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As you wrap up your spring semester and put summer plans in motion, we hope you will pause to take in the exciting developments in store for Folger Researchers as we look toward reopening in November 2023. Below we announce our incoming cohort of fellows, including the first group of residential fellows since 2019; present our 2023-2024 slate of in-person Scholarly Programs; and share a recording and transcript from Ian Smith’s Shakespeare’s Birthday Lecture, “Making Blackness,” among other news.

This will be my last Research Bulletin headnote as Interim Executive Director before we welcome the incoming Institute Director, Dr. Patricia Akhimie, in late June. Please join me in toasting her with a coriander-infused cocktail (or mocktail) inspired by Margaret Baker’s ~1675 recipe. 

Owen Williams, Ph.D.
Interim Executive Director, Folger Institute

Photo of a hand holding open a rare book, propped up by foam pads

The Folger Institute is thrilled to announce our incoming cohort of 2023-2024 fellows! Beginning July 1, we will welcome five hybrid long-term fellows, as well as virtual fellows conducting both scholarly and artistic research. Residential fellows will join us at the Folger in January 2024, our first group of in-person fellows since 2019! We can't wait to see all of the exciting research this landmark year has in store!

Spines of books on a shelf

The new schedule of Folger Institute Scholarly Programs is now live! For the 2023-2024 year, we have embraced a mix of in-person, hybrid, and fully virtual programming across a wide range of topics, with an eye on reducing or eliminating barriers to inclusion as often as possible. Many programs will offer virtual sessions, with participation available via open registration. Additional programs will be added as the year progresses.

Two photos stitched together, left to right: Photo of a woman photographing a book, a man performing on pointe

What is artistic research? What is it like to step into the Folger as a contemporary artist? Register now for the June 6 virtual conversation with artist fellows Alexander D’Agostino and Mindy Stricke on how they integrate collections research and creative process. This conversation will be moderated by librarian Abbie Weinberg, with welcoming remarks from Patricia Akhimie, incoming Director of the Folger Institute.

Three photos stitched together with red lines: a cocktail, an early modern manuscript, and another cocktail

Mixology is back! In April, we took our cue from the late-17th-century recipe book Folger MS V.a.619, The Receipt Book of Margaret Baker, to explore the themes of memory and preservation as part of “Searching for Shakespeare: Celebrating 400 years of Shakespeare’s First Folio.” In this three-part blog series, you'll take a deep dive into the recipe, find cocktail recipes inspired by the key ingredient of coriander, and learn how coriander is used medicinally in Ayurveda.

Read the Blog Series
Photo of Ian Smith

Ian Smith's lecture "Making Blackness" is now available! In this long-awaited Shakespeare's Birthday Lecture, Prof. Smith examines early modern methods of manufacturing blackness onstage, using the royal entertainments of Shakespeare's Love’s Labor’s Lost as a dramatic point of departure to expand our knowledge of early modern race.

Painted image of an early modern man holding a decorative loaf of bread

From baking molds to murmuration, the 2022-23 Folger Institute Fellows have been conducting some fascinating research this year! Take a peek into their exciting work through recent Collation blog posts by Adrian Finucane, Chris Blakely, and Rabia Gregory, as well as by artist fellows Eva Rocha and Jacklyn Brickman. 

Rendering of a new Folger exhibition hall with three people looking at objects

From a new art installation to rare and fascinating objects, far more of the Folger collection will soon be on display in exhibition spaces located just inside the garden-level public wing. In this latest update, read about the development of the exhibition halls, view renderings of the new spaces, and learn about highlights including a display of all the Folger First Folios!

It's a date! Our building on Capitol Hill is reopening November 17. Click to learn more.

Please consider making a gift to the Folger if you're in a position to do so. A gift of any amount helps make our work possible.

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Research Bulletin Editor: Leah Thomas, Program Coordinator, Folger Institute

Image Credits: Photo by Elman Studio; Folger Shakespeare Library. Digital image file 119587; Photos courtesy Mindy Stricke and Alexander D'Agostino; Photos courtesy Andrea Tateosian and Britt Fox; Receipt book of Margaret Baker [manuscript]. Ca. 1675? Folger Shakespeare Library V.a.619, Digital Image File Name 122005; Photo courtesy Ian Smith; Hans Stüber, Amb. 317b.2° folio 99 recto; Shakespeare Exhibition Hall. Rendering by Studio Joseph.