MARIEKE VAN DER STEENHOVEN
UPCOMING SYMPOSIUM
The Art of Photographic Bookmaking: Inspiration, Creation & Acquisition
(Special Guest)
As the Special Collections Education and Engagement Librarian at Bowdoin College, Marieke Van Der Steenhoven develops and delivers instructional, educational, and exhibition programs that engage students, faculty, staff, and the public. For over a decade she has curated the artist’s book collection and developed a robust instruction program, integrating collections into the liberal arts curriculum through active learning and student-centered pedagogy.
Van Der Steenhoven has curated over fifteen exhibits drawing on Bowdoin’s rare book, manuscript, and college records, including Bound And Determined: The Physical History of the Book; A Celebration of Collaboration: Maine’s Two Pond Press at 10; and What to Eat and How to Cook It: A Celebration of the Esta Kramer Collection of American Cookery and has mentored and supervised numerous student-curated shows, including Shoot, Snap, Instagram: A History of Photography and Conversing Codices: Artist’s Books Made and Seen by Students in the Fall 2023 Printed Book Class.
In 2020, Van Der Steenhoven received the inaugural M.C. Lang Fellowship in Book History and Bibliography at the Rare Book School and developed the vibrant Bowdoin & The Book program, which seeks to elevate conversations about the “book,” broadly defined, to serve as the conduit for an exploration of the intersections of history, technology, culture, language, literature, economics, art, representation, and more. By positioning Bowdoin’s Special Collections & Archives a site of encounter and to situate collections-based study and research within the rich landscape of Maine-based book artists, craftspeople, and booksellers–this program and related efforts provide research and pedagogical support to effectively engage in high-impact learning across disciplines and co-curricular programs, promote discursive and creative thinking, confront a diversity of perspectives, and acquire hands-on and field work experience.
Van Der Steenhoven is a regular juror for fellowships and awards in book arts and book history and an invited speaker/teacher on subjects including active and object-based learning, artist’s books as teaching tools, and activating book history, presenting locally and nationally. In addition to her library work, she has worked as an art and museum educator, public historian, deejay, and community organizer.
