Blake@Union exhibit closing lecture

Blake%40Union+exhibit+closing+lecture

Emily Gorin

The Blake@Union exhibit, which featured the works of William Blake, a printmaker, artist and writer, concluded on Friday, September 21, 2018 with a lecture from Associate Professor at Colorado College Dr. Jared Richman, Ph.D., ’97.

The exhibit in the library included both works from Blake created in his lifetime and modern reproductions of his works, including student work related to Blake.

The exhibit also had a complete set of the facsimiles of Blake’s works by Trianon Press.

Past, present and future student engagement with Blake’s collection was incorporated into the exhibit, using Omeka software to help students across Union College share their work.

Blake@Union was curated by Caitlin Williams ’18.

According to Richman, the exhibit, which was housed in Schaffer Library, emphasized Blake’s vocation as a printmaker who worked with his hands, which Richman emphasized cannot be forgotten.

The lecture began with Richman wondering about how Blake would have thought of America both during his life and now, particularly since Blake never actually got to travel to America and thus see the United States. During the lecture, Richman discussed Blake’s views of an idealized America, particularly in relation to Great Britain at the time of Blake’s life. Richman also shared an unpublished poem of Blake’s and discussed its meaning to Blake. In particular, he noted that Blake though of America as a “favorable alternative to London.” This further highlighted Blake’s “idealized vision of America.”

Furthermore, Richman discussed how Blake critiques Great Britain’s corruption and how he saw America as a “resurrection of British liberty.” According to Blake, America seemed to be an effective symbol of protest against the affairs of Great Britain during Blake’s time. Richman additionally discussed Blake’s works in relations to other works published during his lifetime, including the work of James Barry, whom Blake admired.

Toward the end of the lecture, Richman also discussed Blake’s view of time. For Blake, the past was always redefining the present, so that temporal boundaries melted away. Richman said that it was an “absolute delight to return to Union.”

Richman graduated Union with honors and a degree in English. He also holds A.M. in British and American Literature from the University of Pennsylvania, an M.A. in English Literature and Art History from the University of York in England and a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. At Colorado College, Richman both publishes work and teaches classes on figures of the Romantic Era, including William Blake.