EXHIBITIONS
Explore exhibitions curated by the Congregational Library & Archives.
The Congregational Library & Archives regularly curates in-person and digital exhibitions highlighting important themes and events from the more than 400 year history of Congregationalism in North America. Find links to digital exhibitions and information about past and upcoming in-person exhibitions below.
Religion of Revolution: Congregational Voices on Liberty
Digital Exhibition | Launched November 2024
For the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, the Congregational Library & Archives presents Religion of Revolution: Congregational Voices on Liberty. This new digital exhibition highlights the stories of New England Congregationalists through important and rarely seen print works of the period as well as church records, letters, and sermon literature from the CLA’s collections and the New England’s Hidden Histories project.
Founding 56: The Congregational Library's Original Collection
Digital Exhibition | Launched November 2023
In 1853, a donation of 56 print and manuscript works from eight donors became the foundational collection for the newly established Congregational Library. Though the collection now numbers nearly a quarter-million items, the themes found within those initial volumes have had a significant impact on the library’s development. Founding 56 speaks to both the relevance of the big ideas in this small selection of works at the time of their donation, and to how they have shaped understandings of the Congregational story over the past 170 years.
Textile & Text: The Sacred Ally Quilt Ministry at the Congregational Library & Archives
Exhibition at 14 Beacon | June 19-21, 2023
In June 2023, the Congregational Library & Archives was honored to host a three-day display of quilts created by the Sacred Ally Quilt Ministry (SAQM) alongside a selection of materials drawn from the Congregational Library & Archives’ extensive collections. Together, these exhibitions demonstrate a shared thread of resistance and activism that can be traced through centuries of Congregational and American history.
We Do Give Up Ourselves to One Another: Congregational Disciplinary Records
Digital Exhibition | Launched November 2022
New England puritans have an unfortunate reputation of being censorious busybodies. The term “church discipline” may reinforce that notion, but the ultimate goal of disciplinary actions was not so much to punish as to draw wayward church members back into the fold—for the spiritual health of the individual and for the cohesion of the church community. The questions asked by Congregationalists of the past during the disciplinary process mirror many we ask ourselves today: what is our responsibility to one another? How do we behave toward those who have done our community harm? How can they make amends? How can we welcome them back into our midst?