The lectures and programs will be free of charge, but visitors who wish to view the exhibition must also purchase a ticket.
Adult: $10.00 + $1.53 Fee
Senior: $8.00 + $1.42 Fee
Active Military: $8.00 + $1.42 Fee
Free admission for:
- Friends of the Haggerty Members
- MU Community (students, staff, faculty w/ ID)
- Children (17 and under)
- Teachers and Homeschoolers
Thursday, September 22, 2022 (Hobbit Day!), 5 p.m. *Lecture Series*
will present Editing the Tolkienian Manuscript
IMPORTANT UPDATE: Due to unforeseen circumstances, Carl Hostetter is unable to join us in person to deliver Editing the Tolkienian Manuscript. The lecture will instead be presented live via Zoom at the previously scheduled time: 5 p.m. Central Time on Thursday, September 22. If you hold in-person tickets and wish to join the lecture via Zoom, please register at: to receive the link. The lecture will be broadcast live at the Haggerty Museum of Art. Those who purchased exhibition tickets for that evening and wish to receive a refund may contact mary.dornfeld@marquette.edu.
Carl Hostetter is a computer scientist at NASA who has earned a reputation as one of the leading experts on J.R.R. Tolkien’s invented languages. He is a key member of the Elvish Linguistic Fellowship, an elite group of four Tolkien scholars whom the Tolkien Estate has entrusted with special access to the author’s unpublished linguistic manuscripts. These linguists have published extensively on Tolkien’s invented languages, including in Vinyar Tengwar, a peer-reviewed journal that Hostetter edits.
Hostetter is one of the most experienced students of Tolkien’s manuscripts. His ability to read and interpret Tolkien’s notoriously difficult handwriting is second to none. Christopher Tolkien (1924-2020) entrusted Hostetter with editing his father’s last volume of published writings, released in 2021 under the title, The Nature of Middle-earth. Hostetter’s work is highly regarded by Tolkien scholars. His volume Tolkien’s Legendarium—co-edited with Verlyn Flieger—is considered one of the best collections of essays on the history of Tolkien’s secondary world.
Friday, September 23 through Sunday, September 25, 2022
Doors Open Milwaukee/ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ Family Weekend
The Haggerty Museum of Art is, once again, pleased to participate in two simultaneous events for our internal and external art lovers! All weekend the Museum will offer free admission, self-guided tours, compelling exhibitions, and more! While the weekend is free, advance registration is required .
Sunday, September 25, 2022, 1 and 2:30 p.m.
Catey Ott Dance Collective performances and discussion
ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ's Helfaer Theatre Dance Studio #013 Blackbox Theatre.
The Catey Ott Dance Collective (CODC) will perform at 1 and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, September 25 during the 2022 Doors Open Milwaukee weekend in conjunction with the Haggerty Museum of Art. The 30-minute performances will feature Catey Ott's solo, "Invisible Mind(escape)," a quartet entitled "Pressures and Pulls Can Alone Control the Whole" with CODC, and a quintet structured improvisation based on the Haggerty Museum of Art's Tolkien exhibition followed by a discussion. The performances will take place in ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ's Helfaer Theatre Dance Studio #013 Blackbox Theatre. Reservations are not required, but seating is limited. Wheelchair access can be arranged through the loading dock. Free and open to the public.
Tuesday, September 27, 2022, noon
Tolkien Tuesdays featuring Kali Murray (Law) Tolkien: The Presence of Law
These free exhibition gallery talks are open to the public and feature ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ faculty members. The gallery talk is free of charge, but visitors who wish to view the exhibition must also purchase a ticket .
Friday, September 30, 10 a.m. to noon
Tolkien Reading Gathering featuring The Hobbit
Presented in collaboration with ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ's On Your Marq program
Relax in a bean bag chair in the exhibition gallery while listening to an excerpt from The Hobbit audio book.
Friday, October 7, 5 p.m.
Our History in Manuscripts Performance by the
Taking inspiration from J.R.R. Tolkien: The Art of the Manuscript and the Haggerty Museum of Art's collection of Spanish Antiphonals, the ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ Chorus will explore various choral styles throughout history.
