On the evening of May 24, Georges Van Den Abbeele, Founding Dean of the College of Social Sciences and Humanities, and Graham Arader hosted a reception and conversation at Arader Galleries in New York to celebrate Northeastern University’s acquisition of historically significant maps, engravings, woodcuts and botanical watercolors.
Guests mingled amongst historically significant maps and prints of flora, fauna and natural history in the Beaux Arts Townhouse on Madison Avenue. Arader, a celebrated historical art dealer and founder of Arader Galleries, greeted the attendees and discussed the gifts to the University and the importance of a new generation having access to the historical works, which will remain on display in Snell Library.
Van Den Abbeele spoke to guests about his course, “Picturing the World,” taught with English professor Beryl Schlossman, which incorporates the maps, engravings, woodcuts and botanical watercolors.
“Students examining images in textbooks or on computers can not compare with giving them access to the original works in the classroom,” said Van Den Abbeele. “The details, texture and scale of the works are critical to understanding their history and significance.”
He noted that a portion of the students in the Picturing the World course have not yet declared majors and find themselves uniquely positioned to discover the joys of history as it applies to multiple disciplines relying on works from the Arader Galleries Collection to bring the course to life.
The Arader Galleries, located in New York, San Francisco, Houston, Philadelphia and King of Prussia, Pa., have specialized in sixteenth through nineteenth century natural history works, maps, books, atlases and paintings since 1974.
The collection is available for public viewing and is displayed on the second floor of Snell Library.
– Courtesy of CSSH Dean’s Office
