Right in the centre of Oxford University’s New College in the historic library there is an exhibit celebrating former Oxford University student and the first woman to be named Oxford Professor of Poetry in 2017.
The exhibit highlights art from a celebrated local artist and allows people to get look into the world of Oxford colleges.
The display cases celebrate the work of Alice Oswald a decorated and acclaimed British poet and former classics student at the college. The deputy librarian, Will Shire and trainee library assistant, Leah Duffin created this exhibit, which opened on 1st October, using works in their archive.
The college holds exhibitions throughout the year; the decision to highlight Oswald’s work was due to her recent 60th birthday and the topical subject of much of her work with its connections to environmentalism, according to Shire.
The library is free to access from the colleges Hollywell Street entrance and consists of four cases, each highlighting a different element of Oswald’s work. The cases focus on the unique visual style of Oswald’s work which Librarian Christopher Skelton-Foord notes “lends itself to display due to the artistry and variety of material.”
In the publication of her work Oswald consistently collaborates with artists like William Tillyer, working with watercolours and Gary Fabian Miller, a fine art photographer.
She most regularly collaborates with Kevin Mount of Letters Press, based in Devon, where she lives. Devon and its landscapes inspire much of her poetry, including Dart, one of her most famous works. This collection highlights their collaboration showing things like their air mail collection.
Mount said “a guiding principal was that these things should be cheap and disposable.
“Alice believes that text should be at service of the spoken (or sung and played),” as shown in pieces presented to look like sheet music.
Mount notes that many of their collaborations, although visually appealing, are mostly intended for when “you’re assembled somewhere at a live event; you’re offered something more than a programme.” Many of these collaborations were made for specific events.
Mount notes that the tactile nature of these things “the fact that they are real bits of paper might be of interest these days.
“They require opening and handling, but that they were designed for a short life.” This is a factor that unfortunately conflicts with the purely visual nature of the exhibition.
Duffin said that they were focusing on “shining a light on new college authors.”
She noted that although “people may have heard of Alice Oswald, they may not know about her connection to the college.”
This exhibition is an opportunity to see inside one of Oxfords most historic colleges as Shire said they wanted to “open the library to the public,” to encourage engagement.
To see the exhibit email library@new.ox.ac.uk to book a viewing for Monday to Friday, 9 am till 5 pm. The exhibition will run until 28th February 2027.