Exhibits and Art in JMU Libraries
Permanent Collection in Carrier Library
Jeanne d’Arc
Artist: Henri Chapu
Medium: Plaster copy of the ca. 1870-72 marble in the Musee du Louvre, Paris (on view in the City Hall of Amboise)
Location: Carrier Library, first floor
Dimensions: 1.17 x 0.92 x 0.83m
Description: Four known copies of Jeanne d’ Arc reside in Virginia at the former state teacher’s colleges: Longwood, Madison, Mary Washington, and Radford. They are believed to be gifts from the French Government in appreciation for war relief efforts during World War I. Madison College’s New Student Building was presented with the statue in a formal school assembly in January of 1917. President and Mrs. Julian A. Burruss dedicated the statue with emphasis on Joan of Arc as representing the high ideals of womanhood. The 1996 restoration of this statue was made possible in part by the family of Elizabeth Katherine Miller Aigner, class of 1919.
More info: History of JMU’s Joan of Arc statue; Joan of Arc statue and women’s rights at JMU
Steps of the Shenandoah
Location: Stan and Rosemary Jones Wing, Carrier Library
Medium: Staircase with panels of water-jet cut metal designed by Robert A. M. Stern Architects and fabricated by the Shickel Corporation in Bridgewater, Virginia
Description: The Steps of the Shenandoah is a one-of-a-kind staircase that honors the ancient beauty of our beloved Shenandoah Valley. The design, focused on familiar place names, the mountains and ridgelines surrounding Harrisonburg, and the branching forks of the Shenandoah River, is based on historic maps of our area.
More info: Madison magazine story about the staircase; Sounds of the Shenandoah, a temporary audio installation that periodically transforms the staircase into an immersive listening experience.
Permanent Collection in Rose Library
Diversity Mosaic
Artist: Sarah Swanlund; various JMU clubs and organizations
Medium: Mosaic
Location: Rose Library, first and second floors
Description: Two mosaics that decorate the first and second floor of Rose Library stand as a commemoration of diversity and inclusion at JMU. When JMU’s Office of Access & Inclusion was calling for proposals for its annual Innovative Diversity Efforts Award, better known as the IDEA grant, the Diversity Mosaics were born. Thanks to artist and former JMU Libraries employee Sarah Swanlund (who led instructional workshops), student groups were able to leave a piece of their organization and themselves emblazoned on the walls of Rose in a celebration of diversity.
More info: JMU news story
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, The Mahatma, “Great Soul”
Medium: Bronze
Location: Rose Library, first floor
Description: The government of India presented a larger than life-size bronze statue of Mahatma Gandhi as a gift to James Madison University in recognition of the work of the Gandhi Center for Global Nonviolence. The statue was dedicated and unveiled on October 2, 2008, the International Day of Nonviolence and the birth anniversary of the Mahatma, by His Excellency Ronen Sen, Ambassador of India to the United States of America. The statue is the first of Mahatma Gandhi in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
More info: JMU Ghandi Statue Dedication (video)
Galleries and Exhibit Spaces
Carrier Library Art Galleries
The Carrier Library Art Galleries are collaborative, student-centered exhibition spaces jointly supported by JMU Libraries and the School of Art, Design, and Art History (SADAH). Grounded in shared commitments to teaching, learning, research, and creative exploration, the galleries serve as an academic workspace where students gain hands-on experience in exhibition development, curatorial practice, interdisciplinary collaboration, and professional presentation. Semesterly exhibitions are selected through a juried process, providing students with opportunities to exhibit their work in a public setting while developing the skills and experiences expected of emerging arts professionals.
- The Updike Gallery, located on Carrier Library’s second floor, presents two-dimensional artwork and visual scholarship, including printmaking, drawing, painting, photography, graphic design, illustration, posters, text-based works, and research-driven exhibitions. The gallery highlights the breadth of visual communication while providing students with professional opportunities to exhibit, interpret, and contextualize their work within a public-facing environment.
- The Ground Floor Gallery supports shallow sculptural work, low-relief installations, material investigations, and interdisciplinary projects that extend beyond the wall. Designed to encourage experimentation across media, the space provides students with opportunities to explore installation strategies, spatial thinking, and professional exhibition practices while engaging audiences in innovative approaches to contemporary art and design.
Distinctive Collections Exhibit Gallery
Located on the second floor of Carrier Library, the Distinctive Collections Exhibit Gallery features rotating exhibits of rare, unique, and historical items from the Libraries’ collections. Exhibits are curated by the Digital Scholarship & Distinctive Collections (DSDC) department of JMU Libraries. Interested members of the JMU and Shenandoah Valley are communities encouraged to contact dsdc@jmu.edu to explore possible opportunities for curatorial collaboration.
The display cases are set against a backdrop of manuscript writing, enlarged and installed on the wall that frames the Distinctive Collections Reading Room. The manuscript is an excerpt from a nineteenth century piece by George A. Newman, titled “An Essay on Truth.” Newman, who was a Black educator and writer, arrived in Harrisonburg in the 1870s and wrote about the antebellum South. His previously unpublished writings appear in the Ruth and Lowell Toliver Collection of Newman Family Papers, donated to JMU Libraries in 2021 and available for research by request.
The little Gallery Underground
The little Gallery Underground gallery features rotating displays of art by local artists, both within the JMU community and beyond. What makes this gallery unique is the connection between visual art and music. This gallery is open during operational hours for the Music Library, which is located on the lower level of the JMU Music Building.
Exhibit Case in Rose Library
Rose Libraries a locked glass display case (approximate dimensions: 36″ wide x 72″ long x 16″ tall) that can accommodate small three-dimensional exhibits.
Temporary Installation
Sounds of the Shenandoah
Artist: JMU School of Music students, directed by Dr. Jon Gibson
Medium: Temporary audio installation in use during selected special events
Location: Carrier Library, Steps of the Shenandoah
Description: Created by students in JMU’s School of Music, Sounds of the Shenandoah periodically transforms Carrier Library’s signature staircase, Steps of the Shenandoah, into an immersive listening experience. Inspired by the staircase, whose design is based on historic maps of the Shenandoah Valley, the students collected recordings from locations along the river, from Port Republic to Harpers Ferry. The installation pairs a recording from each location with a speaker positioned beside the corresponding place name on the staircase. As visitors move through the space, they can experience the sounds of flowing water, wildlife, recreation, and daily life, creating an auditory journey that connects the library to the Shenandoah Valley beyond its walls.
Rotating Art
International Week Photographs
Artist: Various JMU students
Medium: Photography
Location: Rose Library, fourth floor
Description: Since 2000, the JMU community has submitted photographs to the Center for Global Engagement documenting its travels outside the U.S. and around the globe. JMU Libraries celebrates the winners of the annual International Week Photo Contest by decorating the walls of Rose with these breathtaking photographs.