Treasures of Deering

A new exhibit showcases rare holdings

Drew Scott ’92

Fall 2025

A two-part exhibit in the reopened Deering Library celebrates the rarest holdings of the Charles Deering McCormick Library of Special Collections and University Archives. When the building first opened in 1933, rare books lived in a cozy nook called the Treasure Room. Today the McCormick Library, located in Deering, holds these treasures, along with the rare materials of the Music Collection.

Through acquisition and donation, holdings have grown to include the papers of famous authors, the archives of accomplished alumni, and one-of-a-kind artifacts of the world’s cultural and political history. Part one of Treasures of Deering is now on display in the lobby of Deering Library; part two will run during winter quarter with a different selection of items.

Charlotte Moorman's Smashed Violin

One of the great treasures of this library is the enormous archive of musician and performance artist Charlotte Moorman, according to Scott Krafft, curator of Special Collections. A piece in her repertoire was Nam June Paik’s One for Violin Solo, in which she slowly raised a violin over her head before suddenly smashing it to bits. These are fragments from one of more than a dozen smashed violins in the Moorman archive.

Typescript by Richard Wright

Following his success with books including Native Son, Richard Wright made an excursion to the Gold Coast, the British colony in western Africa that would soon become the Republic of Ghana. The McCormick Library holds the typescript for his book about the trip, Black Power, revealing many textual changes that he made during the writing process and substantial passages not included in the published version.

The Marillon Songbook

Hand-painted art of people in bright devil costumes, boiling something in a skull cauldron

Hand-painted art in a book of a woman holding a child

This unique manuscript, properly titled “Recueil de chansons et monologues,” is a charming example of what is now called outsider art. The otherwise unknown artist André Marillon (active from 1914 to 1916) copied the lyrics of cabaret songs and comic monologues from the Belle Epoque and illustrated them in a flat, colorful style that is as inventive in page design as it is naive in execution. An inscription inside reveals that the artist made the book as a gift for his sister Hélène.

High quality scans of the full manuscript are available in Digital Collections.

Glenn Branca's Guitar

A guitar with modifications, held in place by tape.

Rock experimentalist Glenn Branca started his musical journey in New York’s avant-garde No Wave scene, whose artists “despised the past and championed no future,” said music curator Greg MacAyeal. Branca invented a hybrid style of music that lived beyond No Wave, combining minimalism and rock. It’s loud and aggressive, avoiding melodies in favor of sonic landscapes.

An innovative guitar player, Branca created his own tunings and modes of performance. On the neck of this guitar, he removed and added frets according to his tuning structure and moved the bridge to extend the strings’ vibrating length. The Libraries acquired Branca’s archive in batches from 2017 to 2019.

Close up on the frets of the guitar, hand-labeled.

Fragment of The Rock

Repainted nearly every night during the academic year, the Rock has been a regular billboard for Northwestern student groups since the 1960s. This fragment was accidentally dislodged in 1989 and preserved in University Archives because it so effectively helps viewers envision the years of paint accumulation on this landmark, said University archivist Matt Richardson.

A chunk of The Rock with layers of hardened, multicolored paint.A chunk of The Rock with layers of hardened, multicolored paint.A chunk of The Rock with layers of hardened, multicolored paint.

Score for "Cut Piece"

Yoko Ono befriended composer John Cage during her time on the New York avant-garde scene of the late 1950s and early ’60s. “Cut Piece” is one segment of 9 Pieces for John Cage, the provocative landmark work she dedicated to the composer. During the piece, which Ono performed multiple times over her career, the artist kneels on stage and invites audience members to cut away pieces of her dress with a pair of scissors. The handwritten “score” for the work comes from the John Cage Notations Project Collection.

The Kelmscott Chaucer

The works of Geoffrey Chaucer now newly imprinted...:

William Morris designed the book for Kelmscott Press. This copy is on handmade paper.

Famed artist William Morris designed this book—including the type, borders, initials, and woodcut title—drawing on decades of experience in textiles and wallpapers. Kelmscott Press, founded by Morris, published the book in 1896; the paper and ink were custom-made to his specifications. This copy on handmade paper is one of only 425 produced.

1920s Circus Trophy

Long before Dillo Day, Northwestern undergraduates organized a different annual festival: a circus on campus. It began in 1908 as a YWCA fundraiser and was held every spring until 1933. The weekend-long circus featured acts by fraternities and sororities, gymnasts, trapeze artists, and others. As the story goes, this undated elephant trophy was a grand prize for one of the many events.