Learning in London

The "Great Exhibitions" course has been exploring what constitutes a museum, an exhibition, and a collection. Today (New Year's Day) we travelled to the Imperial War Museum, which will close on January 6 for 6 months in order to prepare for the Centenary exhibits. Tomorrow, we're headed to John Soane's Museum.  More soon...for now: a few pictures!

Students gathered outside the Tower Bridge—
before we encountered the onslaught of tourists at the White Tower.

Field Trip: GSCM

On Wednesday, my Foundations 112 students and I walked up town to the Georgetown & Scott County Museum. We were welcomed by Mr. Rice, former teacher and photographer at Paintsville H.S., who is now the Director of the Museum.

For those of you who have not visited before, or if it's been a while since you have visited, please take the time to walk uptown and take in their exhibits. The Museum focuses on the history of this region with its permanent displays and, also, has temporary installations. One of these exhibits focuses on quilts, with some amazing examples from the Gaines house in Georgetown as well as contemporary works. The other temporary display focuses on the Civil War and features a reconstruction, in miniature, of the Orphan Brigade of Kentucky who fought at the Battle of Chickamauga.

Students looking for a FDN 112 course in the spring, consider taking my FDN 112 Engaging Objects. Come learn about objects, artifacts, and works of art first-hand:)

Brendan
Dr Decker & Jordan
Joyce
Takecia and Victoria

Oral History: fall recordings have been posted

It's that time of year—as we edge toward semester's end and the holidays, students in the Curatorial Studies course prepare to listen to someone important to them. That is, they complete an oral history project. This project mirrors, on a smaller scale, the National Day of Listening and the Story Corps project. 

This past Friday was our class's day of listening (and we will continue on Monday). In addition to hearing a variety of stories from the individuals that the students elected to spend time with, we marked a transition in moving from curating objects, writing wall text and online texts for historical markers, and digging in the dirt to curating non-objects—that is, digital files. 

If you click the link here, you'll be connected to our viral voices page, the home of our oral histories. In the 2013 edition, you'll be able to listen to conversations between students in our class and the following: an alternative hip hop artist from Lexington; a retired Lieutenant Colonel and psychiatrist; the youngest daughter of a Southern Baptist preacher; a Carlisle County couple who share their stories with a kettle of apple butter on the stove; a retired Sergeant Major who played ball against Kareem Abdul-Jabbar; a Kentucky restauranteur-turned-engineer; and a Dry Ridge couple who live on and tend a farm. 

Field Study: Jessamine County, Kentucky archaeological dig

Students in the Curatorial Studies class were fortunate to have the opportunity to work with Dr. Stephen McBride and his colleagues—Cathy, Todd, and Sarah—this past Saturday. We went down to Jessamine County to participate in a field study -- literally, in the field. We went on an archaeological dig. Through this work, we learned about the importance of material culture that is underground, as so much of our work has been spent this semester on those objects already in archives and collections.

Dr. McBride establishes context for the site. 

Dr. McBride gives instructions as to our teams and parameters of the dig.

Pix from Homecoming Reception—Friday 2:15 in the Cochenour

Thanks to everyone who joined us today. Here's a few photos from our event. 

Homecoming Reception—Friday 2:15 in the Cochenour

Organized by my Fall 2013 Curatorial Studies course, this year's Archives show features an accurate history of Homecoming since its introduction in 1923, the evolution of Songfest, a tribute to an individual who embodied the “Spirit of Homecoming,” Coach L.E. “Brad” Jones, and many artifacts that date back to the youngest days of the College.

“90 Years & Counting: Homecoming Through the Ages” offers a glimpse into the past and present and invites you to share your memories with us.

Please join us on Friday, October 11th from 2:15-3:15 for the reception and discussion with the students who researched and created this exhibition: Steven Faulkner, Caity Hagan, Sarai Kidd, Abigail McPeek, Shelby Riddell, Joey Schulte, and Kendall Wills.

Homecoming Show—almost there!

