Past Hirsch Programs
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Recent Programs
Exhibition Talk | “Sing a Song of Achievement”: A History of the Limited Editions Club Publications
July 9 & August 20, 2026
Joel Pelanne, technical services librarian and exhibition coordinator, details the history and development of American fine press publisher the Limited Editions Club through representative publications from across its decades of operation.
Exhibition Talk | "Looking North: Arctic Exploration in Print"
March 19 & May 7, 2026
Emma Jackson, library assistant and exhibition coordinator, discusses how imagery of the polar North permeated the print culture of the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Silk Routes Sips: From Matcha to Nowruz, Celebrating the World with Tea
The MFAH and the Dunhuang Foundation, along with the Society of Iranian-American Women for Education (SIAWE), present "Silk Routes Sips," bringing the Japanese tea ceremony (chanoyu) in dialogue with Persian New Year (Nowruz) festivities.
The Artist and the Book | Diana Matar in Conversation with Lisa Volpe
April 11, 2026
In this conversation, photographer Diana Matar speaks with curator Lisa Volpe about how books and research are vital elements of the creative process.
The Artist and the Book | Roberto Tejada and Lisa Olstein in Conversation
February 12, 2026
In this conversation, writers Robert Tejada and Lisa Olstein discuss their respective work, both of whom examine the meeting place of word and image.
Exhibition Talk | Flashpoint! Protest Photography in Print, 1950–Present
January 22, 2026
An inside look at the exhibition Flashpoint! Protest Photography in Print, 1950–Present, on view in the Hirsch Library.
The Artist and the Book | Adriana Corral and Janaye Brown in Conversation with Alison Hearst
November 6, 2025
In this conversation, artists Adriana Corral and Janaye Brown join curator Alison Hearst in a discussion on how books and research are vital elements of the creative process today.
Book Launch | “Sea of Ink, Forest of Pens: The Art of the Qurʾan in the Hossein Afshar Collection”
Awards Ceremony | 5th Annual Emerging Scholars in Object-Based Learning
October 16, 2025
The Museum’s Hirsch Library and the University of Houston’s School of Art present the fifth annual Emerging Scholars in Object-Based Learning Awards. The ceremony recognizes two undergraduate and two graduate scholars who have demonstrated excellence in the methods of object-based scholarship. The ceremony takes place in Hirsch Library, and admission is free.
Danny Lyon: Conversation with a Photobook Maker
October 9, 2025
The Museum’s Hirsch Library brings together Danny Lyon, an influential documentary photographer and photobook maker, and Russet Lederman, co-founder of 10x10 Photobooks, to explore the impact that Lyon’s work has made on both our culture at large and the development of photobooks as a genre.
Discussion | “Facts and Fantasy: Illustrations of the Natural World”
September 18, 2025
Get an inside look at the exhibition Facts and Fantasy: Illustrations of the Natural World, on view in the Hirsch Library. Facts and Fantasy explores book illustrations from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries that feature natural elements.