Exhibits
Current exhibit
Plants & Planets: Western Astrology’s Influence on Herbal Medicine
When: September 28, 2026 - January 15, 2027
Where: Wangensteen Historical Library, 2-340 Phillips-Wangensteen Building
“Plants & Planets: Western Astrology’s Influence on Herbal Medicine” invites visitors to explore how medical astrology and herbalism were used in 17th-century England, specifically through the works of the apothecary and physician Nicholas Culpepper (1616-1664).
Past exhibits
Beyond the Game: Sport, Healing, and Wellness
June 10, 2026 - September 25, 2026
"Beyond the Game: Sport, Healing, and Wellness" invites visitors to explore the rich intersections of athletics, community, and care across history. Presented by the Wangensteen Historical Library of Biology and Medicine (WHL), this exhibit is offered in celebration of the athletes gathering at the University of Minnesota for the 2026 Special Olympics.
2026 Student & Community Showcase
February 23, 2026 - May 17, 2026
Explore the fourth annual “Student & Community Showcase” at the Wangensteen Historical Library of Biology and Medicine (WHL) to see how students from a variety of academic disciplines use historical materials from the WHL in their coursework, internships, and research projects.
Women's Work: Shaping Healthcare in the Rural Midwest
September 23, 2025 - January 30, 2026
Rural health begins in the home, and through this exhibit we seek to examine what women’s roles were in keeping their family healthy and educated on food safety.
The ABCs of Animals
May 19 – September 30, 2025
Highlights the library’s books on natural history and biology, hidden gems from the collection, and how wide-reaching and visually rich the materials at the Wangensteen can be!
Student & Community Showcase
March 10 – May 15, 2025
The annual “Student & Community Showcase” highlighted artistic work inspired by our collections, including work created by non-University affiliates.
Disembodied Reembodied
October 24, 2024 - February 28, 2025
Jenny Schmid's Artist-in-Residence project Disembodied Reembodied addressed medical depictions of women’s bodies in the library collection. This project was funded by the inaugural 2024 RIO artist in residence grant supporting art and science collaboration.
Tools of the Trade: Uncovering the Artifacts of the Wangensteen Vault
May 1 – September 13, 2024
From amputations to obstetrics to quackery, come discover some of the fascinating medical artifacts from the Wangensteen's collections!
Student Success Showcase 2024
February 1 - March 31, 2024
Explore this exhibit to see how students from a variety of academic disciplines use historical materials from the Wangensteen in their coursework, internships, and research projects.
Mycophobia / Mycophilia: Fungi in Sickness & in Health at the WHL
September 21, 2023 - January 5, 2024
This exhibit explores everyone’s favorite fungi: mushrooms!
In Hot Water: Healing at the Hakone Hot Springs
June 1 - September 15, 2023
Explore a newly acquired nineteenth-century manuscript titled “Shichito no Shiori.”
Student Showcase 2023
January 17, 2023 - May 1, 2023
See student success in action! This exhibit highlights examples of the variety of student work done in 2022 using the Wangensteen’s collections.
Drawn to Health: Bodies and Medicine in Popular Visual Culture
September 12, 2022 - December 29, 2022
This exhibit seeks to examine the historical underpinnings of graphic medicine through collections held at both the Wangensteen Historical Library and the Children’s Literature Research Collections, and explores the historical and contemporary use of visual narratives to communicate about health and medicine.
Anatomy Illustrated: Scientific Images and the Body
March 11, 2022 - September 1, 2022
This exhibit showcases some of the most important examples of the Wangensteen’s vast collection of historical anatomical illustrations and features three of the collection’s flap anatomies, reproduced and made larger so that viewers can interact with them.
Inquiring Minds: Student Scholarship at the Wangensteen Historical Library
January 26, 2022 - March 7, 2022
This two-part exhibit explores how students use Wangensteen materials in coursework both as individuals and as part of class assignments.
Secret Lives of Books
September 14, 2018 - December 23, 2019
In the Wangensteen Historical Library's exhibit, we turn on the lights and open the stacks to reveal the past and present secret lives of books and tell their captivating stories of health, illness, and the human experience.
Underwater
September 11, 2017 - May 18, 2018
Underwater explores humans, health, and science in watery spaces. Discover what voyagers encountered on the sea and how interactions in and around water have been the harbinger of health and illness across the centuries.
Medical Exchanges: Mapping the Human Body in Japan and China
December 12, 2016 - July 14, 2017
On view for the first time, the texts in this fascinating exhibition from the collections of the Wangensteen Historical Library of Biology and Medicine provide a unique and richly illustrated history of early modern medical knowledge and healing in Japan and China.
Bodies and Spirits: Health and the History of Fermentation and Distillation
September 14, 2015 through May 31, 2016
Why have some doctors recommended giving babies wine? Why did hops originally become a popular addition to beer? How did alcoholic beverages, once considered food and medical items, become symbols of dangerous behavior? Learn more at our exhibit on fermentation, distillation and medicine throughout history.
Visualizing the Body: Celebrating 500 Years of Andreas Vesalius, Renaissance Art and Medical Revolution
August 4, 2014 – May 8, 2015
Andreas Vesalius’ pivotal work on human anatomy, “De Humani Corporis Fabrica,” sits at the intersection of art and science. Vesalius, acknowledged as the father of modern anatomy, based his work on observations from his dissections, and this, along with detailed Renaissance images, revolutionized the study of anatomy. This exhibit commemorates the 500th anniversary of Vesalius (1514-1564), and draws upon the Wangensteen Historical Library’s strong holdings in the history of anatomy.
Downton Abbey: Behind the Scenes of Health and Illness
October 21, 2013 - May 16, 2014
Medical themes are threaded throughout Masterpiece Theater’s wildly popular Downton Abbey, from Matthew’s temporary paralysis during the Great War to Sybil’s tragic death from eclampsia. The Wangensteen Historical Library of Biology and Medicine’s holdings come together in "Downton Abbey: Behind the Scenes of Health and Illness" to illuminate the medicine of Edwardian England. The exhibit explores such themes as nursing, surgery and combat injuries in WWI, maternal and child health, and household medicine using books and artifacts from the library’s extensive early 20th century collections.
Online exhibits
View our growing list of online exhibits that feature the Wangensteen Historical Library collections.