Our beloved bench! Thanks to our friends who made it possible *>) 

We did it (sort of!). A good portion of the Homecoming exhibit is now installed. Yet, several finishing touches, including vinyl and photos need to be completed. Stop by the Cochenour Gallery in the LRC to see the exhibit and please join us for the official reception for our exhibition, "90 Years and Counting: Homecoming Through the Ages." That event will be held on Homecoming Friday, October 10 from 2:15-3:15.

On Monday, the Curatorial Studies class moves on to Project #2—the extended captions for the GC Historical Markers. More info to come!

90 Years and Counting: Homecoming Through the Ages

This year's Curatorial Studies exhibition will present a history of Homecoming, a tradition that began at GC in 1923. Stay tuned for details.....

Film reel from 1963 Homecoming

In Defense of Art: Feel like writing a letter to The Times?

Wendy MacNaughton

I rarely repost content from other sites but, due to the imposing deadline for replies, have decided to do so (from Real Clear Arts.)

"This is your chance, and it may be your best chance, to make the case for art museums. Right now, online, The New York Times has invited a dialogue with readers that will run in Sunday’s Review section. You must respond by tomorrow (Thursday) to be considered for publication.

Art History Humor: Curator Tape

A professional group that I belong to mentioned this product, sold on Amazon. See below and click here.

Think about it...Should something with the name "Curator Tape" even be sold? Online we've had a good laugh about this. It's art history humor but also museum/curatorial humor. What kind of claims can you make about this product that is, ostensibly, gold tape? Here are some of the comments that have been made online in our list-serve, a few of which have been posted to Amazon. See if you catch the humor in each... 

“Everything looks like a masterpiece!”

"Man, that frame for the Van Gogh was in such bad shape, coming apart at the corners and everything!  I taped up the corners and now it looks like a million bucks!"

Opportunity: Unpaid archives/museum internship - free housing

The Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph Archives in Maple Mount, Kentucky is seeking a college student interested in a summer internship who is presently enrolled in an archives, museum, humanities or liberal arts program. This intern will be responsible for cataloging museum artifacts belonging to the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph. The candidate should demonstrate an interest in archival/museum work and understand the importance of preserving our cultural heritage. The internship will last 10 weeks during the summer of 2013 with a negotiable start date.

Qualifications

• Actively pursuing an undergraduate or graduate education in archival management, museum studies or history
• Strong verbal and writing skills
• Quick learner with ability to take direction
• Ability to prioritize and handle multiple tasks
• Attention to detail and organizational skills
• Deep sense of responsibility and confidentiality
• While this is an unpaid internship, we will work with the candidate and his/her academic institution to provide the necessary information to grant academic credit. Free housing at Brescia University is offered to the candidate.
• The candidate must show proof of medical insurance and have reliable transportation. A background check will be conducted.

Please send a cover letter, resume, and three references to Sarah Patterson at sarah.patterson@maplemount.org Applications received by April 6, 2013 will be given first consideration.

The Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph are a vibrant group of women who minister to the needs of the communities in which they serve, in areas such as education, pastoral ministry, nursing, social justice and a variety of other arenas where they have been called by God. Founded in 1874, Mount Saint Joseph is situated on a beautiful campus 15 miles west of Owensboro, Kentucky. To learn more about the community and archives, please visit http://ursulinesmsj.org/

Rucker Hall Flag: A Treasure from the Archives

Today's online and print versions of the Georgetown News Graphic have a photograph and mention of the Homecoming Exhibition with items from the GC Archives. Stop by the Cochenour Gallery in the LRC tomorrow, Friday, from 12-2 to learn about the Georgetown Stories that students have gathered in the Curatorial Studies course.

Thanks to Nancy Royden of the News-Graphic, Sandy Baird of the Archives, and Katie Mann and Laura Stewart for assistance in putting together this exhibition. And, of course, thank you to the alums who gave of their time to be interviewed. See you tomorrow!

See the earlier post about the exhibition here.

