Hirshland Exhibition Gallery, Carl A. Kroch Library

Now Scream! The Hip Hop Collection Exhibition

April 4, 2013 – February 4, 2014

The mission of the Cornell Hip Hop Collection (CHHC) is to collect and make accessible the historical documents of Hip Hop culture, and to ensure their preservation for current and future generations. Since arriving at Cornell in 2007, the CHHC has grown to include more than 50,000 items. “Now Scream!” is its first comprehensive exhibition. On view are rare and classic vinyl records, photographs, event flyers, live performance and interview recordings, artwork, ephemera, and more, along with many unique Hip Hop artifacts on loan from artists, supporters, and friends.

The Cornell Papyrus

May 1 - June 15, 2013

Discovered in a tomb in 1887, Andrew Dickson White bought this papyrus for about $125 in 1889. After taking it to the conservator Émile Brugsch at the government museum, he had it shipped back to the Cornell Library. This extremely well preserved papyrus measures approximately 7 feet 9 inches long and belonged to a Ptolemaic priest named Usir-Wer. Though thought to be Spell 125 of the Book of the Dead, this papyrus is completely unique among funerary texts. The beginning describes what Usir-Wer will do once he is received by the gods Osiris and Sokar and the festivals he will participate in. The text draws on several known papyri and spells from the Book of the Dead including 90 and 140.

The exhibit also features items from the Anthropology Collections and the Johnson Museum, including two mummified birds and statuettes of gods.