue brought to you by The Murder Mystery Company! Evergreen’s historic Carriage House will transform into the Dunn Speakeasy to host the wedding of two rival mafia families. But in this “married to the mob” event, someone is bound to lose power, which means someone else will lose their life. Solve this case with your fellow detectives during this interactive, Clue-style comedic event. Drinks and hors d’oeuvres will be served prior to the performance. This program is made possible in part by a grant from Maryland State Arts Council.
FEBRUARY 1-28, TUES–SUN, 11 A.M.–4 P.M.
Free Admission
February
Homewood Museum, Johns Hopkins Homewood campus / FREE
In honor of Black History Month, Homewood Museum welcomes visitors
free of charge during the month of February. A National Historic Landmark, Homewood was built circa 1801 for members of Maryland’s prominent Carroll family. The house also was home to at least 25 enslaved individuals, including members of the Castle, Conner, and Ross families. Visitors will learn how the lives of all Homewood’s early inhabitants intersected as they reached for liberty and fulfillment in vastly unequal circumstances. Visitors will also be able to see the exhibition If Homewood’s Walls Could Talk: A History of an American House
FEBRUARY 24, 3–6 P.M.
Happy Birthday Hopkins
Rooms 204, 208, and 210, Bloomberg Student Center, Johns Hopkins Homewood campus / FREE
Celebrate the university’s 150th birthday with Hopkins Retrospective, Sheridan
Libraries Special Collections, Student Affairs, and the Sesquicentennial Team! Enjoy cupcakes, performances, a display of historic campus photographs, and giveaways. Also known as Commemoration Day, this celebration marks the anniversary of Daniel Coit Gilman’s inauguration as the university’s first president on February 22, 1876.
MARCH 26, 6–8 P .M.
Bakst & The Ballets
Russes Happy Hour
Bakst Theatre and Far East Room, Evergreen Museum & Library / $20–35
Known for a revolutionary design team and artistic collaborations with cutting-edge artists like Igor Stravinsky, Pablo Picasso, and the Russian set and costume designer Léon Bakst, the itinerant ballet company Ballets Russes reinvigorated the world of performing arts in early 20th-century Europe. From within Evergreen’s Bakst Theatre—the only extant theater in the world designed by Bakst—JHU Museums Curator of Collections Michelle Fitzgerald will present a talk on the artistry and life of Bakst. Afterwards, enjoy craft cocktails and zero-spirit drinks from Dutch Courage and explore the museum’s Bakst installation, featuring sets, costumes, and original artwork.
MARCH 30, 12:30–2:30 P .M.
Read It & Eat It
Glass Pavilion, Levering Hall, Johns Hopkins Homewood campus / FREE
Join the celebration of baking, reading, and 150 years of Johns Hopkins at Read It & Eat It, the Sheridan Libraries’ annual edible books festival. View and eat an incredible array of book-inspired desserts created by Johns Hopkins students, faculty, and staff.
All photos by Will Kirk/Johns Hopkins University unless otherwise noted. Front Cover & Page 3: Candid photograph of a class, undated, Special Collections, Johns Hopkins Sheridan Libraries Page 2: Elisabeth Long. Page 4: Whooping Crane, Grus americana by Sarah Kaizar, 2023. Page 5, top to bottom: Sheet music cover for “J’ai deux Amours,” published by Éditions Salabert Paris, 1930, Special Collections, Johns Hopkins Sheridan Libraries; Lotus Blossom by Lindsay Adams, 2025, Courtesy of the artist, photo by Sloane Prince/Johns Hopkins University. Page 6: Interior View of Homewood House, undated, Special Collections, Johns Hopkins Sheridan Libraries. Page 10, top to bottom: Courtesy of Jonhs Hopkins University Press; Picture of Homewood House being held by Milton Eisenhower, July 19, 1962, Morton Tadder, Special Collections, Johns Hopkins Sheridan Libraries Page 11: Workers at Evergreen, undated, Evergreen House Foundation Collection. Page 12: Courtesy of ZiggyandMiles.com. Page 13: Matthew Petroff. Page 15: Sydney Allen. Page 16, top to bottom: Mahalia Jackson performing at a church, 1949, Paul S. Henderson Photograph Collection, Maryland Center for History and Culture; Courtesy of Murder Mystery Co. Page 17, bottom: Mike Ciesielski. Page 18, top: “Male and Female Dancer,” by Léon Bakst, 1923, print of a watercolor drawing. Evergreen House Foundation; bequest of Alice Warder Garrett. Page 19, top: Dominique Zeltzman.
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Most programs require registration. Scan the QR code or visit bit.ly/lmeventcal to view the online event calendar. Select an event for registration details and links. Questions? Email lmexternalaffairs@jhu.edu
Locations
Peabody Library 17 E. Mount Vernon Place
MD 21202
Museum & Library 4545 N. Charles Street Baltimore, MD 21210 Johns Hopkins Homewood Campus 3400 N. Charles Street Baltimore, MD 21218 Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center 555 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20001