Milward Q & A

On Monday, February 20, students in my course "The Art of Collecting" were in for a treat. Lexingtonian and art collector extraordinaire, John Milward, paid a visit to our class. The purpose was to meet the students who have been contributing to the work of the exhibition that opens next week. Entitled "A Passionate Pursuit: The Milward Collection" the show traces the ways in which this collection has shifted and grown over the past 30 years. Milward's collection is impressive -- a fact that you will be able to confirm for yourself next week.

By coming to the show you'll also see the work of so many from our department. For example, each student in the course mentioned above has been researching an artist or group of works from the show. Bess is taking on John Ward (1917-2007); Elizabeth is working on Tom Coates (1941-); Jordan is researching the social and cultural contexts of French animalier bronzes; and Celeste is rising to the challenge of researching that enigmatic artist George Claxton (1947-1995). Each student prepared an outline to share and questions to ask Mr. Milward who kindly sat on the hot seat for over an hour. Thanks so much, John! (And thanks to Caitlin from The Georgetonian for joining us and snapping this photo.)

The gallery is being prepped for the show this week; works will arrive next week; and the installation will come together over a few days. This exhibition opens on Friday, March 2 from 6-8 pm. To whet your appetite, take a peek at the exhibition catalogue cover, above, designed by Laura Hatton in GC's Marketing office.

Make time next Friday night to come out and see a sampling from this world-class collection. You won't be disappointed. Trust me!

From the object to the non-object

Above: a view of Georgetown College from 1892. Below: the Cochenour Gallery, the Dr. Donald L. and Dorothy Jacobs Collection, and the Anne Wright Wilson Fine Arts Gallery, three exhibition spaces on the Georgetown College Campus.

In the Curatorial Studies class over the past few weeks, we've moved from curating objects to recording information to be placed on the smartPhone app "Take it Artside!" that we helped bring to life last year. (The app was launched in 2010 and GC art is one of the founding educational partners. See info here.) The third part of this transition is to move from the object and its record to the non-object and its story, that is, the oral history. Well, truth be told, the oral history is an actual object, in that it exists in a digital file, but its essence is truly the conversation with others. And readers of this blog will hear more about this project in the coming weeks.

As we transitioned through these projects, though, we engaged in a discussion about "the object." We asked if art, science, history, or any museum needs objects. We read Rainey Tisdale's attempt to answer this question. We mentioned Steven Conn's recent query articulated in a U Penn podcast where Conn points to museum experiences and, in our "museum age", the blending of culture, politics, and commerce, when we venture into a museum and purchase a replica or memento experience in the gift shop!

In museum circles, there is a divide between those who feel the object is essential and those that do not. Take, for example, Google Art Project. Truly, seeing John Constable's Salisbury Cathedral via GoogleArt affords me the opportunity to see a digitization of the canvas. I can see evidence of Constable's brushwork in a way that I cannot, even when I am standing directly in front of this magnificent work in the Frick Collection. There's an enhancement to my experience when I see the canvas through the monitor or screen of my computer. But, this is not a substitution for the painting. I have seen Constable's painting first hand and, after several views of it, I feel I can begin to know about it. And, I can appreciate this opportunity to view a digitization of the painting. But, I also know that this digitization is not the painting itself.

So, you might heed caution against using an app as a substitution for the work of art (or other authentic object). The object - the painting, the sculpture, the installation, the work itself -- is necessary in order to live the experience in most cases. Unless you're David Hockney.

To move from viewing art to educating us about it, I think that one of the most interesting applications of technology to the museum experience is as this type of enhancement that we see hinted in the Google Project. Recently, the Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh has connected works of art -- through technology -- to educational purposes. Their fantastic new app affords viewers "a multimedia exploration of Warhol's art and life, combining archival materials, letters, images, film, video and audio clips. It sheds light on more than 50 works that span the artist's career, including Silver Clouds, Sleep, Mao, The Last Supper and Self-Portrait. See information on the Warhol app here.

So, to return to the question above: is the object necessary? Given some of the information above, what do you think?

Experience!

One of the chief comments that I receive from recent alums is that they wished they had more "real-world" experience before they were out in the field seeking employment. In fact, that's what employers also seek! EXPERIENCE! To gain such field work, consider volunteering time at a local gallery or exhibition space. ArtTigers is a fantastic example of one such opportunity on our own campus. If you're interested in participating in this "student guide" program, please see art gal (aka Laura, our Gallery Director and Curator of Collections).

