*Post written by James Wethington, senior library assistant of the University Archives and Special Collection.

*Item descriptions written by Jennifer Greene, university archivist of University Archives and Special Collections, and Susan Sauls, art collection registrar.

The crowds are going crazy! Pure pandemonium! Arch Madness is back and we have some stiff competition. The University Archives and Special Collections is facing off against the USI Art Collection and Lawrence Library. You can vote online at amusingartifacts.org or in-person at Rice Library Room 3021. Voting begins on March 12 through April 8, 2018.

Let us look at this year’s competitors!

Special Collections

Avant Garde Magazine incorporated erotic content, such as John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s sensual lithographs and a semi-nude spread of Marilyn Monroe.  Avant Garde was published in New York City for 3 years and only 14 issues were produced.  The University Archives possesses four issues of this unique magazine.

 

On September 12, 1957 Elvis Presley sent a telegram to local music promoter and musician Larry Aiken.  Mr. Aiken worked at the radio station WEOA while attending Bosse High School. He hosted a popular program and tried to get Elvis Presley to call in during the program.  Larry Aiken went on to travel with Dick Clark and the Caravan of Stars before coming back to Evansville to promote music and the arts.

 

The Collected Works of Paracelsus is a rare book in our Special Collections.  Printed in 1603, this two-volume set contains the books and writings on alchemy, magic, and occult philosophies of Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim, better known as Paracelsus.

*Defending 2017 Arch Madness Champion.

 

The Coroner’s Record book for Vanderburgh County, 1888-1898, is from the Dr. Darrel Bigham Collection of Evansville history.  The record book lists various ways individuals of the time died; for instance, by drowning, by being hit by a train, and by falling onto a commercial lumber saws, just to name a few.  The book has hand written notes and a newspaper clipping, which was based on the coroner’s notes of the autopsy.

 

Communal Studies

This example of Shaker weaving skills is from the mid to late 1800s.  It was most likely made in Canterbury Village in New Hampshire.  This celibate community focused on organic farming, music, and preparing their bodies and souls for heaven.  This bonnet is one of two examples of Shaker fashion located in the Center for Communal Studies, in University Archives and Special Collections.

 

 

 

The Game of Community is board game developed by Family Pastimes Products, a Canadian company, in 1972.  Unlike most games, which pit player against player, to win this challenge everyone must work together to build a community.  The game includes problem solving and teamwork to get around the obstacles to creating a communal experience.

 

 

Shiloh Farms was an organic bakery that started in New York State around 1942.  These labels represent just a small selection of the variety of foods offered by this conscientious community.  Not only did Shiloh Farms open a national bakery using pesticide-free chemicals, they also began printing product ingredients on labels as early as the 1950s.

 

 

 

 

The Zoar Commemorative Plaque was made in 1992 to mark the 175^th anniversary of the Zoar communal group in Ohio.  Zoar Village was founded in 1817 by a group of over 200 German Separatists seeking escape from religious persecution in their homeland.  These Separatists thrived as a unique society for more than 80 years, making Zoar Village one of the most successful communal settlements in American history.

 

 

USI Art Collection

These paintbrushes belonged to American Expressionist artist Stephen S. Pace and were used in his studio in New Harmony, Indiana.

 

 

 

This sculpture is created from found objects including a leather wedge sandal, a bowling bag, wooden shoe form, leopard print gloves, candlesticks, and sequined fabric among other materials.

 

 

 

Warhol created the Beethoven portfolio prior to his unexpected death in 1987 and is one of the most desirable prints by the artist. This particular print is an “Extra, out of edition” that was given to USI by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. in 2013 for education and research.

 

 

 

 

The Mola as a form of adornment originated from the traditional practice of body painting. Colonization by the Spanish and contact with Christian missionaries led the Kuna to transfer their custom from painting on their bodies to painting on fabric.

 

 

 

Lawrence Library

 

The incantation bowl, which goes by many names such as a demon bowl or a magic bowl, was usually buried face down in a home’s courtyard or near cemeteries in order to capture demons or evil spirits. Once retrieved, a hole would be made in the bowl to release the spirits.

 

 

 

The Romanized word Krater comes from the ancient Greek word that means, “a mixing or blending of things which form a compound”. This krater was used to mix water and wine to create a social beverage.

 

 

 

 

 

The Common Book of Prayer, was the primary guide to religious worship for the Church of England at the time and this version includes instruction for the administration of the sacraments, rites and ceremonies performed in the church, and the Psalms of David.

 

 

 

Mudras, the Sanskrit word for hand signs, illustrate important events from the life of the founder of Buddhism, Siddhartha Gautama. This decorative portfolio is from the Ladakh region of India, home to many of Tibetan descent.