Students Curate Exhibition at Morris Museum  

Professor Gregory Stevens with Student Curators (left to right) Julie Golt, Christopher Bohm, Jacquelyn Deppe, Shannon Hahn, Taylor Cavanaugh, Andrew Cates, Sutherlyn Nichols, Emily Rainbolt, and Sarah Konyak.

On April 1, the public was able to view the culmination of two semesters of work from graduate students in the M.A. in Museum Professions program within the College of Communication and the Arts. The students enrolled in the courses Museum Exhibitions A-Z and Producing an Exhibition were invited to work with the Morris Museum's historic Murtogh D. Guinness Collection of mechanical musical instruments and automata to provide contemporary insights on the antique collection.  

In the Fall 2021 semester, a class of 10 Museum Professions graduate students came together under the direction of Professor Gregory Stevens to examine the Guinness Collection through the lens of contemporary concerns. From their research into the collection, students developed four emerging themes: Stereotypes and Identity; Public Music and Democratization; Music, Memory, and Migration; and Technology and Innovation. Each theme was then explored in depth on a series of panels, which were exhibited in the Morris Museum's North Gallery under the title "A Contemporary Spin: Museum Graduate Students Take on the Guinness Collection." 

The class was invited to return to the Morris Museum in the Spring semester — this time for a fully realized exhibition based on their work. Six of the original student curators returned, and four new students joined the team to complete this exhibition. One of the new arrivals, first-semester student Sutherlyn Nichols, describes jumping into this class as "Quite intimidating at first, taking on a class that was already established. But the reward of seeing the exhibition come to life was really worth it." She further posits, "Our team worked really well, collaboratively, and I think we’re all really proud of how it came together!" 

The Spring semester class decided to continue working within the four emergent themes for the exhibition, and retained their essential question of "What stories can the Guinness Collection tell for a modern audience?" The result of this research is "A Contemporary Spin: The Guinness Collection Re/Imagined", an exhibition comprised of more than 15 interpretive panels and 20 objects proudly on display in the Morris Museum's Hedley Gallery from April 1 to September 18, 2022.  

In addition to developing the exhibition in the physical sense, the students were tasked with designing interactive, educational activities. These activities include a Family Map designed by Shannon Hahn, an interactive Migration Map and coloring pages developed by Jacquelyn Deppe, a Stereotypes Discussion Guide by Sutherlyn Nichols, an audio tour edited by Andrew Cates, and a detail scavenger hunt designed by Emily Rainbolt. Each of these activities is designed to engage a wide range of museum patrons, and to encourage closer looks and deeper participation in the exhibit. Each of these activities are available in the Gallery as well as online for at-home use. Several of the panels in the exhibition also have QR codes, linking to relevant video and audio clips as well as some online content.  

A Contemporary Spin: The Guinness Collection Re/Imagined in the final stages of installment at the Morris Museum.

The class will continue to develop their work through utilizing evaluation and marketing strategies to determine the success of their messaging and whether anything may be adjusted to better reach the patrons of the museum. By engaging in each of these facets of museum work, students were able to explore completely all areas of the field under the guidance of current museum professionals. This collaboration and engagement is essential in garnering a thorough understanding of the field, preparing Museum Professions students for their future careers and providing a firsthand look at all that goes in to making an exhibition come to life.  

Co-Team Lead Christopher Bohm reflects on the experience as a comprehensive immersion into the world of museums. "We got experience with everything from design and label text to marketing and evaluation," he says. "I found the ability to get practical experience in so many different parts of the museum field was incredibly beneficial." 

The students of the Producing an Exhibition course were rewarded for their hard work not only by way of a professional-quality exhibition space open to the public, but through invitations to the 2022 Museum Gala, held on April 9. The gala served as a way for the students to see all their hard work come to fruition, and to celebrate each other's successes. Co-Team Lead Julie Golt comments, "I loved seeing how different people in the class have different strengths and different knowledge that brought the exhibition together. If it wasn't for everyone's specific skills and knowledge, the exhibition would not have come together the way it did."

Categories: Arts and Culture