In addition to our galleries on campus, Scott County has a local museum, several arts spaces, and other cultural organizations that seek volunteers. Further afield, the International Museum of the Horse is particularly seeking volunteers to work in the galleries for their new exhibition "The Horse." Where are you interested in seeking experience? I bet there's an opp (as in "opportunity") for that!

In case you need convincing, consider that volunteers can connect people with art and objects in many ways: they provide one-to-one contact with visitors to galleries and they also engage with viewers, monitor the areas, and often provide important information (either informally or through an "official" tour capacity).

Please consider helping out your community by volunteering. Many times, if this project has a lasting commitment and involves an educative component, you may be able to seek academic credit for this internship/volunteer experience. Questions? Contact Dr. Decker

image from: http://www.mmfilmfestival.com/?page_id=4

From the Ground Up: GC Spaces and Places opening

As blog readers are well aware, last week, students in the curatorial studies course opened their exhibition "From the Ground Up: GC Spaces and Places." The photos attached show the students in costume during the event. Each student in the course contributed to the planning and execution of the exhibition and its opening, particularly through their interpretation of persons from GC’s past. See photos 2-4 above. In the second photo, visitors are looking closely at the historic portrait of Rockwood Giddings and the print after Esteria Butler Farnam's painting of the college. In the third photo, Shawn McPeek carried forth as Professor J. E. Farnam, professor of natural history. In the last photo, we see Ms. Jane Hope Oldham Fields seated on the couch and chatting with current and former GC students, including from the left: Shelby Riddell, Ryley Graden, Janet Mann (mom of Katie) and Katie Mann in costume as Janet Sanders (class of ’65); Portia Watson in costume as Katherine Pettus, one of 66 seniors in the class of 1930; and Dana Sabato in costume as a current student awaiting the opening of Rucker Village. Thanks to all who attended the event.

This past week's celebrations connect history with its people. These connections may be broad and shared -- such as the Homecoming exhibition and the tradition of the football game. But, they can also be very personal. For example, Earl Grey enjoyed a special treat over the weekend. First, she met Dr. Jim Heizer, who recorded the oral histories for the college's sesquicentennial over the years 1978-1980. See the photo above of Dr. Decker and Dr. Heizer at the Homecoming game. Also, Dr Decker met Bob, Dixie, and Barbara Mills -- children of former President Robert L. Mills. Dr. Mills was a courageous man who instilled confidence and hope in the college and brought compassion and humane care to the position of the presidency.

On Wednesday of this past week, the exhibition's theme of spaces and places was emphasized further with a second Fireside Chat withProfessor Jim McCormick, emeritus faculty of art, and his wife, Mary. GC alums and long-time supporters of the department, they shared ghost stories and GC mysteries on Wednesday afternoon. We're grateful for Prof. McCormick's time and for coming back to campus to talk with us about some of GC's mysteries and, most especially, for solving the mystery of the Pawling Puppy we've named Issy!

Indeed, Homecoming is a time of getting together on campus -- coming back to the spaces and places that foster our educational and professional growth. Just as students in my course work together to curate an exhibition devoted to the college's history, alums, faculty, and friends of the college visit and together look back on their histories. They return to campus and return to their "Belle of the Blue." It's an exciting time that we share as a community. I look forward to seeing everyone next year -- same time, same place!

Who do you think you are?

The title for this post comes from the NBC tv show (a spin-off from the BBC one program of the same name). I am using this reference to incite answers to questions about GC's archives. Who do you think we are, as an institution? To begin, let's look at object we have collected over the past two hundred years, as a college and, essentially, a network of scholars and scholars-in-training.