Saturday, October 8, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Community Day: J.R.R. Tolkien: The Art of the Manuscript
Create art | Meet our Community Partners
Test your knowledge | Engage with the museum
A fun, engaging and FREE day for all ages presented in collaboration with , , , , and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s program. Taking inspiration from the work of J.R.R. Tolkien, partnering organizations will lead experiences including calligraphy, letterpress printing, storytelling workshops, Tolkien trivia, and more.
Event schedule:
Throughout the event:
10 a.m. Children story time sessions with MPL
10:30 a.m. Theatre workshop sessions with First Stage
10:45 a.m. Theatre workshop sessions with First Stage
11 a.m. Children story time sessions with MPL
11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Letterpress print your own bookmark with The Bindery
11:30 a.m. Theatre workshop sessions with First Stage
11:45 a.m. Theatre workshop sessions with First Stage
noon Children story time sessions with MPL
12:30 p.m. Theatre workshop sessions with First Stage
12:45 p.m. Theatre workshop sessions with First Stage
1 to 2 p.m. Quiz Master J.R.R. Tolkien Trivia (The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit)
Tuesday, October 11, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Tolkien Reading Gathering featuring The Lord of the Rings
Presented in collaboration with ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ's On Your Marq program
Relax in a bean bag chair in the exhibition gallery while listening to an excerpt from The Lord of the Rings audio book.
Thursday, October 13, 2022, 5 p.m. *Lecture Series*
will present Tolkien’s Faith and the Foundations of Middle-earth
Holly Ordway is a rising star among Tolkien scholars. Her 2021 book Tolkien’s Modern Reading is a tour de force destined to become a classic in Tolkien studies. Ordway demonstrated that Tolkien, usually pigeonholed as a medievalist, was remarkably well-read in modern literature. Her work shows how many modern works affected Tolkien’s creative output. Currently on faculty at Houston Baptist University, Ordway has taught English at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and MiraCosta College. She specializes in J.R.R. Tolkien and, more generally, in mythopoeic literature. Ordway’s current research project is a book-length treatment of Tolkien’s Catholicism, fitting for a Catholic, Jesuit university such as ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ.
Tuesday, October 25, 2022, noon
Tolkien Tuesdays featuring Michael Cover (Theology) Tolkien and the Bible
These free exhibition gallery talks are open to the public and feature ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ faculty members. The gallery talk is free of charge, but visitors who wish to view the exhibition must also purchase a ticket .
Saturday, November 5, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
World-Building: Dungeons & Dragons
Take a journey as we explore new realms, fight evil creatures, and attempt to save a Tolkien-inspired world. Learn how to play D&D with expert hosts, then join a game yourself! Participation and spectating tickets are both available. Both ticket types include FREE entry to the J.R.R. Tolkien: The Art of the Manuscript exhibition.
Presented in collaboration with Milwaukee Public Library
Thursday, November 17, 2022, 5 p.m. *Lecture Series*
will present Whispering Leaves: How Tolkien’s Manuscripts Reveal the Secrets of His Creativity
Trained as a journalist, John Garth has gained an international reputation as a leading writer about J.R.R. Tolkien and a popular commentator on Tolkien’s works and life. His published works include the recent The Worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien (2020). His earlier masterpiece, Tolkien and the Great War (2003), is universally acknowledged as a classic in the field of Tolkien Studies. Garth, who has made a special study of Tolkien’s manuscripts, will focus his lecture on a manuscript that is part of Marquette’s collection and has never previously been exhibited or published. He will demonstrate his renowned historical research skills by analyzing the manuscript and using it to tease out insights about Tolkien’s experiences during the Second World War.
All lectures will be held at the Haggerty Museum of Art and will be followed by a question and answer period. The lectures will be streamed for audiences that wish to attend virtually.
Tuesday, November 29, 2022, noon
Tolkien Tuesdays featuring Gerry Canavan (English) Tolkien in Popular Culture
These free exhibition gallery talks are open to the public and feature ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ faculty members. The gallery talk is free of charge, but visitors who wish to view the exhibition must also purchase a ticket .
J.R.R. Tolkien: The Art of the Manuscript is presented through generous support from Premier Sponsor Wintrust.
image credit: Marquette MS. Tolkien 3/4/12/1a. ©The Tolkien Estate Limited
