Marieke Van Der Steenhoven

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 books, manuscripts, 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. She has also 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. She developed the vibrant Bowdoin & The Book program, which seeks to elevate conversations about the “book,” broadly defined, as a conduit for exploring intersections of history, technology, culture, language, literature, economics, art, and representation. By positioning Bowdoin’s Special Collections & Archives as a site of encounter and situating collections-based study within Maine’s community of book artists, craftspeople, and booksellers, this program fosters research and pedagogical support that promotes high-impact learning, creative thinking, diverse perspectives, and hands-on experience across disciplines.

Van Der Steenhoven is a regular juror for fellowships and awards in book arts and book history, and she is frequently invited to speak and teach on topics such as active and object-based learning, artists’ books as teaching tools, and activating book history—presenting both locally and nationally. In addition to her library work, she has worked as an art and museum educator, public historian, DJ, and community organizer.