Current & Upcoming Exhibits
All Exhibits
Each floor of the Anderson Academic Commons hosts a number of different exhibitions that change almost every quarter. These include fine art installations, student-curated shows, displays of faculty, student, and staff scholarship, and exhibitions curated from Special Collections & Archives and the Beck Archives.
Scroll down to see all current exhibitions, upcoming installations, and events.
View Upcoming EventsUPCOMING:
The Magna Charta Universitatum
A Pledge to Academic Freedom and Institutional Autonomy
AAC 290 Cases
May 21st- September 7th, 2026
Drawing on materials from the collection of Professor Emerita of Italian Roberta Waldbaum, this exhibit explores the Magna Charta Universitatum and the partnership between the University of Denver and the University of Bologna. What began as an academic agreement grew into a broader model of international collaboration grounded in service learning, cultural exchange, and a shared commitment to the public role of the university.
ON DISPLAY NOW:
Denver Quarterly's 60th Anniversary
Upper-Level Landing built-in cases
May 1st- July 19th, 2026
Founded in 1966 by novelist John Williams, the Denver Quarterly is a publication that embodies the wide-ranging possibilities for the worlds from which writing may come, and the worlds our authors imagine and write into being. The quarterly welcomes the work of writers and artists from marginalized communities, identities, and traditions, or those who work with differing abilities, or who may be non-professional writers, or who have otherwise been traditionally excluded from the space of literary journals.
Trees: A visual narrative of our enduring relationships with trees through the seasons
Dean's Suite Gallery
May 7th - August 16th, 2026
This juried exhibition celebrates the glory of trees through the eyes of artists from the Rocky Mountain Society of Botanical Artists. Trees are enigmatic organisms that can provoke powerful feelings within us. The intent of this exhibit is to expand the artist's and viewers’ appreciation and knowledge of trees, and we are pleased to share it with you.
Cocina Libre
Lower Level
Image Credit: Madison Sussmann, 2025.
"Bibliomysteries"
Faculty Reading Room
Bibliomystery is a subgenre of mystery fiction that centers around books, manuscripts, libraries, bookstores, or the literary world. The plot often involves a crime related to rare books, literary artifacts, or the book trade. Protagonists are frequently scholars, librarians, authors, and book collectors.
This exhibit presents 48 selected bibliomysteries, showcasing the variety of this genre. These covers represent a small portion of the 1,000+ bibliomysteries in the Libraries' collections. While most are in the DU Special Collections & Archives, some are available to check out from the circulating collection.
“Feast on Art”
Faculty Reading Room
This exhibition will showcase various cookbooks owned by Anderson Academic Commons, inspired by art, literature, and museums. Art is defined as the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, and the art of cooking belongs on this list. The emergence of the ‘Art(ists) Cookbook’ -a recipe book authored by or featuring artists – forms an intersection of art and culinary creation that is a feast for the eyes, as well as the stomach. Some artists cookbooks blur the line between cookbook and art book entirely, functioning as a collectable art object sin their own right. Artist’s cookbooks challenge traditional notions of what constitutes a cookbook, inviting readers to explore the intersection of food and art through unconventional formats and avant-garde presentation. The lives and passions of these artists leak from the pages, offering us a glimpse of what life was like beyond their artistic endeavors.