The two images above are photographs of objects in the Archives and Special Collections at Georgetown College. In the case of the illustration, we see a page from a 1913 Belle of the Blue (college annual) featuring a rather whimsical Oscar Wilde-like drawing of an athletics fan. Ever the dandy, he is well-dressed and carries a pennant and hat while gesturing toward the words, "Belle of the Blue Kentuck Kentuck." These words, and their fuller four lines, were the college cheer that dates to the nineteenth century. They are, indeed, a blast from the past and words that we may not, as 21st-century Georgetonians, recognize as familiar and pervasive, as they were a century ago. But, in some ways, the anthem -- knowingly or not -- is a part of our shared past.

The other image is taken of a small object in the Archives. This stuffed white puppy bears a badge with "Pawling Hall 1956" affixed to his collar. I first encountered this item over five years ago. It has become something of interest however, over the past three years, in the Curatorial Studies course. In this class each fall, students have searched the Belle of the Blue as well as the Georgetonian newspaper to find out this puppy's significance. Was he a mascot for the hall, which formerly served as a men's dormitory? Was he simply a token of affection from one person to another? Or, was he something more than this? Our searches of primary documents have yielded nothing. Interviews with alums have yielded nothing...so far. If YOU have information about the Pawling puppy that this year's class has affectionately named "Issy", as in Issachar Pawling (the namesake of this hall) please let us know.

reminder: Friday from 12-2 the exhibition "From the Ground Up: Georgetown College Spaces and Places" opens. A Fireside chat begins at 1 pm in the LRC. Please join us.

From the Ground Up: GC Spaces and Places

Photo 1 (above) Earl Grey begins class with an overview of today's mission. From left, Katie, Devon, and Jen discuss their team's progress.

Photo 2 (above) Sarah and Terrell locate information in issues of the Belle of the Blue and the flat files.

Photo 3 (above, from left) Dana and Portia listen in as Katie and Terrell discuss how to develop a context for each of the buildings. Jordan, in the background, is writing object labels.

Photo 4 (above) To locate info on the Cralle Student Center, Earl Grey looks in a copy of the GC College Catalogue from 1964-65.

Students in the Curatorial Studies class have been working on an exhibition devoted to some of GC's buildings. Entitled "From the Ground Up: Georgetown College's Spaces and Places," this show takes a look at the college's buildings and structures -- those that stand and others that have withered away. Items from the college's archives and other primary sources that tell the story of our campus and some of its buildings will be on view. "From the Ground Up" offers a glimpse into the past and aims to connect campus buildings and structures with cherished memories of these spaces and places. Special attention will be given to Rucker Hall (destroyed 1971) and the new Rucker Village (built 2011).

The following art and history majors are involved in the preparation of this exhibition: Jordan Gill, Katie Mann, Sarah McIntosh, Shawn McPeek, Dana Sabato, Jen Stephenson, Devon Stivers, Terrell Taylor, and Portia Watson.

Please join us next Friday, September 23 from 12-2 for a reception in the LRC. Everyone is welcome to attend the 1:00 p.m. Fireside Chat as well. The events are free and open to the public. Photos courtesy of Shawn McPeek (thank you, Birthday Boy!)

What do Pictures "Really" Want?

W.J.T. Mitchell knows....or, at least thought he did. Come to the Reading Group to find out more. Thursday 1/27/ @ noon in the art building.

SP11 interns begin their work

Students undergoing internships this semester will be writing blog posts as a means of providing regular updates of their work. The student interns in art history, curatorial, and archival work are: junior art history major Bess McHone; junior art history and art studio major Devon Stivers; and senior English major Jacob Pankey. The student blogs will be linked along the right column under the label "Art Department Links" or as regular posts to our department site.

First up, Bess, who is an intern at Cardome. She has made her first post today, giving an intro to her project. She writes, "This [site]....will be updated regularly with information found in the Cardome archives. It will also include questions concerning events in its past as well as inquiries as to students' identities." See the link at right and watch her site for further updates.

In the coming weeks, you'll hear more from the interns. Please feel free to post and ask questions of them. These types of internship experiences enable our students to apply what they have learned in the classroom and to extend their own knowledge through experience-based inquiry. We wish them well in their work!

Image courtesy of Saul Zalesch, an expert in ephemera. Thanks for the cd of images, Saul!