M.A. in Museum Professions students at the Morris Museum

Professor Gregory Stevens, M.A.T., director of the Master of Arts in Museum Professions program in the College of Communication and the Arts, guided his students in their creation of a Morris Museum exhibit, "A Contemporary Spin: Museum Graduate Students Take on the Guinness Collection."

During the fall 2021 semester, students collaborated with the Morris Museum in order to reinterpret the historic Murtogh D. Guinness Collection of contained historic mechanical musical instruments and automata, as well as over 5,000 programmed media. The Guinness Collection features a history of on-demand musical entertainments and is one of the most significant collections of its kind in the world.

Over the course of the semester, graduate students explored the Guinness Collection, mining it for contemporary stories these mechanical musical instruments and automata might tell. Student curators collaborated to brainstorm, draft, refine, produce and install this exhibition with three criteria to guide them: highlight the Guinness Collection, align with the Morris Museum mission, and offer visitors contemporary perspectives on this historic collection.

One of the goals of the collaboration, Professor Stevens noted, is the "intent to reflect the experiential learning aspect of the Museum Professions program through hands-on experience for students."

As part of the “Museums Exhibitions A-Z" course taught by Professor Stevens, students analyzed themes of social issues plus music and technology history in panels created by each student. As project manager, Professor Stevens also oversaw the development process of the exhibition.

Julie Golt, a second-year graduate student and participant in the exhibition, reflected on her favorite part of the exhibition project: installation day. "All class members, Professor Stevens, and our partners from the Morris Museum came together to create an amazing exhibition."

Golt continued, "After all the hard work of putting the exhibition together, having the installation go so smoothly, and finally seeing our final results made the stress of putting the project together well worth it."

Each student contributed different roles through individual research, Golt explained. The exhibit utilized the collaboration of the class and Professor Stevens to make sure everyone's panels were successfully completed on time and the entire panel exhibition reflected a unified theme and the criteria established by the Morris Museum staff.

The development process for the exhibit went through four stages: concept, design, fabrication and installation. First, students chose themes and objects to analyze and drafted the proposal for the exhibit. Next, Professor Stevens and the Morris Museum curator, conservator, and exhibition developers initiated the design phase and guided students in mapping out the exhibit. At the end of the fall semester, students participated in the initiation phase, where they collaborated with curators and other Morris Museum staff.

Regarding the future of this exhibit, Professor Stevens noted that "the students will be expanding this exhibition into a more fully realized exhibition with objects from the collection, to open in late March 2022."

The Morris Museum is committed to interpreting the past and discovering the future, through Art, Sound, and Motion. The Museum creates opportunities for lifelong learning, discovery, and creativity, driven by the contemporary interpretation of its Guinness Collection of Mechanical Musical Instruments and Automata as well as its general collections and the performing arts. More information about A Contemporary Spin can be found here.

Seton Hall University Student Curators: Christopher Bohm, Andrew Cates, Taylor Cavanaugh, Angelina D’Angelo, Julie Golt, Shannon Hahn, Sophia Hudzik, Sarah Konyak, Sarah Long, and Caroline (Callie) Miller. Students were guided by Professor Greg Stevens, Director of the Master of Arts in Museum Professions program.

Morris Museum advisors: Ron Labaco, Director of Exhibitions and Collections/Chief Curator; Sara O’Connor, Preparator; and Jere Ryder, Guinness Collection Conservator

With special thanks to Cleveland Johnson, President and CEO of the Morris Museum for his support of this project and the collaboration between the Museum and Seton Hall.

Photos: Andrew Cates and Caroline (Callie) Miller, Seton Hall University

About the College of Communication and the Arts
The College of Communication and the Arts currently offers graduate-level programs in Museum Professions and Communication, including the opportunity to pursue a unique area of study, including options in Public Relations, Digital Communication/Communication Technologies, and Communication in Organizations. In addition, four dual-degree options, including three accelerated master's/B.A. programs and a dual M.A. degree with the School of Diplomacy and International Relations are offered.

For more information about Graduate Studies within the College of Communication and the Arts, please contact Dr. Ryan Hudes.

Categories: Education