From time to time, materials from the Armacost Library leave the library for a big adventure. Of course, our materials are toted around campus and the greater Redlands area for use by our community members. And others go even further afield to borrowers at other libraries through interlibrary loan. But one of our items recently went on a journey to remember. Though not so far in terms of distance, one of our magazines got its day in the spotlight at last, thanks to the University of California Irvine’s Jack and Shanaz Langson Institute & Museum of California Art (Langson IMCA).
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| This magazine recently went on a big journey! |
Last year, the Armacost Library received an inquiry from the Langson IMCA about one of the items listed on our catalog: a 1929 issue of Scribner’s Magazine, located among our bound periodicals. (Bound periodicals are historical journals, magazines, newspapers, and so on that are now bound in volume [book] format, rather than having each issue shelved individually.) After communicating more with the wonderful staff at the Langson IMCA, we learned that an upcoming exhibition of theirs titled Spiritual Geographies: Religion and Landscape Art in California, 1890 – 1930 would feature works of art as well as “rare theological books and archival materials that trace how landscape imagery operated within religious discourse” (Langson IMCA, 2024). Of these, the Langson IMCA hoped to include the poem “These Are My Friends” by Susan DeLancey published in the January 1929 issue of Scribner’s Magazine (volume 85, issue 1). Their question was, would the Armacost Library be willing and able to lend our copy to the Langson IMCA for the exhibition? After some internal discussions about logistics, we were delighted to say yes!
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| "They Are My Friends" by Susan DeLancey |
We packaged the Scribner’s edition up carefully and sent it out in February 2024. It arrived at the Langson IMCA in nearby Irvine ahead of the exhibition’s March 2, 2024 opening date. For three months, our little (well—not-so-little, given the periodical’s larger size) magazine was featured alongside the spectacular artwork, rare books, and other rare archival materials on display. Together, these items asked guests to explore how various religious ideas and movements influenced and informed landscape painting in California from 1890-1930. (Check out the Langson IMCA’s Instagram and website for a closer look at what was featured in the exhibition. Can you spot our Scribner’s?)
After too short a time, the exhibition ended on June 8, 2024. Though our 95-year-old Scribner’s has returned safely to its home at the Armacost Library, we're sure it’ll never forget its grand adventure supporting this amazing exhibition--and neither will we!
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